On August 6, 2022, H.E. Mr Andre’ Spiteri, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to Japan, participated in a ceremony held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The occasion marked the first time that a Maltese Ambassador participated in this commemoration, which is held annually to console the souls of the people who lost their lives during the atomic bombing of 1945.

The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, Japanese government officials, diplomats from around the world, and representatives of the victims of the nuclear bomb and the families of survivors.

On 9 August, Ambassador Spiteri also attended the Peace Ceremony held in Nagasaki. During his visit to Nagasaki, the Ambassador was given a warm reception by the City Council where he held a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of the city, Toshiaki Takeda. Subsequently, the Ambassador held a meeting with the Archbishop of Nagasaki, His Excellency Peter Michiaki Nakamura with whom he discussed the history of the city’s Catholic community.

During both meetings, Ambassador Spiteri presented copies of ‘Strength of Gentle Hearts’, a publication financed by the Cultural Diplomacy Fund, which chronicles the experiences of members of the Order of the Sacred Heart who were living in Nagasaki during the atomic bombing of the city.

Malta has a long-standing principle enshrined in its Foreign Policy to work towards global disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. Indeed, Malta became a State Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons to clearly signal its unwavering commitment towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. To this end, Malta also participated in the First Meeting of State Parties of the Treaty held in June 2022.