A powerful call for global peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons will echo from Montego Bay this Saturday, July 5, when Peace Boat Voyage 120 will dock at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Port, carrying 1,700 passengers, including three survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Among them is 84-year-old Ito Masao, who was just four years old when he was exposed to the Hiroshima bombing while riding his bicycle in front of his home, only 3.5 kilometres from the hypocentre at the close of World War II.

Kuramori Terumi, 81, a Nagasaki survivor, was sheltered behind her home with her mother and siblings during the atomic blast by the United States. Watanabe Junko, 82, who experienced the black rain following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima when she was two years old, will join them.

The three will share their stories during a public lecture with 50 university students from across western Jamaica at the University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus, on Saturday afternoon.

The lecture, being staged in collaboration with Women of Western Jamaica (WOWJa) and will feature opening remarks by Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan Shorna-Kay Richards and the Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica Yasuhiro Atsumi.

Chair of WOWJa, veteran journalist Janet Silvera, said the event offers Jamaican youth a rare opportunity to connect with living history.

“These brave survivors—Hibakusha—carry a message that the world must never forget. Their testimony is not just a memory of war, but a call to action for peace and a nuclear-free future,” Silvera said. “As Jamaica celebrates its own steps toward peace and diplomacy, we are honoured to welcome Peace Boat to our shores. It is a timely reminder of our shared humanity, especially as the world approaches the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II next month.”

The visit will also include a tour of the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 Exhibition aboard the vessel. Peace Boat, a Japan-based international NGO, has been working closely with Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize 2024 Laureate. 

“Peace Boat’s Hibakusha Project has allowed over 170 atomic bomb survivors to travel the world since 2008,” Silvera added. “They have become global ambassadors of peace, and Montego Bay is privileged to be one of 21 ports in 19 countries selected for this historic voyage.”

The Peace Boat Voyage 120 is part of the organisation’s ongoing campaign to raise global awareness of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons. This visit to Jamaica further deepens the country’s cultural and diplomatic ties with Japan, while amplifying youth engagement on issues of peace and disarmament.