Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to extend exhibition of Obama’s paper cranes to next January
Aug. 25, 2016
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
On August 24, the City of Hiroshima announced that paper cranes folded and presented by U.S. President Barack Obama will remain on display at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, until next January. Mr. Obama offered these paper cranes when he visited Hiroshima in May. While the original plan involved maintaining this display until the end of August, the decision was made to extend the exhibition for another five months, in light of the public’s strong response, which includes a rise in the number of visitors to the museum.
The four paper cranes, reportedly folded by the president himself, have been on display in the museum’s main building since June 9. From September, two of the four cranes will continue to be displayed: one of the two cranes Mr. Obama handed to children during his visit, and one of the other two cranes he placed next to the museum’s guestbook after writing a message in it.
The exhibition can only be extended until January, the city said, because the museum’s main building will be closed for seismic reinforcement work starting in February, which makes it difficult to secure sufficient space. An official from the city’s Peace Promotion Division said, “Autumn is the season of school trips so we hope the paper cranes can be seen by as many people as possible, including these students, to boost momentum for building a world without nuclear weapons.”
The other crane that the president gave to Hiroshima children will be displayed at the A-bomb exhibition in the United States, in the city of Chicago, from October 1 to 30. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will co-host that exhibition. The other crane that Mr. Obama placed by the guestbook will be on loan to the City of Nagasaki, for exhibiting at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, from September 3 through the end of November.
(Originally published on August 25, 2016)
On August 24, the City of Hiroshima announced that paper cranes folded and presented by U.S. President Barack Obama will remain on display at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, until next January. Mr. Obama offered these paper cranes when he visited Hiroshima in May. While the original plan involved maintaining this display until the end of August, the decision was made to extend the exhibition for another five months, in light of the public’s strong response, which includes a rise in the number of visitors to the museum.
The four paper cranes, reportedly folded by the president himself, have been on display in the museum’s main building since June 9. From September, two of the four cranes will continue to be displayed: one of the two cranes Mr. Obama handed to children during his visit, and one of the other two cranes he placed next to the museum’s guestbook after writing a message in it.
The exhibition can only be extended until January, the city said, because the museum’s main building will be closed for seismic reinforcement work starting in February, which makes it difficult to secure sufficient space. An official from the city’s Peace Promotion Division said, “Autumn is the season of school trips so we hope the paper cranes can be seen by as many people as possible, including these students, to boost momentum for building a world without nuclear weapons.”
The other crane that the president gave to Hiroshima children will be displayed at the A-bomb exhibition in the United States, in the city of Chicago, from October 1 to 30. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will co-host that exhibition. The other crane that Mr. Obama placed by the guestbook will be on loan to the City of Nagasaki, for exhibiting at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, from September 3 through the end of November.
(Originally published on August 25, 2016)
