Petition Drive Held in Hiroshima

The ARMS DOWN! petition drive hosted by WCRP Japan was held at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on April 10.

About 120 religious youth joined it from Buddhist sects and other religious groups of Japan affiliated with WCRP. As for Rissho Kosei-kai, 15 members from the Bangkok Dharma Center abroad as well as from the Hiroshima Dharma Center at home took part in it.

In total, 2,505 petitions were collected only on the day. Some participant in the drive said, “It was my first time to join this kind of activity. Calling out passers-by for cooperation was very hard for me in the beginning because people seldom stop to listen to us and sign the petition.” Another said, “Many visitors to Hiroshima from overseas stopped by and expressed approval for the purpose of the campaign. When they signed it, they wished that they could make a contribution to peace, even if that may be small. I was very happy to feel that our feelings were understood.”

On this day, Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima City signed the petition. He offered words of encouragement to citizens: “In this city of Hiroshima where an atomic bomb was dropped, let’s raise our voice for disarmament toward the NPT review conference! Let’s work together!”

Just before the petition activity, participants visited the monument to the atomic-bomb victims and recited together the Words of Prayer (written by WCRP Japan):

Let us pray
For the lives of those damaged by violence,
For the lives of those suffering from poverty, hunger, or loneliness,
And for the lives of all human beings.

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