Buddhist Monk holds protest outside G7 International Media Centre in Hiroshima, calls for shunning use of nuclear weapons
May 19, 2023
Hiroshima [Japan], May 19 : A Buddhist monk from Japan named Toyoshige Sekiguchi on Friday staged a protest outside the G7 International Media Centre in Hiroshima. Holding a placard, Toyoshige Sekiguchi urged world leaders for shunning the use of nuclear weapons.
Speaking to ANI, the Buddhist monk said, "Speaking to ANI, the Buddhist monk said, "My name is Toyoshige Sekiguchi and I am from Japan. I am standing for praying for peace and for abolishing nuclear weapons."
Speaking about the Hiroshima tragedy, he said, "In 1945, August 6, one atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Many people died and so we don't like any more tragedy in other countries in the world. So, I will go to the G20 summit in New Delhi for abolishing nuclear weapons."
Toyoshige Sekiguchi said that he will travel to New Delhi for praying and hoped of travelling to India for attending the G20 Summit in September. He called Mahatma Gandhi a "very important person" in the world. In his message, Toyoshige Sekiguchi said, "we should live in peace."
Hiroshima was the first military target of a nuclear weapon in human history. This occurred on August 6, 1945, in the Pacific theatre during World War II, when the United States Army Air Forces dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on the city. Most of Hiroshima was destroyed, and by the end of the year between 90,000 and 166,000 had died as a result of the blast, radiation exposure and its effects. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) serves as a memorial of the bombing.
Group of Seven (G7) leaders are currently in Japan to attend the G7 Summit scheduled to be held in Hiroshima from May 19-21. On Friday, the G7 leaders laid wreaths at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan's Hiroshima. They also planted saplings at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Genbaku Dome) - the only structure left standing in the area, depicting the aftermath where the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city on August 6, 1945. After laying wreaths at the Hiroshima Memorial, the G7 leaders posed for a picture together.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posed for the picture.
The G7 comprises Japan, Italy, Canada, France, the US, the UK and Germany. Japan under its G7 Presidency has invited leaders from Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam, according to the statement.
