Project Director Watanabe Rika with Hibakusha Tanaka Terumi at the March 2024 Media Briefing
News
Peace Boat Voyage 117 Hibakusha Project Global Voyages for a Nuclear-Free World: Beyond Borders and Generations
Project Outline
Overview:
As part of its mission to raise global awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, Japan-based international NGO Peace Boat has coordinated “Global Voyages for a Nuclear Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project” since 2008. To date, over 170 Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) have participated in this project, travelling around the world to call for a nuclear-free future.
This voyage will bring three Hibakusha (one from Hiroshima and two from Nagasaki) and two youth representatives (one from China and one from Japan/France), who were selected from a global open call, to 26 ports of call in 22 countries. The program will be held in cooperation with partner organisations of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Laureate, to pass on the message and together take action across generational and national borders.
The Hibakusha joining this voyage will act as “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons” as accredited by the Japanese Government, and the Youth as “Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons”.
Objectives
In today’s world armed invasions and wars continue, demonstrating the threat of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), established in response to the longstanding appeals of Hibakusha and victims of nuclear tests around the world, is steadily gaining global support, and international attention to the inhumanity of nuclear weapons is increasing. The growing movement to ban nuclear weapons is taking a fresh look at what these weapons have really done to human beings, by placing the voices and experiences of the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and nuclear tests at the centre.
Peace Boat is part of this global movement. Now is the time to join together across generations and borders to urge participation in the TPNW and to strengthen concrete steps toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Duration
April 13, 2024 (Saturday) – July 26, 2024 (Friday) (105 days)
Departs from and returns to Yokohama (part of Peace Boat's 117th Global Voyage)
Organizer
Peace Boat
Participating Hibakusha:
Mr TANAKA Terumi (Nagasaki/from Yokohama to Piraeus)
Ms TANAKA Toshiko (Hiroshima)
Mr OGAWA Tadayoshi (Nagasaki)
Participating Youth Communicators:
Ms HUANG Rongyuan
Mr Joel Naoki CHRISTOPH
Supported by:
Hiroshima City, Nagasaki City, Mayors for Peace, Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace.