Japan-based international NGO Peace Boat is launching its second "Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World." The ship, SS Oceanic, will depart from Yokohama on the 26th of August with 10 Hibakusha (Atomic bomb survivors) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on board. Over 108 days, participants will visit 20 countries to share the testimonies of the atomic bombings and exchange with citizens around the world.

Three selected high school students will also join this voyage, to explore ways for the younger generations to take on the legacy of the Hibakusha. As well as this group, 500 other participants will also join the voyage, including university students from Korea and Germany. This voyage, with its focus on disarmament education, will provide a space for Hibakusha and young people from around the world to meet and learn from one another.

Visited during the voyage will be Viet Nam, where suffering from the damage of Agent Orange continues, Ecuador, a country which has recently adopted a peace constitution, and Tahiti, where victims of the French nuclear tests are now raising their voices. Through these meetings, as well as countless others as the ship travels through Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific, will share the Hibakusha's call for a peaceful and nuclear-free future around the world, and provide a unique base for disarmament education to foster a new movement to pass the experiences of the atomic bombings beyond borders and generations.

Furthermore, participants will meet with Mayors around the world to encourage participation in the "Mayors for Peace" Initiative, and seek ways to further the current global momentum towards nuclear abolition as stimulated by US President Obama's declared determination to create a nuclear-free world.

Press Conference Details

Date: 26 August 2009 (Wednesday) Time: 10:00 Press Conference, 11:30 Departure Ceremony, 12:00 Ship Departs Venue: Yokohama Port, Osambashi International Passenger Terminal (www.osanbashi.com)

Speakers: Ishibashi Chizue, Osaki Shizuko, Oono Michiko, Konishi Shinichi, Tanabe Shunsaburou, Chosogabe Hisashi, Niimi Hirozou, Nishioka Hiroshi, Hakariya Michio, Fujii Setsuko Koshi Misaki, Shimomura Yutarou, Tanaka Naoto Delegation from Sung Kong Hoe University Kawasaki Akira, Executive Committee

• Please contact the Peace Boat Office for more information, including profiles of the project participants, and full itinerary and plans in ports during the voyage.

Contact Meri Joyce, Peace Boat Office Tel 03-3363-8047 Fax 03-3363-7562 Email meri@peaceboat.gr.jp