On the 2nd, Hiroshima's Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba revealed an outline of this year's Peace Declaration, which he will read at the Peace Memorial Ceremony on the 6th. Since the terrorist attack on the United States in September last year, the US government has leaned heavily toward unilateralism. In this light, the mayor uses a quote from President Kennedy to send a message to the US government, to the people, and to the world regarding the need to break the chain of retaliation and pursue tolerance and reconciliation. He also expresses Hiroshima's determination, to do everything in its power to build a "century of peace and humanity," with the memory of 57 years ago as the point of departure.

The Kennedy quote that appears in the declaration comes from a speech given in 1963 at the graduation ceremony of American University. "World peace..does not require that each man love his neighbor-it requires only that they live together with mutual tolerance.. ." These words were part of a call for cooperation in the service of a common future for humankind.

The mayor requests that President Bush come to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and further states that, "..we, the people of the world, have the right to demand 'no annihilation without representation.'"

He will address the responsibility of the Japanese government by pointing to the duty clearly stated in Article 99 to respect and uphold the constitution. That provision demands that the government renounce war, absolutely reject nuclear weapons, and not allow Japan to become "an ordinary country."

According to Mayor Akiba, the keyword for this declaration is "memory," which appears six times. He positions the atomic bombing as a "collective memory of humankind" and pledges to work to create a century of peace and humanity.

The mayor also commented, "Given the world climate today, especially the approach of the US government, it is more important than ever to convey the message of Hiroshima to the American people."