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U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited an atomic bomb memorial site in Hiroshima on Saturday in a show of support for a world without nuclear weapons as fears about Russia using the devastating arms are growing.
Emanuel, once a top aide to former President Barack Obama, and Kishida, a lawmaker representing a constituency in the city, offered flowers for the victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing at the Peace Memorial Park near ground zero. It followed their visit to the Peace Memorial Museum, which has belongings of the victims, photos and other materials on display.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (2nd from L) and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (3rd from R) visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park on March 26, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
“The Ukraine crisis has once again shown us the difficult path toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons,” Kishida, an advocate of a world free of nuclear weapons, told reporters after talks with the ambassador, adding he believes Japan must “push forward strong sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine and surrounding countries as we work with the international community, including the Group of Seven nations.”
During the talks, the premier said, “There is a real concern that Russia could use nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, must not be used.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park on March 26, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Their visit to one of the two atomic-bombed cities in Japan comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin recently hinted at using nuclear weapons in the face of Ukraine’s resistance and severe economic sanctions imposed by Western nations following its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Japan has joined the United States and European countries in imposing sanctions on Russia, including freezing its central bank’s assets, disconnecting its key financial institutions from a major international payment system and imposing export bans and controls. It has said it is preparing additional measures as the war in Ukraine drags on.
“The lessons of Hiroshima must be our north star guiding us to a world free of war and open to peace. Let us have the courage and strength to heed the lessons represented in this museum,” Emanuel wrote in a Twitter post after visiting the museum.
Earlier in the day, Emanuel tweeted that he met with Shigeaki Mori, an atomic bomb sufferer who in 2016 hugged Obama during his historic visit to the city, the first by a sitting U.S. president. Kishida, a foreign minister at the time, played an active role in realizing the visit.
There is a lot that I have seen and discussed during my time in Japan, but it’s hard to find the words that capture my feelings after today’s meeting with Shigeaki Mori. Thank you, Mr. Mori, for your courage. pic.twitter.com/v2fgcPiIpG
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) March 26, 2022
Emanuel and Kishida were initially scheduled to visit the city on Feb. 26 but postponed it following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Emanuel expressed his desire to visit the western Japanese city when he first met Kishida in February as the envoy to Japan.
Related coverage:
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Mayors request Biden visit Hiroshima, Nagasaki
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