Nagasaki Cathedral Receives U.S.-Donated Bell to Replace Previous One Damaged in A-Bombing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:31 JST, May 24, 2025

NAGASAKI — Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki has received a bell to replace one damaged due to the U.S. atomic bombing of the city. The new bell was completed under a U.S. project and is on display at a museum ahead of its installment.

Urakami Cathedral was destroyed along with its twin towers when the atomic bomb exploded about 500 meters away on Aug. 9, 1945. The south tower bell was found nearly intact, while the north tower one was severely damaged. The south tower bell is now in the cathedral’s replacement building that was completed in 1959.

The donated bronze bell is almost the same size as its predecessor, measuring 66 centimeters in height, 80.7 centimeters in diameter and weighs 224 kilograms.

Prof. James Nolan Jr. at Williams College launched the project to create and donate the bell by soliciting support from Catholics in the country. The 62-year-old professor is the grandson of James Nolan, who participated in the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.

The donated bell is on display through June 1 along with the damaged original. It is scheduled to be installed in the cathedral’s north tower in July.