A-bomb survivors and bereaved families to be given priority for seating at Peace Memorial Ceremony: Peace Memorial Museum to reopen on June 1
May 26, 2020
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
On May 25, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui proposed giving priority to A-bomb survivors and bereaved families for seating at this year’s Peace Memorial Ceremony. “Their attendance is absolutely necessary,” he said. The city government has been giving consideration to scaling down the ceremony to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. A detailed proposal, with respect to the ceremony’s scale and contents, was expected to be finalized by the end of May, but that timetable will be pushed back to early June to ensure that the city is able to refer to the national government’s standards for holding outdoor events amid the pandemic.
The ceremony takes place annually at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6 and is attended by about 11,500 people. A-bomb survivors and victims’ families from inside and outside Hiroshima Prefecture make up about 2,000 of that number. At the press conference, Mr. Matsui said, “Even if the scale of the ceremony is reduced, we won’t exclude survivors and bereaved family members, because we attach importance to consoling the souls of the A-bomb victims in the ceremony.” He stressed that the city would prepare as many seats as possible for such individuals.
Mr. Matsui also expressed his understanding that the city would be able to invite a certain number of guests, including representatives of victims’ families from each prefecture and overseas ambassadors in Japan, once the national government lifted the nationwide state of emergency and travel to and from other prefectures was once again made possible.
After the state of emergency is lifted, the national government will announce new standards about the scale of events scheduled to be held outdoors. Mr. Matsui said, “We have to follow national standards. By early June at the latest, we hope to carefully examine the standards and come to a decision about the scale of the ceremony.”
The mayor shared his expectation that the temporarily closed Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, in the city’s Naka Ward, would reopen on June 1. When it reopens under the condition that the national state of emergency is completely lifted, the museum will reinforce efforts to prevent spread of the virus by limiting the number of visitors, and other measures.
(Originally published on May 26, 2020)
On May 25, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui proposed giving priority to A-bomb survivors and bereaved families for seating at this year’s Peace Memorial Ceremony. “Their attendance is absolutely necessary,” he said. The city government has been giving consideration to scaling down the ceremony to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. A detailed proposal, with respect to the ceremony’s scale and contents, was expected to be finalized by the end of May, but that timetable will be pushed back to early June to ensure that the city is able to refer to the national government’s standards for holding outdoor events amid the pandemic.
The ceremony takes place annually at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6 and is attended by about 11,500 people. A-bomb survivors and victims’ families from inside and outside Hiroshima Prefecture make up about 2,000 of that number. At the press conference, Mr. Matsui said, “Even if the scale of the ceremony is reduced, we won’t exclude survivors and bereaved family members, because we attach importance to consoling the souls of the A-bomb victims in the ceremony.” He stressed that the city would prepare as many seats as possible for such individuals.
Mr. Matsui also expressed his understanding that the city would be able to invite a certain number of guests, including representatives of victims’ families from each prefecture and overseas ambassadors in Japan, once the national government lifted the nationwide state of emergency and travel to and from other prefectures was once again made possible.
After the state of emergency is lifted, the national government will announce new standards about the scale of events scheduled to be held outdoors. Mr. Matsui said, “We have to follow national standards. By early June at the latest, we hope to carefully examine the standards and come to a decision about the scale of the ceremony.”
The mayor shared his expectation that the temporarily closed Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, in the city’s Naka Ward, would reopen on June 1. When it reopens under the condition that the national state of emergency is completely lifted, the museum will reinforce efforts to prevent spread of the virus by limiting the number of visitors, and other measures.
(Originally published on May 26, 2020)
