Held annually on August 6 at the Peace Park Pavilion in Alton Baker Park, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration honors the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 and calls for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
This free, family-friendly gathering runs from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and features taiko drumming, speakers, Obon dancing, calligraphy, and a lantern ceremony at dusk.
The event is presented by the Asian American Council of Oregon in partnership with the City of Eugene.
Clck here for this year’s event details and program.
Past commemoration event activities include:
* In 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots Japanese survivors organization, for their global efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons. Learn more about Nihom Hidankyo, and view the Nobel Award Ceremony Speech.
* In 2022, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui delivered this Peace Declaration in English to reach farther and wider around the globe. Watch this moving video here.
* On August 6, 2019, A Hiroshima Peace Tree was planted in Alton Baker Park in Eugene. Watch the video here. Also, view this interactive map showing all Peace Tree locations planted in Oregon.
For more information about the peace tree, see the work of Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative and One Sunny Day Initiative.
| 7:00 p.m. | Opening, Taiko Drumming |
| 7:10 p.m. | Welcome Address, Kitty Piercy, former Eugene Mayor on nuclear nonproliferation and Nihon Hidankyo, recipient of Nobel Peace Prize 2024 |
| 7:20 p.m. | Letter from Mayor of Hiroshima, read by Mike Takahashi |
| 7:25 p.m. | Prayer to Ancestors, Rev. Mark Unno |
| 7:30 p.m. | Guest Speaker: Lama Jigme Thrinley Rinpoche, Palmo Peace Education Center on Peace and Compassion |
| 7:40 p.m. | Children’s Choir |
| 7:55 p.m. | Message from Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson (to be confirmed) Message from Hideko Tamura Snider, One Sunny Day Initiative (read by Bob Watada) Acknowledgements (AACO, CALC, JAA) Update on Peace Tree (Helen Liu) Call to Action (Michael Carrigan) |
| 8:10 p.m. | Obon Dance |
| 8:30 p.m. | View Peace Tree, Procession to Lantern Ceremony |
| 8:35 p.m. | Lantern Floating Ceremony |
The mission of the Asian American Council of Oregon (AACO) is to create opportunities which foster friendship and harmonious relations among all people by presenting events and activities that will stimulate a better understanding of Asian and Asian-American cultures.
