In March 2005, a group of Japanese people came together to work towards building peace in Australia and Japan, calling themselves Japanese for Peace. With the approach of the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was a call within the Japanese community to widen public awareness about the experiences of the victims of atomic warfare, to share our understanding about peace, and work towards the creation of a truly diverse and multicultural society here in Melbourne.

While there are friendly relations between Australia and Japan today, we cannot deny that deep-lying resentment still exists particularly amongst the elderly in Australia, who remember that only a few decades ago they were at war against Japan. We believe that we have a strong responsibility to learn about the histories of both nations as a means to achieving true understanding and peace between the peoples. For this reason, we are planning an event which welcomes a large cross-section of people, from children to the elderly who will, through their participation, help to widen awareness about peace and build a lasting peace.

As we approach of the 60th Anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic bombs this August, we are striving towards the creation of an event Hiroshima and Nagasaki 60th Anniversary Commemorative Concert No Nuclear Bombs: Call for World Peace and Friendship. During this event we hope to have a peace concert, discussions, a learning session, and a photographic exhibition. Through this event and others to come, we hope to continue to learn from the experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and work towards the creation of a true peace.