Photo/Illutration Yasuyoshi Komizo (Photo by Hideki Soejima)

Editor’s note: One of the major themes at the Group of Seven summit, to be held in Hiroshima from May 19, is working toward a world without nuclear weapons.

The Asahi Shimbun interviewed people from various backgrounds to collect their messages for the assembled G-7 leaders.

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When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, he ended his speech at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park by saying he hoped that Hiroshima and Nagasaki would become known in the future “as the start of our own moral awakening.”

I learned later from then U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy that Obama himself made the last-minute changes to that part of his speech.

I believe such a moral awakening will be a key point of the Group of Seven summit.

For the document to emerge from that summit, I believe priority should be placed on not closing the 78-year history after World War II of not using nuclear weapons. For that to happen, the nuclear powers must make specific pledges to refrain from the use of nuclear weapons.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, I believe it will be only natural to include wording criticizing the Russian invasion and continuing with sanctions as well as pledging international support for Ukraine. But, on the other hand, it is clear that alone will not let us escape from the quagmire there.

The G-7 leaders should once again realize that their greatest responsibility is to protect the peace, well-being and welfare of their own people. Even if it is only behind the scenes of the summit, there will be a significance to having brought the G-7 leaders to Hiroshima if it can serve as a catalyst for changing their moral mindset.

The communique issued by the G-7 foreign ministers in April had many positive points, but there was also reference to why the nuclear powers continued to maintain a deterrence policy. The communique said nuclear weapons “serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war and coercion.”

But such wording should not be included in any document that emerges from the Hiroshima summit.

I hope the leaders will take to heart the earnest desire of the hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the elimination of nuclear weapons and make a clear pledge to work toward nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation rather than defending the status quo.

I also hope they will take a clear stance on promoting nuclear disarmament through coordination between the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

While it might be difficult to include in the joint declaration by the leaders, I want Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to call on the other leaders to have the G-7 play a leading role in promoting a pledge as the consensus of nuclear powers to not use nuclear weapons as a first strike.

Even if such wording is not included in the joint declaration, diplomatic efforts behind the scenes of the summit would provide an excellent opportunity for a persistent effort to take the first step toward a world without nuclear weapons.

A wide range of views expressed by civil society will stimulate courage and moral awakening among political leaders.

Reflecting on the tragedy of World War II, the UNESCO Constitution starts off with the famous words “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”

We must never forget that each and every one of us must cooperate and change our awareness.

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Born in 1948, Yasuyoshi Komizo was a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Kuwait. After retiring from the Foreign Ministry, he served as chairman of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation between 2013 and 2019 during which time he played a key role in arranging Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima.

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