Saplings From Tree Exposed to Atomic Bombing Planted at U.N. Headquarters; Ceremony to Mark 80 Years Since Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings

By Yasushi Kaneko / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

1:00 JST, May 8, 2025

NEW YORK — Two persimmon saplings, which were grown from the seeds of a tree that was exposed to the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, were planted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday to mark the 80th year since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“[The saplings are] a symbol of peace and resilience,” said U.N. Undersecretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, who participated in the planting ceremony.

Nakamitsu also stressed the need to reverse the current trend of building arms and increasing tensions.

The saplings were grown from the seeds of a tree that was about 530 meters from the hypocenter. The plants were provided by Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative, a citizens’ initiative in Hiroshima that works toward the abolition of nuclear weapons through the planting of saplings that have been affected by the atomic bombings.

“As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan bears a responsibility to lead the global effort toward a world without nuclear weapons,” said Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Yamazaki also expressed his determination to continue dialogue with various nations, including those that have nuclear weapons.