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Japan Today
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Emperor, empress commemorate A-bomb victims in Hiroshima
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako lay flowers at the cenotaph at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Thursday. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday renewed their hope for peace as they visited Hiroshima to pay their respects to atomic bomb victims on the 80th anniversary year of the end of World War II. In their first trip to the city since the emperor's accession in 2019, the imperial couple laid white flowers and bowed deeply at a cenotaph in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which holds the names of around 340,000 victims of the Aug 6, 1945, atomic bombing. They later visited an exhibition hall in the park displaying relics of the atomic bombing, where the emperor remarked that it was "heartbreaking" to learn the area near the hypocenter had once been a densely populated residential neighborhood. At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the couple viewed photographs depicting the devastation and a panel display on Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading atomic bomb survivors' group and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. They then listened to stories from three survivors in their early 90s, joined by two younger people in their 20s and 30s who are helping pass on memories of the bombing. "We mourn the people who died by the dropping of the atomic bomb 80 years ago. We also thought about the hardships the people of Hiroshima have gone through until now and renewed our hope for peace," the imperial couple said in a statement released after their trip. Emperor Naruhito's grandfather, Emperor Hirohito -- posthumously known as Emperor Showa -- first visited Hiroshima after the bombing in December 1947. Calls to hold Emperor Hirohito accountable for Japan's actions continued long after the war, with his comment at a 1975 press conference that the bombings were "unavoidable" causing further controversy. Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito's parents, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko, visited the cenotaph in Hiroshima five times during his reign. They also visited hospitals and nursing homes for atomic bomb survivors, showing deep concern for their suffering. The imperial couple observes a moment of silence every year on four days commemorating World War II -- Okinawa Memorial Day, the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the anniversary of Japan's surrender -- a tradition that the current emperor and his wife have followed. Emperor Naruhito last visited the cenotaph in October 2006 when he was still crown prince, while Empress Masako last joined him around 25 years ago in November 2000. As part of memorial visits to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, the couple in April visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce battle in the Pacific between Japan and the United States, and Okinawa earlier this month with their daughter, Princess Aiko. The imperial couple are scheduled to visit Nagasaki, the other atomic-bombed city, in September. © KYODO
a day ago
- General
Japan's royal couple mourn A-bomb victims ahead of Hiroshima's 80th anniversary
TOKYO -- Japan's Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations. Naruhito and Masako were also to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to observe exhibits, including those featuring Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The couple were to meet atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, and those born after the war and trained to tell the stories on behalf of those who can no longer do so. Naruhito is making his third trip to mourn the war dead this year. In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Earlier this month, Naruhito also visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians, and about 12,000 Americans, killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Naruhito accompanied his daughter, Princess Aiko, underscoring his wish that she would learn the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations.
a day ago
- General
Emperor, Empress Mourn A-Bomb Victims in Hiroshima
Hiroshima, June 19 (Jiji Press)--Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday offered prayers in Hiroshima for the victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city, as this year marks 80 years since the end of World War II. It was the Imperial couple's first visit to Hiroshima Prefecture since the Emperor's enthronement in 2019. They met hibakusha atomic bomb survivors as well as younger generations committed to passing on the memory of the bombing. On the day, the Emperor and Empress arrived at Hiroshima Airport on a special plane from Tokyo's Haneda Airport and went to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. They were led by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui as they offered white flowers at the cenotaph for those who died in the atomic bombing. They then made their first visit to the Exhibit Facility for Atomic-Bombed Remnants, which opened within the park in 2022. Emperor Naruhito expressed sorrow after viewing exhibits of bombed houses and hearing an explanation about the large number of deaths. At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the couple viewed exhibits such as burned clothing and a tricycle, with sad expressions on their faces. They spoke with three hibakusha and two storytellers. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Japan's royal couple mourn A-bomb victims ahead of Hiroshima's 80th anniversary
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations. Naruhito and Masako were also to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to observe exhibits, including those featuring Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The couple were to meet atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, and those born after the war and trained to tell the stories on behalf of those who can no longer do so. Naruhito is making his third trip to mourn the war dead this year. In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Earlier this month, Naruhito also visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians, and about 12,000 Americans, killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Naruhito accompanied his daughter, Princess Aiko, underscoring his wish that she would learn the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- General
- Toronto Star
Japan's royal couple mourn A-bomb victims ahead of Hiroshima's 80th anniversary
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations. Naruhito and Masako were also to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to observe exhibits, including those featuring Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The couple were to meet atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, and those born after the war and trained to tell the stories on behalf of those who can no longer do so. Naruhito is making his third trip to mourn the war dead this year. In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Earlier this month, Naruhito also visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians, and about 12,000 Americans, killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Naruhito accompanied his daughter, Princess Aiko, underscoring his wish that she would learn the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations.
