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On 13 September, the World Federation of Youth Councils organized the ‘Peace for the Future Conference’ at the UN Headquarters in New York, which I attended after the UN Peace Bell Ringing Ceremony.

After a keynote speech by Santo Akiko, Member of the House of Councillors (Advisor to the World Federalist Movement Association), Kodaka Yoshimune, President of Hotel Mikazuki Co., Tanimoto Masakuni, Director of the World Federation Japan Headquarters and International Committee Chairman, and Kanamori Takahiro, Director of Friends of the UN, gave lectures and I also followed them. It was very informative.

　

On 13 September, Representative Takase Seiko and Director Taniyama Masaaki attended the UN Peace Bell ringing ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a resolution to the fighting in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip and rang the peace bell. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, read out the names of Nakagawa Chiyoji and Takase Seiko in her speech, which was very moving. We thank the Delegation for their thoughtfulness.

Mr Abe Shinichiro, the creator of the Japanese Garden, and Ms Santo Akiko, former Speaker of the House of Councillors, were also present at the ceremony and greeted the guests. After the ceremony, Takase was allowed to toll the Peace Bell for the first time in a long while, which made her happy as she felt like she had met her father, Nakagawa Chiyoji.

In the afternoon, Takase also attended and spoke at the ‘Peace for the Future Conference’ organized by the World Federation of Youth Councils at the UN.

　　

On 31 August 2024, lecture at the ‘UN Peace Bell Study Group’ of the International Group Global Peace Committee of the Junior Chamber International Foundation of Japan (JCIJ).

Although it had been raining every day due to Typhoon No. 10, it was sunny from the morning in Fujisawa city on the day of the event, and 20 members of the Junior Chamber of Japan attended. I felt the wonderful energy of the young people, as it is the Junior Chamber.

After opening remarks by TAWARAYA Kana, chairperson of the committee, and SUZUKI Yuriko, chairperson of the Fujisawa Junior Chamber, ISHII Seigo, vice chairperson, spoke about his passion for choosing the ‘UN Peace Bell’ for this study group, which was very moving. After the lecture, everyone discussed the topic ‘What is the international peace we should act for’ in the workshop, and each of them made a presentation on the stage and rang the Peace Bell.

We hope that the passion for world peace of NAKAGAWA Chiyoji will be passed on to these young people.

　　　　

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 6 August 2024, WPFC Hiroshima, organized by “World Peace Flag Ceremony Hiroshima”, Representative OTANI Miharu, was held on the east side of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. We prayed for the world peace, saying ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’, and the flags of 194 countries around the world were raised one at a time, and the participants prayed for peace in each continent, saying ‘May Peace be in XX (the name of the country)’.

Ms TAKASE, representative of the Association for the Preservation of the UN Peace Bell, rang the Peace Bell three times at the beginning of the ceremony, once between each continent, and gave a concluding address. The UN Peace Bell is a 4 kg bell that was presented to the City of Hiroshima by the Association last year and we borrowed from the City of Hiroshima this time. It was already so hot and humid early in the morning and there were many marchers in the park, and despite the police crackdown, passers-by joined in and prayed for world peace together.

This is the third time we have participated in the event this year, and as the number of participants has increased each year, we felt that more and more people are interested in peace.

　　　

On 3 August 2024, we gave a talk on the Peace Bell at the meeting organized by the representative of the ‘Minna de Tsukuru Gakko (The school created by all) TOREBURINKA’, NAKAGAWA Yuji, at Sakuragaoka Kita Elementary School in Hirakata City, Osaka. Twenty-five primary school students, five junior high school students and six officials attended.

From the Association, Representative TAKASE, Director TANIYAMA and Director TAKAI participated in the event.

As part of the peace education programs, we talked about the UN Peace Bell. The participants listened attentively and nodded their heads when TAKASE said that peace begins by getting along with their friends nearby.

　　　　

On 19 July 2024, a ceremony was held in the gymnasium of Takeya Elementary School in Hiroshima to present the UN Peace Bell to the Takeya Area Atomic Bomb Memorial Ceremony Executive Committee, with 300 schoolchildren in attendance. In attendance were KOYANAGI Hiroshi, Chairman of the Takeya Area Atomic Bomb Memorial Ceremony Executive Committee, MIYASEI Junji, Principal of Takeya Elementary School, SUZUKI koudou, PTA President, SADAI Yuji, Chairman of the Takeya Area Social Welfare Council, and KURAMOTO Ken, Member of Hiroshima Prefecture Assembly.

After a talk on the Peace Bell by Representative TAKASE, the two representative children were presented with a 4 kg Peace Bell.

After a heartfelt speech by PTA President SUZUKI, Representative TAKASE rang the Peace Bell, and the sound of the bell echoed through the gymnasium as everyone prayed for peace.

Takeya National School was located about 1,500 meters from the A-bomb hypocenter. Teachers and students who were at the school on the day of the bombing were killed. The Monument to the National School and Pupils who died in the Atomic Bomb is said to be about the teachers and children of Takeya National School. The school was rebuilt in its present location after the war, and a memorial ceremony is held every year on 4 August to pray for the repose of the souls of the A-bomb victims. Until now, they used to borrow a bell from a nearby temple and ring it during the ceremony to pray for peace, but when they saw the website of the Association, they strongly wished to ring their own bell at the ceremony, so we decided to present them with a peace bell.

We are grateful for this wonderful opportunity.