Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum decides to extend exhibition of Obama’s paper cranes once again
Feb. 1, 2017
by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer
On January 31, the City of Hiroshima announced that it will once again extend the exhibit of paper cranes folded and presented by then U.S. President Barack Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward. Mr. Obama offered these paper cranes when he visited Hiroshima in May 2016. While the plan involved maintaining this display until the end of January, the decision was made to continue it for some time to come, in light of the fact that the response to the exhibition is still strong. The final day of the exhibition has not yet been determined.
The two paper cranes Mr. Obama folded himself and handed to a local elementary school student and a junior high school student, and another two cranes he placed next to the museum’s guest book, were first put on display in the museum’s main building on June 9, 2016. Since September, one of the cranes given to the students and one of the cranes that lay by the guest book have been shown to the public. The museum and the City of Hiroshima have received inquiries from across the country about whether the paper cranes are still on display.
According to the city’s Peace Promotion Division, the museum’s main building will be closed for seismic reinforcement work in late March, and the paper cranes will then be displayed in the museum’s east building, where the renovation work has been completed. Division staff are now adjusting the timing and other details.
(Originally published February 1, 2017)
On January 31, the City of Hiroshima announced that it will once again extend the exhibit of paper cranes folded and presented by then U.S. President Barack Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward. Mr. Obama offered these paper cranes when he visited Hiroshima in May 2016. While the plan involved maintaining this display until the end of January, the decision was made to continue it for some time to come, in light of the fact that the response to the exhibition is still strong. The final day of the exhibition has not yet been determined.
The two paper cranes Mr. Obama folded himself and handed to a local elementary school student and a junior high school student, and another two cranes he placed next to the museum’s guest book, were first put on display in the museum’s main building on June 9, 2016. Since September, one of the cranes given to the students and one of the cranes that lay by the guest book have been shown to the public. The museum and the City of Hiroshima have received inquiries from across the country about whether the paper cranes are still on display.
According to the city’s Peace Promotion Division, the museum’s main building will be closed for seismic reinforcement work in late March, and the paper cranes will then be displayed in the museum’s east building, where the renovation work has been completed. Division staff are now adjusting the timing and other details.
(Originally published February 1, 2017)
