HIROSHIMA - The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has surpassed 1.76 million visitors this fiscal year as of February 23, setting a new record for attendance, attributed in part to the heightened interest following the G7 Hiroshima Summit.
Established in 1955 within Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, the museum aims to convey the reality of atomic bomb damage to the world and advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons. It houses approximately 22,000 items, including personal belongings of bomb victims and materials that tell the story of the bombing's devastation.
According to Hiroshima City officials, 4,709 people visited the museum on February 23, bringing the total number of visitors for the fiscal year to 1,762,252. This exceeds the previous record of 1,758,746 visitors set in the fiscal year 2019 by 1,506 visitors. The city cites several factors for the increase in attendance, including a rise in tourists following the reclassification of COVID-19 to a less severe category, as well as the G7 Hiroshima Summit held in May last year, which raised awareness and interest in the museum.
With the increase in visitors, long lines have been forming even on weekdays. To address this, the museum began selling tickets online on February 16, in addition to the existing ticket counter. Tickets available for purchase are for dates starting from March 1, up to 90 days in advance. Time slots extended by one hour before and after the regular opening hours are exclusively available for purchase online.
Source: NHK
