HIROSHIMA – Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Friday visited a nursing home in Hiroshima for atomic bomb survivors, wrapping up a two-day trip to the city ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
At Yano Orizuruen, they listened attentively to recollections of the bombing by 10 residents aged between 81 and 99, bending down to be at eye level with those seated in chairs or wheelchairs.
One of the residents, 95-year-old Chieko Yamanaka, shared that she had lost her mother to an atomic bomb-related illness. The emperor acknowledged her grief while emphasizing the importance of peace.
With this trip, the emperor has now visited all four nursing homes for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. His parents, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko, also visited Yano Orizuruen in 2014 during their reign.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako earlier Friday also paid their respects at Asaminami Ward, an area hit hard by a landslide in August 2014 that claimed 77 lives.
They then visited the nearby Hiroshima City Torrential Rain Disaster Memorial Center to speak with survivors, listening solemnly to a couple who lost their sons, aged 11 and 2, in the disaster.
The latest trip is part of a series of visits by the imperial couple to mourn the war dead on the key anniversary year. In April, the emperor and empress visited Iwoto Island, formerly known as Iwojima, the site of a fierce battle in the Pacific between Japan and the United States, and Okinawa earlier this month with their daughter, Princess Aiko.
The couple is scheduled to visit the other atomic-bombed city of Nagasaki in September.
BY: The Times Union – KYODO
