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On August 5, the 200th lecture in the Hiroshima Study Lecture Series for Peace was held at the Hiroshima Ikeda Peace Memorial Hall. Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala, rector of the United Nations University and under-secretary-general of the United Nations, delivered a lecture on the theme of nuclear abolition and the role of youth in the age of AI. He stressed the importance of reflecting on lessons from the past and asking ourselves what kind of world we will leave for future generations, as we mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dr. Marwala further stated that peace is built not only by treaties and institutions, but by people and communities.

The Hiroshima Study Lecture Series for Peace was launched by Soka Gakkai youth in Hiroshima in February 1989, to pass on the memory of the atomic bombings and create a world free of nuclear weapons. Notable speakers included Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, former president of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Sunao Tsuboi, former chairperson of Nihon Hidankyo.

From August 1 to 3, a European Youth Course was held under the theme “One Step for Peace!” in Milan, Italy. Some 340 youth from 29 countries in Europe and youth representatives from Japan, including SGI Young Women’s Leader Hiroko Ogushi and SGI Young Men’s Leader Hideaki Yanashima, participated. The course featured a study session on The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, as well as a panel discussion where youth representatives from France, Japan, Portugal and Switzerland shared faith experiences and introduced initiatives from their respective countries.  

The latest video in the series Testimonies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Women Speak Out for Peace is now available with subtitles in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Spanish. In this video, Keiko Ogura, founder of Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace, tells her story of suffering, trauma and survival, having experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima at the age of eight. (Original audio and subtitles in English.)

The series introduces testimonies of hibakusha, atomic bomb survivors, of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Filmed by the Soka Gakkai Women's Peace Committee, the videos can be viewed on the Soka Gakkai Official YouTube channel.   

On July 25, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Vice Chair Asle Toje and Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute Kristian Berg Harpviken visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo and met with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada. Given the escalation of nuclear threats, President Harada stressed the great significance of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Frydnes stated that particularly during times of crisis, conveying the testimonies of the atomic bomb survivors to the next generation is key to abolishing nuclear weapons and eradicating war.