The members of Co-op Hiroshima in Fukuyama city, Hiroshima Prefecture carried out a reclamation project of paper cranes, the symbol of peace as part of the co-op's peace activities. The Paper Crane Sublimation and Reclamation Project is a project to reclaim the paper cranes donated to the Children's Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and other monuments from around the world in memory of the victims of the atomic bomb.

A part of the recycling processing is outsourced to Heart Co-op Hiroshima Co., a special subsidiary company of Co-op Hiroshima and Heart Co-op Onomichi Co., a special subsidiary company of Co-op CS Net as part of their social contribution to support the independence of people with disabilities. Hiroshima Prefectural Consumers' Co-operative Union, Co-op Hiroshima, Co-op CS Net, and the member co-ops, Japan CO-OP Insurance Consumers' Co-operative Federation, and  JCCU are jointly working on this project.

The paper cranes collected from the Peace Memorial Park and other places are separated and disassembled by removing the threads and ribbons. Each paper crane is filled with a wish for peace and is carefully folded. There are various ways to fold, and sometimes there are some which are folded in an elaborate way. The dismantled paper cranes are processed at the factory and recycled into calendars, origami, notebooks, etc. It is hoped that the use of these products will help people think about peace.

This year, along with this activity, members of Co-op Hiroshima in Fukuyama also tried to make roses which is one of the symbols of Fukuyama City using origami paper. It is not easy to learn to master folding the paper roses, but they tried many times to make them. They will be donated to the cenotaph at a memorial ceremony on August 8, 2020, for the victims of the Fukuyama Air Raid at the midnight on August 8, 1945.

Learning to make paper roses

Seriously

Multicolored paper roses