The 7th G8 Speakers' Meeting in Hiroshima

Interview with Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono

In September, Lower-House speakers from the Group of Eight (G8) countries will meet in Hiroshima for a meeting on "Peace and Disarmament." Four of the G8 countries possess nuclear weapons. In the city that experienced the world's first nuclear attack, could a new movement to abolish nuclear weapons be born? The Seventh G8 Speakers' Meeting could be the ideal chance for Hiroshima and Japan to deliver their plea for peace to the world.

Our junior writers interviewed Yohei Kono, 71, the Speaker of Japan's House of Representatives, who proposed the Hiroshima meeting, at his official residence in Tokyo. We asked Mr. Kono about his plans for the Meeting and received a message from him for the younger generation. Perhaps each of us can think about what we can do to promote peace.

Mr. Kono, Speaker of Japan's Lower House, hopes that the visiting house speakers will take home some powerful impressions from their visit to Hiroshima.(photo by Masashi Muro, 15)

Q: What do you expect young people to learn at the Speakers' Meeting, and how do you hope they will feel?

I think it is important to realize that Hiroshima is a place of special significance to world peace. It is there that the G8 Lower-House speakers will hold their discussions about peace and nuclear disarmament.

More than sixty years have passed since the atomic bombing, and we no longer have many bomb survivors who can proclaim to us from direct experience that "such an event must never happen again." I hope that today's younger generation will listen to these people's voices and pass their message on to future generations. I expect that this meeting in Hiroshima will give you a chance to recognize the important role that you have.

There are currently two great problems that we humans need to deal with. One is the environmental issue, and the other is peace. Environmental matters will be discussed by the heads of government at the Toyako Summit in Hokkaido, so I thought we should consider peace issues at the Speakers' Meeting.

Of course, peace is not an easy topic that can be wrapped up in a single meeting. We have to keep on stressing how important peace is over the long term. It is a fundamental issue, and when we consider a solution to any problem we should ask ourselves, "Is this good for world peace?"

Q: How do you expect young people to be involved in this issue?

There is still some time left before the meeting, so I urge you to stay interested. I hope those of your generation, both in Japan and abroad, will ask one another to consider how we can maintain peace and whether we can prevent war.

You know, there is nothing so damaging to the environment as war. And, if we can build a peaceful world, we won't need to spend money on wars. Instead, we can spend it on the environment, on senior citizens, and on children. That's also important to consider.

Junior writers interviewing Mr. Kono(photo by Masashi Muro, 15)

Q: What do you hope for from Hiroshima's younger generation?

Hiroshima people are familiar with such places as the Peace Memorial Park, and in their location they can obtain a deeper appreciation than others of the misery that results from an atomic bombing. I'm sure that young people in Hiroshima have some knowledge of the bomb, but you need to learn even more. You are at an impressionable age, and I hope that at this time you can engrave on your minds an awareness that "such a thing really happened here" and a determination that "this should never happen again."

Q: Do you think it would be good to organize a youth summit?

That's a great idea. The United Nations offers some opportunities for young people to consider matters related to peace, and it would be good if we could also create an opportunity for them to see and hear directly what happened in Hiroshima. If youth from other countries could come together there, it would be easy to explain things clearly. It would be great if that could be arranged.

Q: What are your thoughts on war?

In war, the suffering isn't only on one side, nor is the aggression. Both sides can be victims as well as perpetrators. Therefore, regarding the Second World War, we Japanese should realize that we too were at fault, and that after America and Japan traded many blows, Japan was finally defeated. Of course it is unforgivable that nuclear weapons were used, but on the whole we should think of the act of war itself as evil. Americans will attend the summit, and if we simply claimed that they were at fault, the talks would make no progress.

Q: How did you become interested in peace and disarmament issues?

I experienced the war myself. During the air raids, bombs fell nearby. I feel strongly that such things should never happen again. Now that more than sixty years have passed, I am concerned that today's youth, who have never known war, may have a weaker appreciation for peace than the generation that experienced the war.

Q: What impressions would you like the Speakers from the participating countries to take back with them from their visit to Hiroshima?

I'm planning a visit to the Peace Memorial Museum and the A-Bomb Dome. The details aren't settled yet, but I also want to offer them an opportunity to talk directly with some of the survivors.

At the Speakers' Meeting in Berlin last September, I proposed that we discuss peace issues in Japan, and that if that was acceptable, that we should have the meeting in Hiroshima. Everyone agreed with me and said it was a great idea.

All of the house speakers are veteran politicians. Their experiences in Hiroshima will make a strong impression and might inspire them to bring up those topics in their own chambers. I'll also try to prepare some reference materials, written in their own languages, that I hope they will take back with them and read.

Q: What do you think is the role of Hiroshima?

For over sixty years, Hiroshima has been communicating to the world the dire realities of a community stricken by a nuclear bomb. I'm afraid that overemphasizing the city's victimization will fail to gain sympathy, but I think that currently both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are doing well in presenting their appeal for peace to the world.