In order to strengthen the network with overseas museums, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum visits peace-themed museums to coincide with the holding of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition in nuclear weapon states and other countries, and is discussing and coordinating collaborative measures to jointly develop initiatives aimed at the abolition of nuclear weapons and eternal peace in the world.
　As part of these efforts, an online event titled "Online Event Connecting Overseas Museums to Share Memories" was held on September 18 last year. Ms. Masako Miki, Japanese language liaison for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the U.S., was invited as a speaker at the event. Approximately 190 people attended, from teenagers to people in their 90s.
　The Japanese American National Museum opened in 1992 with the mission of deepening understanding of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the United States by conveying the history and experiences of Japanese Americans. In 2019, it became the first museum in Los Angeles to host the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition, co-sponsored by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The museum is located in California, where many residents of Hiroshima Prefecture have settled since the Meiji era (1868-1912). After the atomic bombing, people from the Hiroshima Kenjinkai (an association of people from the Hiroshima prefecture) and other groups in California, who learned of the devastation in Hiroshima, sent many relief supplies and donations, symbolizing the strong ties with Hiroshima.
　In the online event, in her talk titled "The History of Japanese Americans Connected to the Present", Ms. Miki spoke about the beginnings of immigration from Japan to the U.S., the history of Japanese Americans including incarceration and post-war compensation during World War II, ongoing issues such as hate crimes against Asians during the pandemic, and the response to the A-bomb exhibition at the museum. There was also a virtual tour of the museum and a question & answer session with the participants at the end.
　Participants commented, "I have never learned so much about the Japanese immigration to the United States, through World War II, to the present. The speaker's passionate speech was easy to understand and moved me," and "I was reminded of the importance of communicating and preserving the facts." There were also many requests for more online events connecting people overseas with people in Hiroshima in the future.
　Through this event, we were able to provide an opportunity for the participants to rethink the importance of passing on history.
　The museum will continue to build a network with overseas peace-themed museums to widely disseminate the message of peace.