Kanagawa, Japan—UPF-Japan and the North Tokyo chapter of the Youth and Students for Peace (YSP)-Japan, an affiliated organization, co-organized a beach cleanup at Wada Nahana beach along Miura peninsula in Kanagawa prefecture on September 16, 2018 in commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace. About 20 Ambassadors for Peace, members of the YSP, and members of several local volunteer groups gathered in the early morning for the activity. This is the tenth year of UPF-Japan’s beach cleanup project, which has been held annually since 2009.
Although it was drizzling at the start and during most of the cleanup, the volunteers picked up litter on the beach, from cans and bottles to cigarette butts. Several “Peace Rangers,” the YSP-Japan’s mascot for cleaning projects, also participated in the activity to encourage children who were playing on the beach to join the cleanup.
The project concluded with remarks by Mr. Kazunori Arase, the vice secretary general of UPF-Japan, who spoke on the theme for this year’s Day, "The Right to Peace–The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70." He said, “Marine pollution [is a] global problem. The right to life is jeopardized because of environmental degradation. So, this activity, which is in its tenth year and which UPF-Japan and YSP-Japan organized this year to commemorate the International Day of Peace, can help prevent it.”