The Peace Memorial Ceremony
On August 6, 2020, the Peace Memorial Ceremony was held in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to console the souls of those who were lost due to the atomic bombing, as well as pray for the realization of everlasting peace. This year marks the 75th anniversary after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was said that “no grass or trees will grow for 75 years.” The situation of the ceremony this year was very different from the past years.
The cause, of course, was COVID-19. From the point of preventing infection, admission to the park was restricted and the number of people attending the ceremony was drastically reduced to only 880, about 10% of the usual number of guests. Seats were separated by nearly two meters, and visitors were required to take a temperature test and disinfect their seats as they entered the park. Large monitors were set up in the park to show video messages from the heads of state and atomic bomb survivors who had been unable to visit the park due to COVID-19. This year’s ceremony began under an unusual circumstance: a rope was set up around the park, and citizens that could not enter the venue surrounded it.