Japan Emperor, Empress Visit Hiroshima to Mourn War Dead; Itinerary Includes Peace Memorial Park, Museum

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:07 JST, June 19, 2025

HIROSHIMA — The Emperor and Empress traveled to Hiroshima Prefecture on Thursday as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is their first visit to the prefecture since the Emperor acceded to the throne.

The Imperial couple departed Haneda Airport on a special flight Thursday morning for a two-day trip. The visit is meant to pay respects to the war dead and pass down memories of the conflict.

This is the third visit to mourn the war dead by the Imperial couple this year. It follows a visit in April to Iwoto Island, also known as Iwojima, which falls under the jurisdiction of Ogasawara, Tokyo, and a trip earlier this month to Okinawa Prefecture.

According to the Hiroshima city government, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of that year.

The Imperial couple visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, on Thursday afternoon to offer flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.

The Emperor and Empress were then to visit the neighboring Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and observe exhibits including those introducing the activities of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), the recipient of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The couple was then expected to meet hibakusha who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as well as storytellers born after the war and capable of relating what hibakusha experienced.

On Friday, the Imperial couple will go to Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, which was hit particularly hard by massive landslides caused by heavy rain in August 2014. They will visit a facility where people can learn about the disaster and meet victims of the landslides.

The Emperor and Empress will also visit the Yano Orizuruen nursing home for survivors of the atomic bombing in Aki Ward, Hiroshima, before flying back to Tokyo.