Message

The Chugoku Shimbun, along with 330,000 citizens of Hiroshima and thousands of others in the city on that grim morning of August 6, 1945, is a survivor of the atomic bombing. At the time, our headquarters was located less than 900 meters east of the hypocenter. The blast burned out the building completely, leaving just the outer frame of the structure, and all the equipment and materials inside were destroyed. Amid the mounting death toll, 114 of our employees－nearly one-third of our workforce at that time－were lost to the world’s first nuclear weapon aimed at humankind.

Despite this devastation, the Chugoku Shimbun rose from the ashes to resume publishing not long after the catastrophe. Since the end of World War II, we have reflected on our experience of war and the atomic bombing, thereby reorienting our mission under the company vow of “advancing world peace.” Towards this end, our journalism efforts have been fixed on furthering the abolition of nuclear weapons and a world without war. Although some of our coverage has been translated into English to extend our reach beyond Japan, up to now, this aspect of our work has been limited in scope.

Over sixty years have passed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and yet the security of our planet is still thwarted－indeed, its very survival still threatened－by the peril of nuclear weapons. And today our species faces a dilemma that grows ever more dangerous due to nuclear proliferation and endless conflict.

As an atomic bomb survivor, the Chugoku Shimbun is keenly mindful of its duty to pursue reporting that can advance global action for the fulfillment of a peaceful world no longer menaced by nuclear arms. To further this purpose, we are resolved to strengthen our capacity to deliver coverage in English through a new resource, the Hiroshima Peace Media Center. By means of an online platform－a dynamic website in English as well as in Japanese－the Hiroshima Peace Media Center will serve as our voice to the international community and create a greater global presence for the Chugoku Shimbun and its work.

Jiro Yamamoto
Chief Executive Officer
The Chugoku Shimbun