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Former Hiroshima mayor, A-bomb survivor get peace foundation awards

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The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation on Sunday honored former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Shigeko Sasamori, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

Akiba received the foundation's Distinguished Peace Leadership Award and Sasamori accepted the World Citizenship Award on behalf of all hibakusha (survivors) at the Coral Casino of the Four Seasons Santa Barbara Biltmore.

Akiba is one of the most prominent leaders in the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. During his three terms as mayor from 1999 to 2011, he served as president of Mayors for Peace and oversaw its expansion from 440 members to nearly 5,000, uniting mayors in more than 100 countries to escalate pressure on governments to abolish all nuclear weapons by 2020. He has received numerous awards for his international peace work, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (also known as the Asian Nobel Prize).

Sasamori was 13 years old and within one mile of the blast's hypocenter when the nuclear bomb exploded over Hiroshima. She is one of the few remaining Hiroshima Maidens, a group of 25 women who were seriously injured by the blast and brought to the U.S. for reconstructive surgery in 1955 by Norman Cousins. For over 30 years, she has campaigned worldwide for nuclear disarmament. She currently serves as the CEO of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Projects.

© Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

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