The World Peace Bell Association (WPBA) is a Japanese organisation which attempts to raise awareness of the

World peace World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...

movement by casting and installing Japanese temple bells in locations around the world. The association was effectively begun in 1954 by Chiyoji Nakagawa, with the goal of providing peace bells to every country in the world. As mayor of

Uwajima 270px, Uwajma City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Uwajma city center 270px, Japan National Route 320 in Uwajma city center is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,440 in 35429 households and a ...

, he oversaw the replacement of the temple bell at Taihei temple in the aftermath or the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The replacement bell was known as the "Bell of Banzai for Absolute Peace", and was the model for the United Nations Peace Bell, the first bell donated by the WPBA. The bells are made using melted-down coinage donated from countries around the world. They have been placed in sixteen countries to date, with the US, Japan and Australia having more than one bell. The current president of the association is Tomijiro Yoshida. Yoshida officially founded the WPBA in 1982, ten years after Chiyoji Nakagawa's death, to continue Nakagawa's work.

References

{{Bells, state=expanded Bells (percussion) Charities based in Japan