Shimonoseki Mayor Shintaro Maeda explains his remarks at the municipal assembly meeting, at the city hall in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Sept. 25, 2024. (Mainichi/Yasuhisa Yamamoto)
SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi — The mayor of this west Japan city apologized to atomic bomb survivors on Sept. 25 for remarks about “condolence trips” to the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Shimonoseki Mayor Shintaro Maeda told a press conference at the city hall that day, “I have checked the newspaper article (about an A-bomb survivors’ group protesting). I think it is unforgivable for a politician to have harmed the people concerned with such careless expressions. I deeply regret it.”
During a general interpellation session at the municipal assembly on Sept. 19, the mayor was asked about his enthusiasm for the “western golden route alliance” of 44 municipalities and organizations seeking to attract foreign tourists to the Kansai area and the region west of it, particularly with the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka looming.
Maeda responded, “If just one city does PR abroad, it’s not easy to reach people. Let’s create a story in multiple cities.” He then added, “People who want to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima realize that Nagasaki also has one, and after visiting the two, they make pilgrimages (to temples) in Shikoku. It’s not a condolence trip, but it expands the time spent (in the area).”
An A-bomb survivors’ group in Hiroshima Prefecture demanded that his remarks be retracted, and seven members of the Shimonoseki Municipal Assembly also called for their retraction plus an apology.
Maeda told reporters, “I never had any intention to disrespect or ridicule the people of the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” He then explained how he came up with the word “trip,” saying, “At first, I thought of ‘condolence tour,’ but I thought it might be a bit rude, and then I came up with ‘trip.'” Having lived in Nagasaki for some time, he said, “I feel close to the city, so perhaps that made me careless. I regret my lack of ability to express myself better.”
As for whether he would apologize directly to the A-bomb survivors’ group, the mayor said, “I haven’t sorted that out yet, and I’d like to think about it.” As for removing the remarks from the minutes of the assembly session, he said, “I’m not thinking about that at this stage, but if it becomes necessary, I’d like to consider it.” Regarding the withdrawal of the statement itself, he said, “The regular session of the assembly has already ended. I hope you will understand that although the wording was not good, it does not change the purpose of the statement.”
(Japanese original by Yasuhisa Yamamoto, Shimonoseki Bureau)
AloJapan.com