EDITORIAL: Hiroshima resignation

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba plans to step down when his current term expires in April. Addressing city officials on the first day of work after the New Year holidays, he said he would not run in the mayoral election slated for the same month.

As the public face of a city that suffered atomic bombing, Akiba served three terms over a period of 12 years, pressing an agenda of creating "a peaceful world without nuclear weapons." We want to express our appreciation for the fine job he did while in office. However, the way he announced his resignation left a bad aftertaste.

Akiba turned down requests by the media for a news conference, instead posting footage of his announcement not to seek re-election on the video-sharing website YouTube. His roughly 15-minute speech on YouTube does not give a clear reason for his decision. It does not tell citizens what they want to know.

Akiba, who taught in U.S. universities as a young man, proposed and organized the "Akiba Project," getting reporters of U.S. local newspapers and television stations dispatched to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to report about the experiences of the survivors of atomic bombings.

After he returned to Japan, he worked as a university professor and became a Lower House member of the Japan Socialist Party (now Social Democratic Party) before he was elected Hiroshima mayor in 1999. Once he took office, he advocated the "2020 Vision," aimed at abolishing nuclear weapons by 2020.

Akiba also serves as president of Mayors for Peace, an association of cities aiming for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Membership soared from slightly more than 400 worldwide at the time he became mayor to more than 4,000. Many people empathized with atomic bomb survivors wanting to prevent anyone from suffering as they did and with Akiba's message calling for reconciliation, not retaliation.

At the same time, however, some people criticized Akiba's running of city affairs. Some said he did not listen to others and that he failed to develop infrastructure. He proposed submitting a bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, but citizens were divided on the idea because, among other reasons, of financial concerns. Akiba has put off the official decision on whether to go through with the Olympic bid. As an elected mayor, he has a duty to answer citizens' questions.

YouTube is a medium that allows users to express themselves through the Internet. It is not a bad thing for politicians to take advantage of it to give their opinions.

However, Akiba's decision just to say what he wanted to say on the occasion of his resignation was reminiscent of former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato (1901-1975). Sato announced he was stepping down only on television, saying, "I hate newspapers."

Akiba may think that he could not accurately communicate his message through the mass media. But if he is refusing to hold a news conference because he does not want to hear criticism or hear questions, we have no choice but to question his attitude as a politician.

Squarely facing criticism and the evaluations of others is part of the job of elected officials. In fact, Akiba is a former newscaster.

There must be many Hiroshima citizens, including some atomic bomb survivors, who do not use the Internet. Akiba still has time before his term expires. He should hold a news conference. He could post a video of the news conference on YouTube.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 7