Copyright 2016 "STONE FOR PEACE ASSOCIATION OF HIROSHIMA" ALL rights reserved.
The Stone for Peace has been sent as a witness of the tragedy and a messenger of the preciousness of peace to heads of state all over the world thanks to the warm and positive cooperation of diplomatic corps in Japan.
In Japan there are approximately 140 embassies or consulates, most of which are located in Tokyo. Those foreign organizations are the first contact point for the Tokyo Office. The staff meets an ambassador or his/her deputy, explains about the Stone for Peace and asks them to convey our wish to donate the Stone to the head of state as a symbol of peace. For those countries that do not have embassies or contacts in Japan, a letter of request is sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or relevant bodies of that country along with the reference materials.
Once the head of state expresses the acceptance of the Stone, preparations start. The presentation ceremony traditionally takes place in the receiving country with the attendance of the head of state.? The following is the procedures leading up to the ceremony.
| (1) |
Set up the date and venue of the ceremony |
| (2) |
Ship the Stone in advance to help the recipient move forward with ceremony preparations by seeing the actual Stone |
| (3) |
Delegation from Japan chosen |
| (4) |
Ask relevant department of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange for the Japanese ambassador to the recipient country to attend the ceremony |
| (5) |
Collect information on the country and fix the itinerary of the trip |
| (6) |
Brief local staff on ceremony details while confirming arrival of the Stone |
| (7) |
Visit the local Embassy of Japan to report |
| (8) |
Respond to media coverage |
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