広島は今年、原爆投下から80年を迎えました。平和記念公園の原爆死没者慰霊碑をはじめ市内各所に200基を超える原爆の慰霊碑や記念碑があり、8月6日前後に追悼式や慰霊の催しが行われました。9つの前身校を引き継ぐ広島大学関係では、附属学校も合わせて6基の碑がそれぞれの校地や被災場所近くに建てられています。
　
　東千田キャンパスの広島大学原爆死没者追悼之碑の前では、9カ国・地域11大学の学長らを招き、前身諸学校で犠牲となられた留学生を含む学生、生徒、教職員の皆さんの御霊に謹んで哀悼の誠を捧げるとともに核兵器の廃絶と恒久平和への誓いを新たにしました。
　
　原爆投下から4年後「平和の大学」として広島の地に開学した広島大学にとっても、被爆80年の今年は節目の年であると考え、さまざまな平和関連行事に取り組んでおります。8月5日には世界的なオペラ歌手の中丸三千繪氏と本学の教員・学生・卒業生らによる「平和チャリティコンサート」をサタケメモリアルホールで開催しました。
　
　翌6日は、第4回「平和学長会議」を開催。平和学長会議の参加校は延べ30を超え、議論も年々深化しています。国際交流協定校などの学生を対象に2023年度から始めた「ピーススタディーツアー」では今年、16ヵ国140人以上の学生が2024年ノーベル平和賞を受賞した日本原水爆被害者団体協議会（日本被団協）の箕牧智之代表委員や、被爆体験証言者の小倉桂子氏の講演に耳を傾けました。
　
　東西冷戦後も厳しい国際情勢が続く中、曲がりなりにも広島・長崎に次ぐ第三の戦争被爆地が生まれなかったのは、日本被団協をはじめとする被爆者の皆さんが、身を賭して自身の体験を世界に向けて訴え続けられたからに他ならないと思います。しかし、被爆者の平均年齢が86.13歳となり、生存されている方もついに10万人を割りました。「被爆者なき時代」がそこまで来ている今、記憶の継承に向けて本学に課せられた使命の重さに身の引き締まる思いです。
　
　広島大学は2023年、「President 5 Initiatives for Peace Sciences-新しい平和科学(安全・安心を実現する「創る平和」)-」として今後、進めていく5つの重点事項を発表しました。これからも学内外の組織や既存の活動との連携を強化し、「平和を希求する精神」を堅持しながら「平和を創る」大学へと取り組みを進めてまいります。

This year, Hiroshima commemorates the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Across the city, there are over 200
cenotaphs and monuments honouring the victims, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Cenotaph in Peace Memorial
Park. Around 6 August, numerous memorial services and remembrance events took place. Hiroshima University—having
inherited the legacy of nine predecessor schools—features six monuments on its former campuses or near the bombing
sites, including those of its attached schools.

At the Hiroshima University Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims on the Higashi-Senda Campus, we hosted presidents from
11 universities in 9 countries and regions. Together, we solemnly paid tribute to the souls of students—including
international students—faculty, and staff members, who fell victim to the atomic bombing, and we renewed our
commitment to the pursuit of lasting peace, including the abolition of nuclear weapons.

For Hiroshima University, founded in Hiroshima four years after the bombing with a mission to serve as a ‘University of
Peace,’ this 80th anniversary represents a significant milestone. In recognition of this, the university has organized a range
of peace-related events. On 5 August, a ‘Peace Charity Concert’ took place at Satake Memorial Hall, featuring the
world-renowned opera singer Michie Nakamaru alongside Hiroshima University faculty members, students, and alumni.

On the following day, we convened the 4th ‘University Presidents for Peace Conference’ . To date, over 30 universities have
participated in this event, with the level of discussions growing more profound each year. As part of our efforts to engage
younger generations, we launched the ‘Peace Study Tour’ in 2023 for students from our international partner institutions.
This year, more than 140 students from 16 countries attentively listened to lectures by Toshiyuki Mimaki, Representative
Director of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo)—recipient of the 2024
Nobel Peace Prize—and Keiko Ogura, a prominent hibakusha who shares her experience of the atomic bombing with others.

Despite the ongoing instability of the international order even after the end of the Cold War, the fact that no third city has
suffered a nuclear attack like Hiroshima or Nagasaki is undoubtedly due to the tireless efforts of the hibakusha. They have
devoted their whole lives to sharing their testimonies with the world. However, the average age of hibakusha in Japan has
now reached 86.13 years old, while the number of survivors has fallen below 100,000. Given this situation, the time is fast
approaching when there will be no hibakusha left. As this reality draws near, we feel the weight of our responsibility to
preserve their memories and pass them on to future generations.

In 2023, Hiroshima University announced the ‘President 5 Initiatives for Peace Sciences—New Peace Science (Creating
Peace for Safety and Security)’ as our roadmap for future peace-focused efforts. While strengthening collaboration with
organizations both within and outside the university, as well as with ongoing initiatives, we will strive to become a university that not only pursues peace but also actively creates it.