TOKYO >> With the passing of Jimmy Carter this week, condolences came from across Japan, notably in areas that had cultivated ties with the former U.S. president.

Carter, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, died Dec. 29 at the age of 100.

He was the first U.S. president to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, in May 1984, after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. “This memorial must be a constant and permanent reminder for all people to work for peace and better understanding,” he wrote in the museum’s guestbook.

“He contributed greatly to peace through his actions to visit conflict-torn regions in an effort to mediate disputes,” said Toshiyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Global affairs are deteriorating even further, and the world is becoming increasingly divided. I hope U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will visit Hiroshima as Mr. Carter did and lead the world toward peace,” said Mimaki.

Close ties with Toyama

In 1984, Carter also visited Kurobe, Toyama prefecture, where he attended a jogging event and even participated impromptu in the race. This inspired the Carter’s Memorial Kurobe Meisui Marathon, now an annual event in the city.

Former Mayor Yasuo Horiuchi, 70, met with Carter in the U.S. in 2015 and received a video message from him for the marathon’s participants.

“I got the impression that he was a quiet old gentleman, but as soon as the camera began recording, his expression strengthened, and he delivered a powerful message. I felt his spirit as a former president,” Horiuchi said. “It was clear how fondly he remembered his time in Kurobe. He was a very caring person.”

Carter Peanuts

In 1990, Carter visited Konu, currently Miyoshi, Hiroshima prefecture. During the course of exchanges, the former president provided the town with peanuts that he had grown on his own farm. That led farmers in the town to start growing them as well, and Carter Peanuts are now a local specialty.

The Jimmy Carter Civic Center, a lifelong learning facility in the town, set up a condolence book for Carter on New Year’s Eve, and visitors were able to sign the book through Jan. 5.

“I want to express my deepest respect and gratitude for Mr. Carter in his efforts to build bridges of exchange and his dedication to peace and mutual understanding,” said Miyoshi Mayor Satoshi Fukuoka.