Some 700 designs for a new peace memorial submitted by children from around the world were put on display Monday in Hiroshima's Naka Ward so that people can vote for their favorite one.
 |
| High school students in Hiroshima display designs for a new children's peace memorial at a news conference. |
Those that collect the most votes during the three-day exhibition at the Aster Plaza gallery will then be judged by a group of experts. After they select the winning design, the search for the memorial site will begin.
The memorial project is being organized by local high school students to mark next year's Aug. 6 anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
It is aimed at demonstrating the students' resolve in making the next century a peaceful one, devoid of nuclear arms, for the children of the world.
It is one of several projects begun nationwide since a 1996 gathering in Hiroshima where an American group that helped build a children's peace memorial in New Mexico in 1995 urged similar efforts in Japan.
The U.S. project was begun at the behest of American students who heard the story of a young girl who died from radiation exposure following the atomic blast.
Sayuri Nakamoto, 18, the children's representative on the memorial construction committee, said that while it was difficult to think of a tangible image of peace, she put her heart into her own design.
"I hope people come and see the exhibition and think about peace," she said.