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On this page, we introduce peace initiatives carried out by municipalities in Hiroshima Prefecture in 2025, which marks 80 years since the first atomic bombing in world history and the end of WWII.
Hiroshima Prefecture
Governor’s Greeting at 2025 Hiroshima City Peace Memorial Ceremony
Every year on August 6th, a Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in Hiroshima City to console the spirits of the atomic bomb victims and to pray for world peace.
The "Message" by the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture at the ceremony held on August 6, 2025, is as follows.
https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/hiroshimaforpeace-en/message-from-governor-20250806.html
Okinawa "Hiroshima Monument" Memorial Service for War Dead
In Hiroshima Prefecture, to honor those from Hiroshima who died in the Battle of Okinawa―which saved the Japanese mainland from becoming a battlefield during the Pacific War―and in nearby southern regions close to Okinawa, a memorial service is held annually at the "Hiroshima Monument" in Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture.
As part of the activities marking 80 years since the end of World War II, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, a memorial service was conducted with 58 representatives of bereaved families and honored guests from both Hiroshima and Okinawa Prefectures in attendance.
For more details, please visit the following page.
https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/61/okinawa202306.html (Japanese only)
Hiroshima City
Initiatives commemorating 80 years since the atomic bombing
The city of Hiroshima believes that it is necessary to build consensus within civil society regarding its efforts for a world free of nuclear weapons, as well as to push for changes in global policy that are not reliant on nuclear deterrence.
This is why the City of Hiroshima is working together with Mayors for Peace member cities in Japan and abroad to promote a culture of peace.
In 2025, marking 80 years since the atomic bombing, Hiroshima City implemented commemorative projects based on six distinct themes. These projects added “promotion of a culture of peace” as a pillar alongside the city’s ongoing efforts in memorializing atomic bomb victims and supporting survivors.
For more details, please visit the official website:
https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/english/1037042.html
Kure City
Events Related to the 63rd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs Held in Hiroshima
In 2025, marking 80 years since the atomic bombing, Kure City held dialogue sessions on peace involving scientists and high school students, in connection with the 63rd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, an international organization of scientists dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
- Date and time: November 7, 2025 (Friday), 1:30 PM
- Venue: Shin Nihon Zoki Hall
- Program:
Part 1: Keynote Speech by Mr. Gets Neuneck
Part 2: Dialogue session between scientists and high school students
Part 3: Panel discussion
For more details, please visit the Kure City website:
https://www.city.kure.lg.jp/soshiki/8/pugwash-2025.html (Japanese only)
Panel Exhibition Conveying the Reality of the Atomic Bombing
Kure City declared itself a "Nuclear Weapon Abolition and Peace City" through a resolution in December 1985.
Every August, Kure City holds the “Hiroshima-Nagasaki Poster Exhibition on the Reality of the Atomic Bombings” on the first floor of the main building of Kure City Hall to raise awareness about peace.
In 2025, from July 31 to August 15, the exhibition titled “80 Years After WWII ―Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Conveying the Reality of the Atomic Bombings” was held.
For more details, please visit the Kure City website:
https://www.city.kure.lg.jp/soshiki/8/heiwa-poster2025.html (Japanese only)
Takehara City
Okunoshima Poison Gas Museum
Okunoshima Island, which was a Japanese military base for poison gas production during the war, has now been developed into a vacation village and recreation area for the public. Only a few reminders of the past remain, such as the ruins of a gun battery, a power plant, and a poison gas storage facility.
The Okunoshima Poison Gas Museum displays historical items that have been collected from related parties to convey the tragic deaths of the many victims killed in the production of poison gas.
In 1985, a monument was built near the museum to pray for the peaceful rest of the souls of the victims of the Okunoshima poison gas disaster and for continuing peace.
Overview of Okunoshima Poison Gas Museum
| telephone number | 0846-26-3036 (also used for fax) |
|---|---|
| Access | 45 minutes by car from Hiroshima Airport to Tadanoumi Port, 40 minutes by car from Kouchi Interchange on the Sanyo Expressway, 5 minutes on foot from Tadanoumi Station on the JR Kure Line, 15 minutes by boat from Tadanoumi Port, 20 minutes by boat from Omishima Island. |
| Opening hours | 9:00-16:00 (last entry at 15:40) (Note) Opening hours may be subject to change without notice. |
| Closed Days | New Year's holidays (December 29th - January 3rd) (Note) The museum may also be closed on other days. |
| Inside the museum |
･Exhibition room (worker's notebook, men's and women's work clothes, liquid poison gas manufacturing equipment (cooler part), outer tube of the toxic smoke bomb, the panel photo,etc) ･Training room (video: 1. Okunoshima told through testimonies 2. Okunoshima tells its tales) |
| Fee |
Adults aged 19 and over: 150 yen; groups (20 or more): 120 yen (Note) The following people are exempt from admission fees.
|
For more details, please visit Takehara City's website:
https://www.city.takehara.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/chiikizukurika/gyomuannai/7/1957.html (Japanese only)
Fukuyama City
20th World Rose Convention 2025 in Fukuyama
World Rose Convention is an international conference on roses, held every three years by the World Federation of Rose Societies.
The convention brings together about 600 to 700 participants from around the world, including rose researchers, producers, enthusiasts, and artists.
The 20th anniversary of the convention was held in Fukuyama City.
