In Hiroshima, many people were deprived of their lives by the first atomic bomb in human history. Cities were devastated, with their functions destroyed. However, the people of Hiroshima have overcome various hardships and built a prosperous
society, reviving the cities as cities of peace. With this experience, believing that Hiroshima has a mission to contribute to the establishment of international peace, we have formulated the “Hiroshima for Global Peace Plan” and have been working toward the realization of international peace.

In 2015, the United Nations Summit adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Serious activities to achieve these goals have been promoted in the international community to realize a sustainable and peaceful society where  no one is left behind. In these circumstances, Hiroshima Prefecture was selected by the Cabinet Office in Japan as one of the SDGs Future Cities in 2018 and is promoting initiatives to realize international peace through the SDGs.
As part of this initiative, Hiroshima Prefecture publishes “SDGs and Business with an Eye on the Future,” a booklet to promote university students’ understanding of the SDGs business and develop human resources in the Prefecture, accumulate know-how and examples of emerging SDGs business in the Prefecture, and disseminate the information throughout Japan and overseas. This booklet collects examples of attractive SDGs business activities conducted by local companies to widely introduce them to people inside and outside of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the second edition has now been released. Articles were prepared by university students in Hiroshima. They visited and interviewed companies to gather information. This booklet introduces activities of 29 companies and organizations in Hiroshima Prefecture, which exceed the number in the first edition released last year.
In the World Business Conference for World Peace, we also conducted the SDGs Business Competition as one of the conference programs, aiming to originate an ecosystem in Hiroshima Prefecture that promotes participation of local businesses in SDGs activities.
Through these initiatives, leveraging its symbolic status as a city of peace, Hiroshima endeavors to raise the awareness of stakeholders inside and outside the prefecture, contribute to the stability and development of the global economy, including in conflict areas and developing countries, achieve the SDGs, and realize further development of Hiroshima Prefecture.
In conclusion, let me express my sincere appreciation to the companies and students, the Environmental Partnership Office Chugoku of the Ministry of the Environment, which supported us following the previous year, and all others involved in preparing this booklet.