Hiroshima Pref. governor Mika Yokota Peace Message 2026

Mika Yokoto delivered her first Peace Message at the 2026 Hiroshima City Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6, since becoming govermor of Hiroshima Prefecture.

The official translation of the speech can be read in full, below.

Peace Message at the 2026 Hiroshima City Peace Memorial Ceremony

On this day, which marks the 81st year after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, on behalf
of all people of Hiroshima Prefecture, I wish to offer my humble and sincere prayers for the
souls of those who lost their lives in the atomic bombing. I would also like to extend my
deepest condolences to the bereaved families and express my heartfelt sympathies to the
hibakusha, the atomic bomb survivors, who are suffering even today.

The beautiful waterside city of Hiroshima, where we are now, was the scene of a tragic
reality caused by an atomic bomb dropped 81 years ago.

The tremendous destructive power of the bomb incinerated many people in an instant,
demolished buildings and infrastructure, and blocked out the sun. The bomb claimed as
many as 140,000 lives within the same year, and many more were lost in the years that
followed.

Even those who survived the atomic bombing, or hibakusha, have since been suffering from
pain inflicted by physical injuries, radiation exposure, and psychological trauma. Last year,
80 years after the atomic bombing, some hibakusha summoned the courage to voice their
experience for the first time, with an intense urge to tell children what disastrous outcomes
war produces. Many hibakusha describe the years after their own survival as a living hell.
They have had extremely harsh experiences they can scarcely put into speech.
We must sincerely listen to the words and unspoken thoughts of hibakusha.

Is there any meaning in harming everyone and destroying everything with a nuclear
weapon?

The fact that reliance on nuclear deterrence continues to play a significant role in security
policy worldwide brings me a sense of deep sadness and fierce anger. As states make
nuclear threats, refuse to rule out preemptive strikes, and expand their nuclear arsenals
accordingly, the risk of nuclear weapons being used keeps rising. Nuclear deterrence can
work only on the premise that nuclear weapons will ultimately be used. Therefore, it
contains a fundamental contradiction as it fosters distrust among nations, fuels the arms
race, and destabilizes the world. We must break away from nuclear deterrence, facing up
to the reality that the very act of pursuing nuclear deterrence is triggering new wars.
Every human being wishes to live in peace and safety. That wish is common to all humanity.

Why can’t we help each other in the face of hostility and walk a path toward prosperity
together?

A hibakusha said: “I haven’t felt the kindness and warmth of other people so deeply as I
did right after the war.”

Immediately after the atomic bombing, many people began to enter Hiroshima City to
rescue those affected by the bombing and closely supported those who were facing death and
those who were narrowly escaping death, although they themselves were being exposed to
radiation amidst the ruins. The spirit of mutual support among human beings ignited a
beacon of trust and hope and drove reconstruction efforts forward, leading to what
Hiroshima is today.

The world now also needs the very spirit of building peace through trust and cooperation,
instead of conflict or violence.

We must gather all the wisdom of the world to overcome distrust and hatred, to achieve
security through relationships of dialogue and cooperation not only between nations but
also between people, and to build a world where everyone can live like human beings.
Mr. Shigeaki Mori, a hibakusha who passed away earlier this year, declared: “There are no
national borders for the tragedy of an atomic bombing”. A nuclear weapon does not harm
only the nationals of a particular country. It gravely wounds all people who live there and
even future generations.

Humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.

I call on world leaders and people around the world to take action to ensure that nuclear
weapons have no place in our future.

Let’s work together to abolish nuclear weapons. I hereby pledge that Hiroshima Prefecture
will continue our efforts to share the voices of people in the atomic-bombed area with people
around the world and to realize a peaceful world without nuclear weapons. That concludes
my message of peace.

August 6, 2026
Mika Yokota
Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture

Citation note
I haven’t felt the kindness and warmth of other people so deeply as I did right after the
war
An abstract of a quote from a memoir of Takako Noumi on the Global Network website of the National Peace Memorial Halls for the Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. When quoting this message, inclusion of the above citations is required..