News

by Hajime Niiyama, Staff Writer

Visits by heads of state to Hiroshima have been taking place at an unprecedented frequency this fiscal year, according to the city government. Foreign dignitaries, including kings and presidents, have visited Hiroshima as they visited Japan to attend the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Staff of the city’s division in charge of promoting internationalization say that they do not remember welcoming such guests with this frequency. As the Expo continues until October, there will be more opportunities to share with the world the reality of the atomic bombing’s devastation and the preciousness of peace 80 years after the atomic bombing.

According to the same division, four heads of state have visited Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward since the Expo opened on April 13: the King of Denmark on April 25, and the presidents of Paraguay, Hungary, and Iceland between May 20 and 28. They hoped to visit Hiroshima as they came to Japan for their respective “National Day” at the Expo, where each country and region and their culture are introduced.

The three presidents visited Hiroshima for the first time as sitting president of each country. They offered flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. President Santiago Peña of Paraguay offered origami cranes he brought with him to the Children’s Peace Monument. President Halla Tomasdottir of Iceland told reporters the world and everyone must see the memories of Hiroshima and that people from all over the world should come to Hiroshima.

The number of visits by heads of state and leaders from overseas reached a record high of 17 in fiscal 2023. These visits were concentrated around the G7 Summit and its expanded meeting held in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21. The frequency of visits this fiscal year, however, can also be described as unusual.

The city’s division has been busy preparing for the visits, including security arrangements in collaboration with the Hiroshima Prefectural Police Department. Masanori Nosaka, head of the division, said, “It’s true we have been busy, but this helps us realize the ‘welcoming peace” the city is working toward. We’re both overwhelmed and delighted,” referring to the city’s efforts to encourage people to visit Hiroshima and learn. He believes factors contributing to the increase include Hiroshima’s proximity to Osaka, the G7 Summit held in Hiroshima, and last year’s Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations.

During a press conference held May 27, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui welcomed the leaders’ visits prompted by the Expo. “They say wishing for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons is truly precious.” He appreciated their visits in that he can encourage them to join Mayors for Peace, an organization for which he serves as president. When ambassadors from various countries visit him, he calls for their leaders to visit Hiroshima during the Expo, Mr. Matsui said.

National Days are scheduled nearly every day during the Expo period. These include Ukraine, currently under Russian invasion, as well as nuclear weapon states like the United States, France, China, India, and Pakistan.

(Originally published on June 7, 2025)