Virtual Peace
As the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima approaches, I thought it would be worthwhile to share a special project
sponsored by the Chugoku Shinbun that began in January 2007 and will run to the end of
this year.
With the support of three staff writers, seventeen junior writers - children ranging in age from 11-17- are writing a newspaper
that explores peace-related issues. This newspaper appears as a supplement, twice a month, inside the regular Chugoku Shinbun
newspaper, and its content is posted, and expanded, on an accompanying website. Although the print edition is only produced in Japanese, the
website has been translated into English, too.
The project is dubbed "Hiroshima Koku" and is described as "a virtual peace nation where children can imagine a more hopeful life.
It is a nation without borders that everyone can freely enter. With the world suffering continual conflict and violence, we seek to
propose an alternative future."
Each issue of the newspaper is generally composed of three sections: a feature story, an article on "Hiroshima in the world", and a
Q&A corner about Hiroshima. The content is generally quite interesting and the Q&A corner can be particularly thought-provoking,
with such questions as "Was Japan trying to develop an atomic bomb?" or "Are the remains of some victims still in the rivers of
Hiroshima?"
At the website, too, is a superb "virtual museum" of arts activities in the Hiroshima area which seek to promote peace in some way.
An array of photos and videos that offer a visual glimpse of these activities in fine art, photography, music, dance, theater, and
film demonstrates the breadth and vigor of art as a peace action.
The Chugoku Shinbun has a wide circulation of 720,000 readers and over 60,000 people visited the Japanese version of the Hiroshima
Koku website in the first half of this year. However, awareness of the English website is still limited and its traffic has been
relatively light.
This is unfortunate, since Hiroshima Koku has been very effective in its aim of raising peace-related issues and challenging its
readers - and, in particular, younger readers - to question their assumptions and actions. I encourage the GetHiroshima community to
explore the English version of the Hiroshima Koku website and
share its link with your own network in the world.
Link: www.chugoku-np.co.jp/hiroshima-koku/en/index.html
Adam Beck
July 2007
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