The annual Hiroshima University memorial service for the atomic bomb victims was held on Friday, August 6, 2021. The service is a time of remembrance for the staff, teachers, and students of HU predecessor schools who experienced the atomic bombing and lost their lives. The event is held every year in front of the HU Memorial Monument for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb located on the Higashi-Senda campus.

This year's attendance was reduced due to COVID-19 crowd restrictions. About 40 people attended the event, including bereaved families and university personnel.

At the beginning of the service, HU President Mitsuo Ochi and the representative from the bereaved family members dedicated a register listing the names of 2,041 A-bomb victims to the cenotaph. All the participants offered silent prayers for one minute.

President Ochi’s memorial address conveyed HU's determination to build a peaceful human society.

"As we approach the 75th anniversary of the founding of Hiroshima University three years from now, I would like to take this opportunity to pledge that we, as members of Hiroshima University, will think about what we can do for peace and will act accordingly."

Participants made a floral tribute and offered water to the cenotaph to console the souls of the victims.

Following the memorial service, flowers and water were also dedicated to the adjacent Monument of the Buried Remains of the A-bomb Victims.

Offering condolences at the Kouzenji Temple

HU representatives and some Malaysian students currently studying at the university also held a memorial service and offered condolences at the Kouzenji Temple (located in Saeki-ku, Hiroshima City) to console the soul of Mr. Nik Yusof, a Malaysian student who fell victim to the atomic bombing and was then studying at Hiroshima University of Literature and Science, which was one of the forerunners of the present HU.

The entire script for the President's Memorial Service Address can be accessed here: (Japanese) (English)