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 US forces dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
At the museum, which contains graphic descriptions of the devastation caused by the world’s first nuclear attack, the G7 leaders signed the visitor’s book.
Below are the messages the leaders wrote:
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
As President of the G7, I gather here together with the leaders of the G7 countries on this historic occasion of the G7 Summit to achieve 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 we continue to move towards 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 act in favor of peace, the only struggle. [the fight] that deserves to be fought for.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
This place is a reminder of unimaginable suffering. Today, together with our partners, we renew here the commitment to protect peace and freedom with all determination. Nuclear war must never be fought 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 to build, together, a future of hope.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Shakespeare tells us to “give words of pain.” However, 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 heart and soul, is no longer.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
An immense tragedy took place here almost 80 years ago. It reminds us what we, as the G7, are standing for. And why we defend it. Peace and freedom. Because it is what all human beings want most.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
What happened in Hiroshima still haunts humanity today. It is a reminder of the terrible cost of war and our eternal duty to protect and preserve peace.
