Tinian, New Mexico, Japan could work together on a peace memorial—Aldan

TINIAN— Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan envisions further use of the northern portion of Tinian by building a peace monument on Tinian’s North Field, in addition to its already existing memorial sites related to Tinian’s role in World War II and the locations where the nuclear bombs were kept before they were flown and dropped in Japan.

That peace memorial, he said in an interview, could be the culmination of a sister city-type arrangements with New Mexico and Japan— a sort of peace memorial that spans three locales that are tied together by their World War Ii experiences.

He said that New Mexico is where the United States first nuclear weapons tests took place, while it was in Japan where two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Aldan wants to see an agreement between New Mexico, Japan, and Tinian to take place to serve as a symbolic agreement to peace. “[We] want to put it out to the world and showcase [Tinian] as a peace island. Never again will we ever use that weapon,” said Aldan.