Press Releases

On October 28, a welcome dinner was hosted by Ms. HAYASHI Mitsuko, Ambassador, Deputy Director-General, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
On October 29, the respective divisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave explanations to the participants on Japan's positions and efforts, and international situations regarding disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy as well as the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea. In the afternoon, they looked around Daigo Fukuryu-Maru Exhibition Hall to deepen their understanding of the harms caused by nuclear tests. They also visited Nihonbashi Fukushimakan.

On October 30, the participants looked around Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Then, Ms. OGURA Keiko (an atomic bombing survivor) gave a lecture on her experience in the atomic bombing, which was followed by a Q&A session.
On October 31, the participants offered flowers to the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, learned about the history of Hiroshima City from before the atomic bombing to the present day using VR technology, and visited the Atomic Bomb Dome and other facilities in Peace Memorial Park.
On November 1, they attended lectures by Dr. Richard Sposto, Department Chief, Statistics Department,Radiation Effects Research Foundation and Mr. KAGAWA Takehiro, Chairperson of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.

On November 2nd, the participants looked around Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and National Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, offered flowers at  Hypocenter , and  visited Peace Park. In addition, Mr. TSUIKI Shohei (an atomic bombing survivor) gave a lecture on his experience in the atomic bombing, which was followed by a Q&A session.  They also attended a lecture by Ms. NAKAMURA Keiko, associate professor,  Nagasaki University Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) and exchanged views with members of the Nagasaki Youth Delegation.

1. United Nations (UN) Disarmament Fellowship Program was decided upon at the first Special Session on Disarmament of the UN Special Assembly in 1978, with the aim of fostering disarmament specialists, especially in developing countries. The program has been implemented annually since 1979, mainly targeting young diplomats and defense officials with a program that includes training at the UN and the Conference on Disarmament, and visits to relevant countries. (The 2020 program was cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19.)
2. In 1982, Prime Minister SUZUKI Zenko proposed in his speech at the Second Special Session on Disarmament of the UN General Assembly that Japan invite the participants of the program to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and since 1983, approximately 30 young diplomats have visited Japan every year except for 2020. This year marks the 41st year of the program, and including this year, 1,027 participants have visited Japan at the expense of the Japanese government.
3. The program includes visits to the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Hypocenter Park and Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum in Nagasaki, and lectures by atomic bombing survivors about their experiences in the atomic bombings. The program is meaningful for deepening understanding of the realities of the use of nuclear weapons and conveying Japan's efforts in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.