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Japanese and Korean students shocked by museum exhibits of A-bomb damage

by Yu Yamada

On August 5, 30 Japanese and Korean students participating in the first Japan-Korea Study Tour in Hiroshima toured Peace Memorial Museum.

The 18 Japanese students attend Waseda University and other institutions. Three Korean students were visiting from Seoul, and the other nine Koreans are exchange students at Japanese universities. Standing in front of a panoramic model of the city immediately after the bombing, a Japanese student explained the scene in Japanese, mixing in Korean words. The group also gazed at displays of burnt clothing worn by the dead.

A young woman in her fourth year at a university in Seoul pointed out, “The exhibits show how horrible the bombing was but give very little information about the Korean victims.”

The Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center of Waseda University organized this study tour to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the different historical perspectives of the Japanese and Korean people. Their visit to Hiroshima, from August 4 to 8, will include listening to the testimonials of A-bomb survivors and attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6.

(Originally published on August 6, 2008)

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