The compassion, kindness, and cooperation nurtured through the cultivation of roses, as a symbol of peace and postwar recovery, have become deeply ingrained in Fukuyama City as its "Community Spirit through Roses."
At this convention, alongside the beautiful roses in full bloom, the city hoped to share with the world the precious value of peace and to convey Fukuyama’s community spirit to all participants.
For more details, please visit the official website:
https://en.wrc2025fukuyama.jp/
Shobara City
Peace Feature Articles
Shobara City publishes a feature article on non-nuclear peace in its public relations magazine "Koho Shobara" every August in order to pass on the valuable memories and records of the war and the atomic bombing to future generations.
The articles introduce stories and materials from the period of the atomic bombing, obtained from citizens and other sources, to convey the cruelty of war and nuclear weapons and to emphasize the importance of peace.
For more details, please visit Shobara City's website:
https://www.city.shobara.hiroshima.jp/main/government/peace/post_1135.html (Japanese only)
Otake City
Thoughts for Peace
Every August, Otake City holds “Thoughts for Peace” at the Otake Municipal General Civic Hall, where atomic bombing panels and peace posters created by children and students are exhibited and books on the atomic bombing are introduced.
In addition, photos and materials of the panels exhibited at “Thoughts for Peace” by National Council of Japan Nuclear Free Local Authorities are available on the website.
- Dates: August 6 - September 4, 2025
* Except when the museum is closed. - Place: Lobby of the Otake Municipal General Civic Hall
For more details, please visit Otake City's website:
https://www.city.otake.hiroshima.jp/shisei/heiwa_torikumi/1593741941504.html (Japanese only)
Higashihiroshima City
Peace Week
The year 2025 marks 80 years since the atomic bombing and 40 years since Higashihiroshima City declared itself a peaceful and nuclear weapon-free city.
Higashihiroshima City held a series of events called “Peace Week” to reflect on the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace.
Children who survive after the war and today: A conversation with the principal of Shinsei Gakuen, who has continued to support orphans of the war.
Focusing on the time when Hiroshima Shinsei Gakuen was an orphanage, Mr. Tetsuo Kamikuri, the current principal, and Mr. Tomoki Deyama, an NHK announcer whose life’s work is peace activism, held a discussion about the future that the children will build.
- Date: Sunday, August 3, 2025, 13:00-15:30
- Place: Azalea Hall, Civic Cultural Center
Film screening
NHK announcer Tomoki Deyama, who is dedicated to peace activities, presented screenings of his self-produced films.
- Date & Time: August 4 (Monday), 5 (Tuesday), 7 (Thursday), 2025, 13:00-15:00 each
- Place: Civic Cultural Center, Seminar Room 2
Special Exhibit “Let's Think about Our Future from the History of War”
- Date: Friday, August 1, 2025 to Thursday, August 7, 2025
- Time:10:00 to 17:00 (until 16:30 on the last day)
- Place: Civic Cultural Center 2F, Exhibition Room
Panel Exhibits: “The History of Shinsei Gakuen,” “Report on the Peace Study Bus,” and “Report on the Outreach Lectures”
- Date:Friday, August 1 through Thursday, August 7, 2025
- Time:10:00 to 17:00 (until 16:30 on the last day)
- Place: Civic Cultural Center, 2F, Exhibition Corner
"Peace Study Bus" with Kamo High School Students
The Peace Study Bus takes place annually in July. Students from Kamo High School who guided visitors at the Peace Memorial Park reviewed their activities during this event.
- Date & Time: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 13:00-15:00
- Place: Civic Cultural Center, Seminar Room 2
Atomic Bomb Survivors Share Their Experiences ―Connecting Memories and Peace in English
Mr. Yoshiyuki Midou shared his experience of the atomic bombing and his life after the bombing in an English lecture delivered by an atomic bomb survivor.
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 2, 2025 13:30-15:00
- Place: Civic Cultural Center, Seminar Room 2
For more details, please visit Higashihiroshima City's website:
https://www.shiminbunka.org/higashihiroshima_peace_week (Japanese only)
Hatsukaichi City
80 Years After the War: Nuclear-Free Peace Project
In 2025, marking 80 years since the end of World War II, Hatsukaichi City implemented various peace initiatives to pass on the importance of peace to future generations.
As war survivors and atomic bomb survivors grow older, it is increasingly crucial to preserve and share their experiences and hopes for peace. In particular, the city organized projects and events to inspire children and young people―those who will shape the future―to think about peace and take action.
For more details, please visit Hatsukaichi City’s website.
https://www.city.hatsukaichi.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/2/122394.html (Japanese only)
Jinsekikougen Town
Peace Gathering
In 2025, marking 80 years since the end of World War II, Jinsekikougen Town held a “Peace Gathering” on June 28 to reflect deeply on peace.
Program 1 featured a lecture by Mr. Takuya Yokota, brother of abductee Megumi Yokota and representative of the “Families of North Korean Abduction Victims Liaison Committee.” He spoke about the current challenges faced by families of abductees and the long-standing efforts to raise awareness.
Program 2 was a peace memorial concert performed by soprano singer Ms. Ayako Murakami, whose beautiful voice resonated throughout the venue.
For more details, please see Jinsekikougen Town’s public relations magazine.
https://shinseiart.com/ebook/jinsekikougen/250/#page=5 (Japanese only)
