Over 500 A-bomb testimony events cancelled, postponed in Hiroshima due to drop in school trip numbers amid novel coronavirus pandemic
Apr. 2, 2020
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
The growing spread of the novel coronavirus is casting a shadow over activities related to testimonies of atomic bombing experiences in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. More than 500 A-bomb testimony events have been either cancelled or postponed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and one after another A-bomb testimonies by the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) have also been called off. With many schools holding off on school excursion plans for this spring, people involved are anxious about the sharp decrease in opportunities to communicate the reality of the atomic bombings. At the same time, a new movement has begun using the internet to compensate for the lost opportunities.
Ordinarily, between April and June the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is packed with students visiting the city on school excursions. This year, however, due to novel coronavirus outbreak, schools across the country have reconsidered such plans. In fact, as of March 27, 355 A-bomb survivor testimonies, 167 talks by A-bomb legacy successors, 42 guided tours by peace volunteers, and three peace study lectures have been either postponed or cancelled.
The museum, which has been closed on a temporary basis since February 29, decided for the time being to continue the shutdown until April 12. The museum’s Outreach Division was quoted as saying, “We want people to have a chance to listen to A-bomb survivor accounts, but whether to resume the A-bombing testimonies as soon as the museum reopens is a hard decision, because many people would be present in the same space.” The division has increasing concerns that if the school excursion season is pushed back until the fall, which is peak tourist season, it might prove difficult to secure the testimony speakers and venue.
The Committee for Testimony about the A-bomb Experience, an arm of Hiroshima Hidankyo, also received numerous cancellation notices for testimonies to school groups. For the month of May, 22 of 32 bookings were cancelled. Koichiro Maeda, 71, secretary general of the organization, said, “Considering the current environment, it can’t be helped. But, if there were requests to listen to a testimony in Hiroshima, we would make the opportunity available to the extent possible after first taking the necessary steps to prevent infection.”
Guide activities in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (located in Naka Ward) have also been affected by the new virus pandemic. Kosei Mito, 74, an A-bomb survivor, and other volunteer guides were scheduled to lead more than 2,000 young people from the United States around the park between April and June, but the April and May tours were cancelled. He suspects that the tours in June will also be cancelled. Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace, a volunteer group (headed by Keiko Ogura) that guides visitors on English-language tours around Peace Memorial Park and the museum, has decided to extend its temporary halt of activities until the end of April, after originally suspending its activities for March.
Hachidorisha, a café near the park, holds events three times a month at which visitors have an opportunity to speak with A-bomb survivors. The store will continue to hold the event by making sure customers use alcohol-based hand sanitizer and wear facemasks before entering the café. Erika Abiko, 41, owner of the café, explains, “There are people who need this place. I will react in a flexible manner to the spread of infection, including possible cancellation of the event.”
The secretariat of Hibakusha Appeal (based in Tokyo), a signature-collecting campaign that pursues entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, held its first online A-bomb testimony at the end of March, connecting an A-bomb survivor with young people via the internet. Participating in the event were about 50 people—ranging from elementary school to university students across Japan—who asked numerous questions of the speaker. Mitsuhiro Hayashida, 27-year-old Hibakusha Appeal campaign leader and a resident of Kawasaki City, said, “With no prospects for containment of the coronavirus pandemic, we hope to continue online testimonies as long as possible.”
(Originally published on April 2, 2020)
The growing spread of the novel coronavirus is casting a shadow over activities related to testimonies of atomic bombing experiences in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. More than 500 A-bomb testimony events have been either cancelled or postponed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and one after another A-bomb testimonies by the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) have also been called off. With many schools holding off on school excursion plans for this spring, people involved are anxious about the sharp decrease in opportunities to communicate the reality of the atomic bombings. At the same time, a new movement has begun using the internet to compensate for the lost opportunities.
Ordinarily, between April and June the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is packed with students visiting the city on school excursions. This year, however, due to novel coronavirus outbreak, schools across the country have reconsidered such plans. In fact, as of March 27, 355 A-bomb survivor testimonies, 167 talks by A-bomb legacy successors, 42 guided tours by peace volunteers, and three peace study lectures have been either postponed or cancelled.
The museum, which has been closed on a temporary basis since February 29, decided for the time being to continue the shutdown until April 12. The museum’s Outreach Division was quoted as saying, “We want people to have a chance to listen to A-bomb survivor accounts, but whether to resume the A-bombing testimonies as soon as the museum reopens is a hard decision, because many people would be present in the same space.” The division has increasing concerns that if the school excursion season is pushed back until the fall, which is peak tourist season, it might prove difficult to secure the testimony speakers and venue.
The Committee for Testimony about the A-bomb Experience, an arm of Hiroshima Hidankyo, also received numerous cancellation notices for testimonies to school groups. For the month of May, 22 of 32 bookings were cancelled. Koichiro Maeda, 71, secretary general of the organization, said, “Considering the current environment, it can’t be helped. But, if there were requests to listen to a testimony in Hiroshima, we would make the opportunity available to the extent possible after first taking the necessary steps to prevent infection.”
Guide activities in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (located in Naka Ward) have also been affected by the new virus pandemic. Kosei Mito, 74, an A-bomb survivor, and other volunteer guides were scheduled to lead more than 2,000 young people from the United States around the park between April and June, but the April and May tours were cancelled. He suspects that the tours in June will also be cancelled. Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace, a volunteer group (headed by Keiko Ogura) that guides visitors on English-language tours around Peace Memorial Park and the museum, has decided to extend its temporary halt of activities until the end of April, after originally suspending its activities for March.
Hachidorisha, a café near the park, holds events three times a month at which visitors have an opportunity to speak with A-bomb survivors. The store will continue to hold the event by making sure customers use alcohol-based hand sanitizer and wear facemasks before entering the café. Erika Abiko, 41, owner of the café, explains, “There are people who need this place. I will react in a flexible manner to the spread of infection, including possible cancellation of the event.”
The secretariat of Hibakusha Appeal (based in Tokyo), a signature-collecting campaign that pursues entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, held its first online A-bomb testimony at the end of March, connecting an A-bomb survivor with young people via the internet. Participating in the event were about 50 people—ranging from elementary school to university students across Japan—who asked numerous questions of the speaker. Mitsuhiro Hayashida, 27-year-old Hibakusha Appeal campaign leader and a resident of Kawasaki City, said, “With no prospects for containment of the coronavirus pandemic, we hope to continue online testimonies as long as possible.”
(Originally published on April 2, 2020)
