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Peace Memorial Museum to close for third time May 10–June 1

by Tomoyuki Kada, Staff Writer

The Hiroshima City government has announced that the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum will close temporarily starting May 10, based on the Hiroshima Prefecture government’s announcement of its intensive countermeasures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For the museum, this is its third time to close due to the coronavirus pandemic. This closure of the museum, located in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, will last until June 1. After the museum closed at the end of the day on May 9, museum staff put up notices announcing the situation at the museum entrances.

Starting in the morning hours of May 9, the museum handled numerous telephone inquiries regarding whether the facilities were open. Visiting the museum for the first time, Sora Udagawa, a university student from Tokyo, said, “I’m glad I could get inside the museum. I was able to clearly grasp the horror of the atomic bombing.”

People with reservations can still listen to A-bomb survivors’ accounts of their experiences, but since survivors are unable to communicate their stories directly to audiences, the museum is considering posting videos or holding online conferencing sessions. An official at the city’s Peace Promotion Division said, “We feel bad about the closure since May is busy with many students on their school trips. When we reopen, we hope to convey the reality of the atomic bombing to many visitors.”

(Originally published on May 10, 2021)

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