|
Peace Memorial Hall receives 3 millionth visitor
|
|
The number of visitors to the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims reached 3 million on February 2, 2016.
The 3 millionth visitor was Mr. Kazuo Itakura, who was in Hiroshima City as a tourist.
Director Masaki Kano presented Mr. Itakura with a commemorative gift of DVDs of the Memorial Hall's special exhibition "Children of Hiroshima (2014 and 2015 versions)", as well as an illustrated book showing the damage from the atomic bombing and a bouquet of flowers.
Mr. Itakura said "Some of my acquaintances are A-bomb survivors. I want to reaffirm my awareness that we should never go to war again."
|
Director Kano commented
"The A-bomb survivors are getting old, and there are fewer opportunities to hear their testimonies directly.
This means that the role of the Peace Memorial Hall is becoming more important.
We will continue to collect testimonies and translate them into multiple languages so that we can pass on to as many people as possible the wishes of the A-bomb survivors."
The Peace Memorial Hall opened on August 1, 2002, which means that the number of visitors reached 3 million in a period of 13 years, 6 months.
The number of visitors in 2015 was around 253,000, marking a record high for one year.
The Peace Memorial Hall includes the Hall
|
Mr. Kazuo Itakura (left), the 3 millionth visitor to the Memorial Hall
|
of Remembrance, and the facility also has a registration of the names and photographs of the A-bomb victims as well as a collection of A-bomb testimonies and videos of testimonies on display.
The A-bomb testimonies are also used in recitation sessions, to talk about and pass on the horror of war and the atomic bomb and the importance of peace.
The Memorial Hall receives many children, students and others visiting Hiroshima to learn about peace.
There are also many visitors from overseas, and some of the testimonies have been translated into English, Chinese, Korean, and 22 languages in total, so that people can read them in their mother tongue.
There are also other activities to broadly communicate the content both in Japan and overseas, including English readings of A-bomb testimonies, and the posting of A-bomb testimonies and videos of the testimonies on the Peace Memorial Hall's home page>>.
|
|
| (Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims) |
|
|
|
