Emperor, Empress to Visit Hiroshima, Talk with A-Bomb Survivors; 1st Visit to Area in Reiwa Era

By Takaya Toda and Daiki Komatsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

6:00 JST, June 19, 2025

The Emperor and Empress are scheduled to visit Hiroshima Prefecture on Thursday and Friday, with this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is their first visit to the prefecture since he acceded to the throne.

The Emperor and Empress will meet with hibakusha who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to be reminded of the paths taken by atomic bomb victims and their family members in the years since.

The Imperial couple will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Thursday and offer flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. They will then meet and converse with hibakusha.

On Friday, the Imperial couple will visit a nursing home for hibakusha.

The Emperor has paid his respects at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims seven times since 1981. His parents, the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, have also attended ceremonies to reflect on the victims of the atomic bombing and other war dead.

Since his childhood, the Emperor has observed moments of silence on the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and was often told about the horrors of the atomic bombing and the war.

As Crown Prince and Crown Princess, the Imperial couple visited Hiroshima together in 1994, the year after they were married. At a press conference following the visit, she said that she had been able to see the impact of the war and that “it renewed my determination that such incidents must never be repeated.”

Their daughter, Princess Aiko, shares the feelings of the Imperial couple on the bombing, though she will not be accompanying her parents this week.

When the princess was a junior high school student, she visited Hiroshima for a school trip. Based on the experience, she contributed an essay to the school’s collection of graduation writings.

Ahead of this week’s visit, the Imperial couple had spoken to aides of the tragedy of so many valuable lives being lost in the atomic bombing.

The aides said that the Emperor and Empress highly value the opportunity of directly listening to hibakusha.

Hibakusha remembers previous visit

Hiroshi Harada, an 85-year-old A-bomb survivor and former director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, guided the Emperor and Empress during their visit to the museum in October 1996.

The Imperial couple asked Harada how the A-bomb survivors had suffered from the radiation of the atomic bomb.

Harada was 6 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bombing, while with his parents at Hiroshima Station, about 2 kilometers from the hypocenter. Although the roof of the station collapsed in the blast, he was unhurt thanks to his father, who protected him. He has never been able to forget the hellish sight he saw while evacuating the area.

While Harada was talking about his own experience of the bombing, the Emperor told him to take care of himself and share his experience with as many people as possible, as the Empress nodded her head repeatedly.

“They looked at exhibits such as one of a burned lunchbox intently,” said Harada. “I could sense that they shared a deep connection with Atomic-bombed Hiroshima.”

Harada, who lives in Hiroshima, continues to share his experience of the A-bombing. “The Emperor and Empress visiting Hiroshima on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing is very significant,” said Harada. “I believe it will be an encouragement not only to hibakusha, but also to the next generation who are striving to pass on the story of the A-bombing to future generations.”