2001 Peace Garden Dedication in Hiroshima, Japan

March 7, 2001, Washington, DC.— The city of Hiroshima was nominated to receive the next International Peace Garden by The Hague for the following reasons.


Hiroshima has been a leader in peace studies, raising citizens awareness of peace and supporting worldwide disarmament issues. There is a Memorial Peace Park located in Hiroshima that commemorates the severe suffering of the citizens of Hiroshima during and following World War II. In 1992 Hiroshima established the Hiroshima Institute for Peace Education that is a model for structural and systematic peace education in schools.

Hiroshima is a very active member of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities. The International Peace Garden Foundation established in 1990 coordinates International Peace Gardens around the world in an effort to promote peaceful relations between countries. The recipient country nominates a nation they wish to recognize for their achievements in the areas of peace and democracy.

International Peace Garden currently exist in the United States (the very first garden, planted in Washington, DC was a gift from Canada in honor of the longest undefended border in the world); Poland, Germany, Hungary, France, Slovenia, South Africa, Mozambique, Costa Rica, Canada and The Netherlands.

Dedication ceremonies for the Peace Garden in Hiroshima are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 11, 2001. The Peace Garden is situated in Peace Memorial Park under the Peace clock tower in an area between two rivers, where the A-bomb dome is visible on the opposite bank. Invited to attend are members of the diplomatic community, representatives the Peace Garden countries as well as local and national dignitaries from Hiroshima and Japan. A delegation from The International Peace Garden Foundation will be traveling to Japan for the ceremonies, where they plan to lay a permanent stone marker at the site of the Peace Garden.