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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
January 13, 2008
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| December 26, 2007 |
Healing the Wounds of War – Peace Builder and Activist Hiraoka Takashi |
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Hiraoka Takashi discusses the ongoing effects of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the city of which he was mayor from 1991 to 1999 |
Hiraoka Takashi is a man on a continuous mission to create peace. As mayor of Hiroshima for eight years from 1991 to 1999, he was instrumental in getting the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome recognized as a World Heritage Site and creating the Peace Declaration which unreservedly apologized to Asia for the atrocities committed by Japan during World War II. He joined Peace Boat from Tahiti to Aotearoa (New Zealand) to discuss a range of issues related to creating a culture of peace by drawing on both his experience as a mayor of a wounded city and as a journalist for over thirty years. Now 80 years old, he continues to realize his dream of a peaceful world through volunteer projects in various places that have, like Hiroshima, been scarred by war. |
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While in Tahiti, Mr Hiraoka met with French Polynesian president and mayor of Faa'a City Oscar Temaru (right) to remember hibakusha (victims of radiation) globally and discuss cooperation towards a nuclear free world |
When the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, more than 140,000 lives were lost and many more effected by radiation. This tragedy was compounded by another: the Japanese government and media did not report honestly about the event and its ongoing effects because it feared it would raise anti-American sentiment and negatively affect the growing relationship between the two nations. Mr Hiraoka told an appreciative audience that it wasn’t until 1952 that the media began to report on the reality of the bomb attack. ‘It was the first time the public saw the shocking images. Until then, only people in Hiroshima knew about the suffering,’ he said.
He also highlighted the plight of non-Japanese who suffered, especially South Koreans who went back to Korea but did not receive any treatment, and were effectively abandoned by both governments. ‘We have to understand it doesn’t matter which nationality you have, people suffer the same. I’m not speaking on behalf of a nation, but on behalf of humanity,’ Mr Hiraoka said. |
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A poster made by Mr Hiraoka’s onboard helpers which advertises his lecture on the role journalism has to play in avoiding war and creating peace |
The Role of Journalism in Peace Building
Mr Hiraoka firmly believes that journalism is integral to the peace building process. According to him, ‘The essence of journalism is never yielding to authority, never giving in to populism.’ In fact, he believes that if the media had been honest about the crimes committed by Japan and other nations during World War II instead of shrouding the events in secrecy and propaganda, then there would have been much less support for the war domestically and it could have been stopped before the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ‘Why couldn’t the media report the truth? The people could think about the issues if they were informed. So they supported it with a lack of information and understanding,’ he explained. |
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| Mr Hiraoka signs an autograph for a participant |
Although the media is today more honest, open and objective, Mr Hiraoka believes it is still lacking, and he is somewhat wary of the news media in Japan. As an example, he cited the controversial case of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo which is still visited by the former prime minister even though there are war criminals buried there and the prominent visits upset China and South Korea who suffered under the hands of these military figures. According to Mr Hiraoka, ‘Some journalists are suppressing the information in their reports to spare the embarrassment of politicians. As someone who lived through and after the war and understanding the Japanese mentality, I’m very afraid about what is happening now in the news media.’ |
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In addition to discussing his achievements related to peace as mayor of Hiroshima for two terms, Mr Hiraoka also discussed the role of the media and journalism in peace building and the slow food movement |
In the Spirit of Volunteerism
Mr Hiraoka also talked about the way in which grass roots movements and civil society are intervening to influence governments to create a more peaceful world. ‘Although we have the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it’s not really working. It’s the grass roots movements that can change the governments’ opinions,’ he asserted. His own grassroots and volunteer efforts have taken him around the world. He played a key role in bringing the large sporting event, the Asian Games, to Hiroshima in 1994 where nations such as South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Oman, and United Arab Emirates competed. Spin-offs from this event included the establishment of grass roots cultural exchange programs in which citizens of Hiroshima studied about these and other countries by hosting citizens from those nations. ‘The hosts realized how little they knew about these places so the more they learnt, the more they thought they had to help these countries,’ Mr Hiraoka said. |
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A sign signaling a dangerous landmine area in Cambodia where Mr Hiraoka was instrumental in creating Hiroshima House, an institution dedicated to helping Cambodians heal the wounds of war |
This led to various exchange programs taking place whereby citizens of Hiroshima visited countries which were also suffering from the ongoing effects of war. Recently, for example, a group of Hiroshima citizens built a house in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Called Hiroshima House, it helps Cambodians in many ways to overcome the devastation caused by Pol Pot’s dictatorship and the ensuing civil war in which nearly two million people died. For example, the house made tricycles for landmine victims which can be operated using the hands instead of legs. Mr Hiraoka left participants with a final thought to encourage them to act: ‘I think volunteering is very important. Just to speak out is not enough – you must act. I would like you to see the realities of the world and think about solutions towards them. Until we can find a solution, we cannot achieve world peace.’ |
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