Emperor, Empress Visit Area Hit by 2014 Landslide in Hiroshima; Imperial Couple Pay Respects to Victims

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:25 JST, June 20, 2025

HIROSHIMA — The Emperor and Empress observed an area devastated 11 years ago by massive landslides caused by heavy rain, in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, on Friday morning.

The August 2014 landslides claimed the lives of 77 people, including those whose deaths occurred after the disaster but resulted from it.

The Emperor and Empress made the visit as part of a trip to Hiroshima Prefecture. They observed a check dam, which was constructed to prevent disasters ***like the one in 2014***, in the Yagi district of the ward. They also listened to an official from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry who explained that such dams are effective for flood control. The official also said that 23 people were killed near the site. The Imperial couple bowed silently twice, first toward the residential area where the victims perished and then upstream.

The Imperial couple then went to the Hiroshima City Torrential Rain Disaster Memorial Center and looked at displays on the lessons learned from the disaster and on reconstruction efforts. They were to return to Tokyo on Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, the Emperor and Empress paid their respects to the dead at the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb and met with hibakusha. In the evening, the Imperial couple released their written impressions of the first day of their Hiroshima trip, in which they expressed sympathy for the victims. “Thinking of the pain felt by the people in Hiroshima until now, we have renewed our wish for peace,” they wrote.

The text also described their deep respect for the hibakusha, who have overcome difficulties and are tirelessly speaking out about their experiences and the importance of peace. The Emperor and Empress also found young people’s efforts to pass down the experiences of the hibakusha “very meaningful.”