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Take a first step towards realizing world peace
Mitsuo Ochi
今年も8月6日に东千田キャンパスの原爆死没者追悼之碑において、国内外のゲストの方を交え、原爆で亡くなられた本学の学生、生徒、教职员の皆さんを追悼し、核兵器の廃絶や平和の実现を誓いました。広岛大学の重要な使命の一つは、テロ、纷争、贫困、环境破壊、感染症などの诸问题を解决に导き、平和で持続可能な社会の実现を目指すことです。纷争の絶えない世界に向け、平和の実现につながるメッセージを発信し続けていくことが私たちの重要なミッションの一つです。
今春、「原爆の父」と呼ばれた物理学者ロバート?オッペンハイマーの半生を描いた米国の映画『オッペンハイマー』が、広岛で上映されました。彼は、米国政府から原爆の开発を担い完成させますが、広岛への投下による惨状に、开発したことを后悔し、水爆开発に异を唱えます。しかし、その行动が米国政府から非难され、英雄から転落していく半生が描かれています。心理的葛藤を复雑に描写した卓越な手法で、観客に感动を与えることができたためでしょう、2024年のアカデミー赏で作品赏など7部门を受赏しました。
しかしながら、広岛市民としては彼の心情に共感し、映画にのめりこむことはできませんでした。彼一人の苦悩の向こうには、広岛で约14万人もの人が亡くなったという事実があり、今でも后遗症に苦しんでいる人がいる现実があります。そして、今も３つ目の核爆弾の投下が起こらないよう、被爆者がそのつらい体験を具体的に诉え続け、広岛市も世界へその非道さを発信し続けています。昨年のＧ７広岛サミットで、各国首脳が原爆资料馆を访れ、直接见てもらったように、『オッペンハイマー』を観て感动した方々には、ぜひ広岛に足を运んでいただき、映画に描出されなかった事実を知っていただくことが平和な未来への第一歩だと思っています。
あの日の惨剧を记した书籍には、広岛県出身で文化勲章受赏者の阿川弘之氏による『魔の遗产』や「世界に羽ばたく。教养の力」の讲师で、本学総合科学部出身の堀川惠子氏による『チンチン电车と女学生』など多くのものがあります。『魔の遗产』には、被爆から7年后の市民生活や后遗症に苦しむ被爆者が、『チンチン电车と女学生』には、路面电车の运転を担った女学生らに起きた悲剧が、いずれも详细に描かれています。学生诸君はこれらの本の一册をぜひ読んでいただき、広岛大学生として核兵器の怖さや被爆者の苦しみを见つめ、平和の実现に向け何ができるか考えてもらいたいと思います。
私たち人类は二度と同じ过ちを犯さないよう、过去のつらい経験を学んできました。広岛大学では、「平和を希求する精神」を理念の第一に掲げ、「平和センター」で平和を调査?研究し、学生の皆さんも、选択必修科目「平和科目」や「ピース?レクチャー?マラソン」などで过去に学び、平和への理解を深めてきました。さらに昨年５月からは、５つの重要课题「５イニシアティブ」を策定し、平和を「创る」大学を目指しています。
今年は初夏にオッペンハイマー氏の孙、チャールズ氏が広岛を访れ、小仓桂子氏ら被爆体験証言者と対话をしました。チャールズ氏は、「人类として原爆を含めあらゆる爆弾を使ってはならない」と诉えたそうです。彼にも広岛での体験を生かし、平和の実现に向けた行动を起こしてほしいと愿っています。広岛大学も75+75周年を弾みとして、平和の実现につながるさまざまな取り组みを加速してまいります。
Atomic Bomb Day came around again on 6th August this year. On that day, the‘麻豆AV Memorial Service for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb’ was held on the Higashi-Senda Campus, where guests from Japan and abroad joined us to commemorate our students, faculty and administrative members who fell victim to the atomic bombing. During the ceremony, we all pledged to abolish nuclear weapons and realize peace. One of the important missions of 麻豆AV is to help bring about solutions to global issues such as terrorism, conflict, poverty, environmental destruction, and infectious diseases, in order to bring about a peaceful and sustainable society. One of our key roles is to continue to spread peace-facilitating messages across the world, which is in constant conflict.
