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Hiroshima University (HU) marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing on August 6, with its annual memorial service to remember the victims.
The ceremony is held yearly in front of HU's "Memorial Monument for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb" on the Higashi-Senda Campus. It honors the staff, faculty, and students from HU's predecessor schools who were directly affected by the atomic bombing and later lost their lives.
This year’s memorial service was again conducted while prioritizing the well-being and safety of the bereaved families and attendees, particularly due to the risk of heatstroke. In addition to the families and university staff, university presidents from major institutions around the world—attending the fourth University Presidents for Peace Conference—also participated in the ceremony, with around 60 people in total joining the event.
HU President Mitsuo Ochi and a representative of the bereaved families dedicated a register listing the names of 2,112 A-bomb victims to the cenotaph. This list included 13 individuals who were recently confirmed to have passed away. During the ceremony, participants observed a minute of silence.
In his address, President Ochi reflected on HU's commitment to peace. "With a firm belief in ‘the pursuit of peace’, we at Hiroshima University pledge to remain a university dedicated to the realization of a peaceful world and the well-being of all humanity," he said.
Flowers and water were offered to the cenotaph and to the adjacent “Monument of the Buried Remains of the A-bomb Victims” to comfort the souls of the victims.
University officials, Malaysian students studying at HU, and other related parties also visited the grave of Mr. Nik Yusof at Kozenji Temple in Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City. Yusof was a Malaysian exchange student studying at Hiroshima University of Literature and Science, one of HU's forerunners, when he fell victim to the atomic bombing. They paid their respects and expressed their condolences.
Click here for the full text of President Mitsuo Ochi's memorial service address (Japanese) (English).
The representative of bereaved families and President Ochi dedicating the list of atomic bomb victims
President Ochi paying tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing
Floral tributes by university presidents participating in the University Presidents for Peace Conference
Attendees offering prayers
Hiroshima University Memorial Monument for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb
A thousand paper cranes folded in hope for peace
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