Photo/Illutration Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, right, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel make comments at the signing ceremony of a sister park arrangement between the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on June 29. (Hideki Soejima)

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii have signed a sister park agreement over the objections of anti-nuclear activists.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui signed the pact at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on June 29.

Emanuel said the agreement is about reconciliation and will serve as an example of what is needed now to create a world free of war.

“Despite making the mistake of war, humans are still capable of reason and reconciliation in our pursuit of peace for our future,” Matsui said.

The partnership was initially proposed by the United States in April, just before the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.

U.S. officials said the two memorials share their commitment to peace and fostering mutual understanding between the two sides who fought in World War II.

Hiroshima municipal officials agreed to the proposal, saying the deal would also help promote the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, which was signed by the G-7 leaders in Hiroshima.

However, many anti-nuclear activists criticize the statement, which says that nuclear weapons are still necessary to deter aggression.

Those activists are equally skeptical of the latest sister park arrangement, saying Hiroshima should not join the publicity campaign for the compromised nuclear statement.

Critics also said Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima should not be discussed in the same context and the deal is another step toward forgiving and forgetting those responsible for the tragedy of Hiroshima.

Others were appalled by the abrupt decision made without a wider debate.

Emanuel said he understood the mixed emotions and concerns over the deal but the two countries should not let that derail their commitment.

Matsui said the decision was made after a thorough discussion.

Under the first such pact for the Hiroshima park, the two facilities will share their expertise and experiences, particularly on education programs for young people and organizing of volunteers.

Other planned projects include joint exhibitions featuring archival materials from both facilities.