Outcome of the Forum

Hiroshima Prefectural Government has invited foreign high school students and Japanese high school students to think about international peace, share ideas, deepen mutual understanding, and spread a message of peace around the world in order to bring about a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima Junior International Forum Declaration

There were 10 groups for the discussions, and each of them created the declaration.
Please refer to their leading opinions, as below:

Below are the main opinions from the declarations each of the 10 groups created. 

(1) 　Nuclear Weapons Abolition

１　Issues Related to Nuclear Weapons Abolition

・The cross-national distrust and arms races are the root of an issue. If it cannot be resolved, nuclear weapons are manufactured, and the risk of nuclear weapons usage increases.　
・There is an issue that we must depend on nuclear weapons states to defend themselves from nuclear weapons (example: the nuclear umbrella of the United States).
・Insufficient knowledge on what kind of harm nuclear weapons will inflict upon the environment and humans in the future.
・There are many opportunities for people who support nuclear weapons abolition to talk with one another, but not enough with those who disagree.

２　Our Role in Nuclear Weapons Abolition

・Learn more about the history and current state of nuclear disarmament, and share this knowledge with other young students.
・As A-bomb survivors age and it becomes increasingly difficult to hear firsthand experiences of the A-bombings, listen to survivors’ testimonies and convey the danger of nuclear weapons onto the next generations.
・Using various methods including social media, learn about the tragedies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki with other youth, and disseminate knowledge about nuclear weapons abolition.
・In order to spread information to as many people as possible, utilize content creators and social media influencers.
・Create an anime that is easy to understand and accessible even to children.
・Translate A-bomb survivors’ testimonies into other languages so that people abroad can also understand their experiences.
・Participate in efforts urging countries (which have not yet signed or ratified the TPNW) to swiftly ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
・Be a guide at the Peace Memorial Park, and participate in forums and volunteer activities related to peace.
・Support companies and organizations which are opposed to the development of nuclear weapons by buying their products etc.

３　Role of Hiroshima in Nuclear Weapons Abolition

・Hold forums like this one to increase opportunities for learning through discussion, where people from various different backgrounds can exchange opinions.
・Sponsor online programs for people who are unable to easily visit Japan.
・Disseminate Hiroshima’s WWII history and A-bomb survivors’ stories throughout Japan and the world.
・To ensure that A-bomb survivors’ testimonies are never forgotten, translate them into foreign languages, beginning with English, and disseminate them throughout the world through social media and the internet.
・Expand cooperation with other countries and regions which have suffered from nuclear weapons-related incidents, and jointly promote nuclear disarmament.
・Comprehensively analyze the level of danger of nuclear weapons, as related to human rights violations and environmental pollution etc., and while cooperating with related international institutions, expand and accelerate movement towards nuclear disarmament.

(2) 　Peacebuilding

１　Issues Related to Peacebuilding

・Many countries, in accordance with power politics and hegemonism, use force rather than discussion to avoid conflict.
・Many people from all age ranges have lost interest in participating in peacebuilding.
・Racial discrimination exists in several areas of the world, and the Black Lives Matter movement has shown that such horrific prejudice is faced by many people worldwide.
・There are children who are unable to receive any education due to many factors, such as military conflict and a shortage of the items necessary to live.

２　Our Role in Peacebuilding

・Using social media, send messages to people all over the world calling for global peace.
・In order to eliminate prejudiced ideas, communicate with various people.
・Participate in events like the Hiroshima Junior International Forum, and exchange opinions with youth from various countries who holding diverse opinions.
・In order to integrate peace efforts into your lifestyle, perform daily acts of kindness and share what you have learned about peace with the people around you.
・Observe politics and elect good leaders who will work on peacebuilding.
・Donate daily necessities such as writing materials, sanitary goods, clothing, consumables etc. to people in need.
・Buy fair trade products which are traded at a fair price.

３　Hiroshima’s Role in Peacebuilding

・Host international conferences, inviting scholars and business leaders from various countries to discuss issues facing the world, and look for resolutions together.
・While hosting more events like the Hiroshima Junior International Forum, make them more attractive by including games, sports, documentary films etc.
・Urge people all over the world to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and increase peace education programs like this forum.
・Create opportunities for people all over the world to learn about issues surrounding peacebuilding, including through anime, music, movies and plays.
・Cooperate with NPOs and NGOs to disseminate Hiroshima’s history of reconstruction, so it can become a reference for post-conflict development.
・Raise people’s awareness of Hiroshima as a hub for peace, and cooperate internationally with other cities in order to raise people’s awareness of the cruelty of war.
・Encourage efforts to establish a museum on Hiroshima’s history of reconstruction in another country.
・Encourage the creation of an international school so that Japanese students can learn peace education with students from other countries.
・Financially support activities and research programs related to peace.

　　Hiroshima Declaration by A Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by B Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by C Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by D Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by E Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by F Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by G Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by H Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by I Group

　　Hiroshima Declaration by J Group

Action Planｓ by the participants

SNS

・Facebook

　 https://www.facebook.com/hjif2016

・YouTube video delivery

Outline

(1) Hosted by: Hiroshima Prefectural Government

(2) Supported by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

(3) Date: (Tuesday) August 17 through (Friday) August 20, 2021

(4) Method: Web Online System (Zoom)

(5) Theme: What we can do to bring about international peace？
(Initiatives for the abolition of nuclear weapons, reconstruction and peacebuilding)

(6) Participants 　59 people

Category	Number of Participants	Countries (Regions)
Foreign high school students	21 people (13 countries)	Friendly Partnership State/Province Sichuan(China) 1,　and Guanajuato(Mexico) 1, Other than above Bangladesh 1, Brazil 1, Cambodia 2, India 2, Indonesia 2, Canada 1, Myanmar 1, Philippines 3, China 1, Turkey 3, South Korea 1, and Vietnam 1
Japanese High school students etc	38 people (Hiroshima 32, outside Hiroshima 6)

(7) Schedule (tentative):

Date	Time (JST)	Program Details
August 17 (Tue)	11:00-17:30	Orientation “Teambuilding” workshop Lecture and Group discussion on “Abolition of Nuclear Weapons”
August 18 (Wed)	12:00-17:00	Lecture and Group discussion on “Reconstruction & Peace Building”
August 19 (Thu)	11:00-17:20	Hiroshima Peace Park Online Tour (including A-bomb survivor testimony) Draft Hiroshima Declaration
August 20 (Fri)	12:00-16:20	Present Hiroshima Declaration

*JST: Japan Standard Time

Photos