Takashima: Our bank has its roots in Sumitomo Bank and Teikoku Bank, both of which lost numerous employees in the atomic bombing. However, two days after the bomb was dropped, these banks started paying out account savings. They fulfilled their responsibility to deliver finance as a form of essential work, supporting Hiroshima’s recovery.
Senda: Two years after the bombing, the Hiroshima Higher Normal School Affiliated Middle School won the All-Japan High School Soccer Tournament, giving inspiration to Hiroshima residents working to recover from the bombing. The home stadium of the Sanfrecce Hiroshima football club is Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. The inclusion of the word “Peace” reflects the way that soccer gave the people of Hiroshima the hope to carry on after the bombing. This September, Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be competing to be the best team in Asia. I’d like to convey to the rest of Asia that sports have the power to raise people’s spirits.
Ishikawa: There is a strong connection between peace and wellbeing (physical and mental health and happiness). In Ukraine, a rapid decline in subjective wellbeing resulted in civil unrest in 2014, and this led to the war with Russia. Similar rapid declines in wellbeing were recorded prior to events such as the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (EU) and the “Arab Spring” in Egypt. A focus on wellbeing is important to realize and sustain peace. 2030 is the target year for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I propose that the next framework be the Sustainable Wellbeing Goals (SWGs), and that we aim to achieve the sustainable wellbeing of people, society and the planet.
Shibusawa: How should Hiroshima approach business development?
Takashima: One specific suggestion is Green Transformation (GX). Hiroshima can lead Japan in the development of alternative energy utilizing the industrial base and technological capabilities that supported the city’s recovery. Now that we’ve entered a period of population decline, it’s also important for Hiroshima, as the largest industrial agglomeration in the Chugoku/Shikoku region, to serve as a hub for partnerships and work toward industrial revitalization and disaster prevention and mitigation. Above all, Hiroshima should pour its energies into fostering the human resources needed to pursue these initiatives in practice.
Shibusawa: The Japan Center for Economic Research predicts that by 2075, foreign nationals will account for 15% of Japan’s population. In order to incorporate such an influx, it is also important for Japan to clearly express our cherished values, which I believe is “harmony” or “wa” in Japanese. The concept of ESGP is also an expression of harmony that ties people together. I hope we can communicate the importance of this harmony from Hiroshima to the world.
Kagawa: One of my roles is as Executive Vice Chairman of Fukuya, a department store with a 96-year history. Our company lost 31 employees in the atomic bombing, but we resumed operations the year after the war ended. Working together with other local businesses, we played a role in Hiroshima’s reconstruction. A symbol of these efforts is the Hiroshima Public Hall (now the International Conference Center Hiroshima), which was built with donations from business leaders. The driving force behind the city’s recovery was the vitality of its citizens and the leadership shown by local businesses. The founding of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, also provided significant emotional support for the community.
As Hiroshima is designated a symbol of everlasting peace under the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, I hope the city will continue to nurture peace educators and contribute to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
Shams: The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a specialized UN agency that advances global training and capacity development. Since its establishment in 2003, the UNITAR Hiroshima Office has served as a vibrant center for empowering leaders, diplomats, and changemakers mainly from conflict-affected and developing countries. Inspired by Hiroshima’s journey from devastation to resilience and peace, the office delivers specialized programmes in peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, post-conflict recovery, and entrepreneurship education. Through these initiatives, it cultivates a new generation of socially conscious actors dedicated to a nuclear-free world and the promotion of sustainable peace and development.
Fujiyama: In conjunction with the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023, an exhibition titled “Pride of Hiroshima” was held in Hiroshima. This exhibition presented the story of Hiroshima’s reconstruction from the perspective of businesses. It conveyed how the determination of businesspeople to support Hiroshima through their products and services contributed to the city’s recovery. A permanent exhibition venue has now been established in the city of Hiroshima, with many students involved in its operation. Young people who inherit the spirit of reconstruction will surely go on to tackle new challenges both here in Hiroshima and beyond.
Soda: Hiroshima’s reconstruction involved much more than just rebuilding the city. It was tied directly to the peacebuilding movement. Now, as AI technology advances and the need to create new forms of value grows, Hiroshima has the potential to offer the world many models for the future.
Shimada: The Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) is working toward the abolition of nuclear weapons by 2045 the latest on the belief that realizing a truly sustainable future is impossible where these weapons exist. Our approach is based on three pillars: disarmament through existing frameworks such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT); a humanitarian perspective that highlights the devastating effects of nuclear weapons on human life; and an appeal to the inseparable links between nuclear weapons and broader sustainability issues such as biodiversity, climate change and gender.
Richards: Following the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the states of Latin America and the Caribbean signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1967, establishing the world’s first nuclear weapon-free zone. Since then, Jamaica has consistently conveyed the importance of peace and disarmament to the international community. A key principle in addressing these problems is to place human beings at the center of the discussion. When seen from this perspective, all challenges are interconnected. We support the ESGP framework, which places nuclear disarmament and sustainability on an equal footing.
Hikawa: Discussions on nuclear disarmament tend to go in circles. Even when new international legal instruments such as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons are created, they often lack practical effect. And even if nuclear weapons were abolished, world peace may not follow directly. Rather than solving individual issues “comprehensively,” a “holistic” approach is needed.
Tokuda: Our surveys show that over 90% of young people are motivated to contribute to society, yet few participate in nuclear disarmament efforts. This is mainly because they don’t know how to get involved. We aim to raise awareness by linking nuclear disarmament with global concerns such as gender and climate change, rather than treating it simply as a security issue.
