Mr. Tsugio Ito grew up in Hiroshima, Japan. His older brother was killed when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945 in an effort to end World War II. Fifty-six years later, Mr. Ito’s son, Kazushige, died when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001. Mr. Ito believes that the events of September 11th reconfirm his belief that we should all work towards global peace.
Mr. Masahiro Sasaki is the older brother of Sadako Sasaki. Both were children when an atomic bomb hit their city of Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. Sadako developed leukemia as a result of the exposure to radiation. As a wish for good health, she folded more than a thousand origami cranes. After her death, Sadako’s classmates advocated for peace by helping to raise funds for a memorial to the children who died from the atomic bomb.