Number of visitors to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum per year reaches 2 million for first time in fiscal 2024
Feb. 17, 2025
Strengthening its ability to convey horrors of atomic bombing as 80th anniversary approaches
by Keiichi Nobira, Staff Writer
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum announced on February 16 the number of visitors in fiscal 2024 had reached 2 million on February 15, for the first time since the museum opened in 1955. As fiscal 2025, which starts in April, will see the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the museum, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, will address such issues as strengthening its ability to convey the horrors of the bombing as well as easing congestion that has become a common occurrence at the museum.
The number of visitors to the museum by the time it closed on February 15 was 2,003,718 (preliminary figure). The number had risen to 1,983,983 (preliminary figure) by February 9, breaking the previous record, and has continued to grow steadily since then. It is believed the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations’ winning the Nobel Peace Prize, among other factors, has contributed to the increase. The total number of visitors since the museum opened in 1955 is expected to reach 80 million in March.
In fiscal 2025, on the first basement floor of its east building, the city government will begin to focus on handing down A-bomb experiences by arranging study spaces and exhibitions that are easy for children to understand. In an effort to eliminate the long lines of people waiting to enter the museum, online ticket sales and ticket vending machines have already been introduced, and the city is considering further measures to alleviate congestion inside the museum.
(Originally published on February 17, 2025)
