After the success of the Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World, during which 103 Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shared their experiences of the atomic bomb, gave testimonies and generated exchange around the world, Peace Boat is embarking on a second global voyage.

This second "Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World - Peace Boat Hibakusha Project” will focus on nuclear disarmament education. Hibakusha and youth will come together to learn and pass on the stories and memories of the Hibakusha to future generations, their sufferings and hopes for the future, and give a new breath of life to the global network of people working for peace and nuclear abolition.

From August to November 2009, ten Hibakusha will join Peace Boat’s 67th Global Voyage and act as peace and disarmament educators. They will be joined by six high school students, as well as groups of university students from Korea and Germany, to raise awareness on the dangers of nuclear weapons and call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

For 107 days, these motivated young people and Hibakusha will participate in programmes aimed at generating intergenerational exchange and ensuring that new generations carry on their universal message to the world for “No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis! No More Hibakusha! No More War!”

This project stems from the realization that time is running out to share the Hibakusha’s tragic experience and educate people around the world about the urgent need to make a nuclear-free world a reality. Indeed, 64 years have passed since the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the average age of Hibakusha is now exceeding 75, with many of them in poor health condition.

At the same time, at the international level the political climate for nuclear disarmament may be changing, demonstrated by US President Obama's new administration calling for a world free of nuclear weapons and the emergence of important governmental initiatives. It is now time to act towards nuclear disarmament and create an alternative vision for peace and global stability that does not rely on force.

The Peace Boat Hibakusha Project is supported by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, and the Japan Confederation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers Organisations (Hidankyo), among others.

For the Peace Boat Hibakusha Project website, please click here. (Japanese only)

For more details about Peace Boat’s 67th Global Voyage, click here.

For more information about the first Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World – Peace Boat Hibakusha Project, click here.