‘Give sorrow words’: G7 leaders reflect at Hiroshima bomb museum
The horror of nuclear war has been highlighted by world leaders attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
Hiroshima, Japan – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sought to use the G7 summit in Japan to highlight the horrors of nuclear war and promote his vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
On Friday, G7 and European Union leaders visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which commemorates the victims of the atomic bomb that United States forces dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
At the museum, which contains graphic descriptions of the devastation wrought by the world’s first nuclear attack, the G7 leaders signed the guest book for visitors.
Below are the messages the leaders wrote:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
As Chair of the G7, I am gathering here together with the leaders of G7 countries on this historic occasion of the G7 Summit to realise a world without nuclear weapons.
US President Joe Biden
May the stories of this Museum remind us all of our obligations to build a future of peace. Together let us continue to make progress toward the day when we can finally and forever rid the world of nuclear weapons. Keep the faith!
French President Emmanuel Macron
With emotion and compassion, it is up to us to contribute to the duty of remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and to act in favour of peace, the only fight [the fight] that deserves to be fought.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
This place is a reminder of inconceivable suffering. Today, together with our partners, we renew here the pledge to protect peace and freedom with all determination. Nuclear war must never be waged again.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Today we pause and remain in prayer. Today we remember that darkness has not prevailed. Today we remember the past in order to build, together, a future of hope.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Shakespeare tells us to “give sorrow words”. Yet language fails in the light of the bomb’s flash. No words can describe the horror and suffering of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what we can say, with all our hearts, and all our souls, is no more.
European Council President Charles Michel
An immense tragedy took place here almost 80 years ago. It reminds us what we – as G7 – are defending. And why we are defending it. Peace and freedom. Because it’s what all human beings want most.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
What happened in Hiroshima is still today haunting humanity. It is a stark reminder of the terrible cost of war – and our everlasting duty to protect and preserve peace.
