The seeds of peace!

PEACE seeds . . . In Alexandra Park conservatory are, from left, Maria Ellis (Peace Talks Oldham), the mayor Councillor Derek Heffernan, Richard Outram (Peace Forum Oldham), Reiko Yamada, Shigeo Kobayashi (interpreter), Midori Yamada

TWO women who survived the devastating atomic bomb and its aftermath visited Oldham to plant seeds from trees that also survived the blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Reiko Yamada and Midori Yamada, who are known as Hibakusha which translates as "bomb-affected people", are survivors of the A-bombings in August 1945 which brought about the Japanese surrender, and they are seeking to raise awareness about the damage the bomb can cause.

Reiko is a first generation Hibakusha having been at Hiroshima during the blast, while Midori is a second generation as her father and brothers directly experienced the bombing.

The two bombs caused 600,000 people to be exposed to intense heat rays, blasts and radiation. By the end of the year, about 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. As many as 42 per cent of them had not been identified by name, and were recorded only as unidentified victims.

Reiko and Midori want to raise awareness about the devastation nuclear weapons can cause as the United Nations last week met to draft a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, however the United States led a boycott of the talks and were joined by others including Britain, France, South Korea and other nations.

On Saturday, Reiko and Midori presented seeds from six Ginkgo trees, which survived the blast despite suffering heavy damage, gifted to the borough by the city of Hiroshima.

They will be housed and cared for in the greenhouse at Alexandra Park, and once the trees are ready to be planted outside some will be presented to schools in the borough.

Mayor of Oldham Councillor Derek Heffernan said: "For me, this is a sign of peace and a sign of peace for the future.

"These trees were in a very short distance to the atomic blast and were devastated, but they have survived, recovered and are now producing seeds.

"We are going to plant these seeds in Alexandra Park conservatory and eventually in the park itself in a peace garden, which will include a peace plaque telling the world that we want peace, not war.

"Too many young people have given their lives in unnecessary conflict. The Second World War is the only war that can be justified.

"I look forward to contributing and supporting the message of peace on behalf of the Oldham borough and after I have finished my term."

Reiko and Midori also attended a civic reception with the mayor, the Youth Mayor and representatives from Saddleworth Peace Group.

On Saturday evening, the women spoke at at the People's History Museum in Manchester.

Last year, Reiko, vice-chairman of the Tokyo Federation of A-bomb Sufferers Organisations, and Midori, a counsellor at the Tokyo Federation for A-bomb Sufferers Organisations, along with other Hibakusha, launched the International Hibakusha Appeal Signature Campaign for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and are urging as many as possible people around the world as possible to join this signature campaign.