As safety measure, Hiroshima City announces expansion of restricted entry area to all of Peace Park during Peace Memorial Ceremony
May 8, 2024
by Keiichi Nohira, Staff Writer
On May 7, the Hiroshima City government announced it would expand entry restrictions during the August 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony held in Peace Memorial Park (in the city’s Naka Ward) to cover the entirety of the park including the area around the A-bomb Dome. Six entrances will be established for inspection of bags and other items. Typically, the area around the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims has been subject to restrictions. However, in the wake of an incident at last year’s ceremony in which a group of demonstrators was reported to have physically assaulted city officials near the A-bomb Dome, the city government decided to tighten its security measures for the event this year.
According to the city, visitors will be asked to leave the park at 5 a.m. on August 6, with restrictions on entry into the park in place until 9 a.m. that day. The entrances will be set up at 6:30 a.m., at which time baggage checks will begin with the aim of preventing loudspeakers or placards from being brought into the park area. Those who refuse to allow their bags to be checked and those who do not follow the request to move out of the park may be ordered to leave the area.
The security system used for domestic and foreign dignitaries will also be tightened, with inspections employing metal detectors carried out for attendees seated in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. Meanwhile, the city government will set up a special route without baggage inspections from the Motoyasu River side of the park for people paying a visit to the Cenotaph between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 8:50 a.m. Seating will be set up for about 7,000 participants, roughly the same number as last year. In addition, seating for around 2,200 attendees will be made available at an air-conditioned hall inside the International Conference Center Hiroshima, where the ceremony will be broadcast simultaneously.
Last year’s incident occurred before the ceremony began on August 6. Five activists from the Japan Revolutionary Communist League who were participating in the demonstration were arrested and charged on suspicion of throwing themselves in formation against city officials who were standing on the north side of the A-bomb Dome and working to secure passage for ceremony attendees.
The city’s Citizen Activities Promotion Division indicated that, “We have clearly spelled out prohibited acts as an effective measure to prevent a recurrence. Pedestrian traffic in the park will be restricted, which might cause inconvenience for some citizens. However, we hope for everyone’s cooperation in the ceremony’s smooth operation.”
(Originally published on May 8, 2024)
On May 7, the Hiroshima City government announced it would expand entry restrictions during the August 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony held in Peace Memorial Park (in the city’s Naka Ward) to cover the entirety of the park including the area around the A-bomb Dome. Six entrances will be established for inspection of bags and other items. Typically, the area around the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims has been subject to restrictions. However, in the wake of an incident at last year’s ceremony in which a group of demonstrators was reported to have physically assaulted city officials near the A-bomb Dome, the city government decided to tighten its security measures for the event this year.
According to the city, visitors will be asked to leave the park at 5 a.m. on August 6, with restrictions on entry into the park in place until 9 a.m. that day. The entrances will be set up at 6:30 a.m., at which time baggage checks will begin with the aim of preventing loudspeakers or placards from being brought into the park area. Those who refuse to allow their bags to be checked and those who do not follow the request to move out of the park may be ordered to leave the area.
The security system used for domestic and foreign dignitaries will also be tightened, with inspections employing metal detectors carried out for attendees seated in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. Meanwhile, the city government will set up a special route without baggage inspections from the Motoyasu River side of the park for people paying a visit to the Cenotaph between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 8:50 a.m. Seating will be set up for about 7,000 participants, roughly the same number as last year. In addition, seating for around 2,200 attendees will be made available at an air-conditioned hall inside the International Conference Center Hiroshima, where the ceremony will be broadcast simultaneously.
Last year’s incident occurred before the ceremony began on August 6. Five activists from the Japan Revolutionary Communist League who were participating in the demonstration were arrested and charged on suspicion of throwing themselves in formation against city officials who were standing on the north side of the A-bomb Dome and working to secure passage for ceremony attendees.
The city’s Citizen Activities Promotion Division indicated that, “We have clearly spelled out prohibited acts as an effective measure to prevent a recurrence. Pedestrian traffic in the park will be restricted, which might cause inconvenience for some citizens. However, we hope for everyone’s cooperation in the ceremony’s smooth operation.”
(Originally published on May 8, 2024)
