The Crown Prince of Japan travelled to Hiroshima for a day of engagements, most of which were centred around the remembrance of the infamous World War II atomic bombing.
On Thursday, 19 January, the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne arrived at the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Hiroshima prefecture to attend a session of the “Zoo Technician Study Group.”
Crown Prince Fumihito is President of the Association, which “seeks to protect nature and wildlife through educational outreach and conservation programmes,” according to their website. The association was founded in 1939 and counts 90 zoos and 50 aquariums among its members.
It was the following engagements, however, that must have touched him and the public the most. According to local news, the Crown Prince arrived around 12:10 pm at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City.
His Imperial Highness offered a bouquet of white flowers in front of the Cenotaph for Victims of the Atomic Bomb, located at the centre of the park. The park is situated on an open field that was created by the explosion of the bomb. The Cenotaph, one of the first structures created to commemorate the victims, was inaugurated in 1952.
Crown Prince Fumihito then attended a study group on the state of peace processes around the world; the seminar was held in a lecture hall located in one of the park’s structures.
The second to last stop of the day was the A-Bomb Remains Exhibition Hall, one of the newest structures that opened in the city, having been inaugurated in March 2022.
Before making his way back to Tokyo, the Crown Prince also visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which allowed him to see belongings and official records of people who lost their lives during the atomic bombing of the city. The main wing of the museum reopened in 2019 after undergoing renovation works, and the Crown Prince was heard saying: “It would be nice if many people came and learned about the atomic bombing.”
The city of Hiroshima was hit by an atomic bomb on 6 August 1945, one of only two nuclear weapons ever used in combat. The United States utilised the bombs (the second detonated over the city of Nagasaki three days after) to force the Japanese to surrender, thus officially ending all conflicts in World War II.
Since then, the city of Hiroshima has struggled with how to keep the legacy of its tragedy alive while also moving on. They have worked tirelessly to promote peace and cooperation all around the world, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park has also become home to many seminars and study groups on world conflict.