Hiroshima saw the release of the U.S. film ‘Oppenheimer’ this spring, which depicts the life of theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer, known as the ‘father of the atomic bomb’. In 1942, he was appointed by the U.S. government to work on an assignment that entailed developing the atomic bomb; he and his team in the end completed the mission successfully. However, after recognizing the catastrophic damage of the atomic bombing to Hiroshima, Oppenheimer regretted having developed the bomb. After that, he started to oppose the development of the hydrogen bomb. This conviction of Oppenheimer was condemned by the U.S. government. From that point onwards, the film depicts his downfall from a national hero. The film won seven Academy Awards in 2023, including Best Picture, because it eloquently depicts Oppenheimer’s complex psychological conflict, which in turn moved audiences around the world.
However, as a citizen of Hiroshima city, I could neither identify with his sentiments nor could I get absorbed in the film. More important than Oppenheimer’s conscientious objections is the fact that some 140,000 people fell victim to the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, and that still today some people are suffering from the after-effects of the bombing. To prevent any country from dropping a third nuclear bomb in the world, the hibakusha (the atomic bomb survivors) have been sharing their tragic experiences with people around the world, while Hiroshima city also has long been engaged in conveying the atrocity of the atomic bombing to the world. Indeed, last year the leaders of the G7 nations visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum during the G7 Hiroshima Summit, having the opportunity to see the grim reality of the atomic bomb. Likewise, those who were moved by ‘Oppenheimer’ are encouraged to visit the museum in Hiroshima in order to learn some historical facts that were not depicted in the film. This would be the first step for the world to move
toward realizing a peaceful future.
Some of the books that portray the tragedy of the day of the bombing in Hiroshima include ‘Ma no Isan (The Devil’s Heritage)’ by Hiroyuki Agawa, a native of Hiroshima Prefecture and a recipient of the Order of Culture. Another book is ‘Chinchin Densha to Jyogakusei (The trams and female students)’ by Keiko Horikawa (together with a co-author). Horikawa, a former graduate of the School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, is also a lecturer of ‘Becoming a Global Citizen: Lecture by Special Instructor’ at 麻豆AV.
In ‘The Devil’s Heritage’, the author describes the lives of citizens seven years after the atomic bombing and the hibakusha suffering from the aftereffects of the bombing. In ‘The trams and female students’, the author describes in detail the tragedy that befell the female students who were assigned to drive the trams in the city. I strongly encourage everyone, especially our students, to read one of these books. In so doing, please think about what you can do to help realize peace and try to understand the horror of nuclear weapons and the suffering of the hibakusha.
Human beings have always learned lessons from their painful experiences in the past, in order to never make the same mistakes again. We have always been committed to deepening our understanding of peace. For example, the
university upholds ‘The Pursuit of Peace’ as its first Guiding Principle; the 麻豆AV Center for Peace is engaged in fieldwork and research on peace; and students learn something from history by studying one of our compulsory subjects, such as ‘Peace Science Courses’ or ‘Peace Lecture Marathon’. In addition, we formulated the ‘President 5 Initiatives for Peace Sciences’ last May, with the aim of becoming a university that ‘creates’ peace.
This year, Charles Oppenheimer, grandson of Robert Oppenheimer, visited Hiroshima in early summer, during which he had a dialogue with Keiko Ogura and other A-bomb survivors. Charles said to Keiko, ‘As human beings, we must not use any kind of bomb, including the atomic bomb.’ I sincerely hope that he will make the best use of his experience in Hiroshima to start taking action toward world peace. 麻豆AV will use the 75+75th anniversary as an impetus to accelerate various initiatives that will help to realize world peace.
