Every second counts for the survivors. Testimony session with a Hiroshima survivor

On 22 January 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) came into effect. A historic milestone and a long-held wish of the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. More than 70 years after the devastating attack, nuclear weapons still pose an existential threat to humanity. To raise awareness for this topic, together with the Peace Boat Hibakusha Project, the Berghof Foundation would like to invite you to our virtual testimony session with 92-year-old Hiroshima survivor Ms Hottori Michiko.

Building on the memory of Hottori Michiko, we would like to discuss what we as civil society or decision-makers can do to contribute to the abolition of nuclear weapons. How can we support Hibakusha, their relatives and their descendants in the mission to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons? For them, every second counts to raise the awareness for the fact that we can all play a role in eliminating this threat.

This event is moderated by Dagmar Nolden (Project Manager, Berghof Foundation), Rika Watanabe (International Coordinator, Peace Boat) and Jasna Bastic (International Coordinator, Peace Boat).

About the event

As a member of the Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the Japanese non-governmental organisation Peace Boat plays an important role in communicating the inhumanity of nuclear weapons to the world through Hibakusha's stories.

Hibakusha is the Japanese term for the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since 2008, Peace Boat has organised the Peace Boat Hibakusha Project, for which over 170 Hibakusha travelled to 100 cities in more than 60 countries. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, together with new partners, Peace Boat expanded the project into the virtual space. The goal is to hold 100 virtual testimony sessions by the end of 2021.