List of Hiroshima A-Bomb Victims Given Airing

Hiroshima, May 20 (Jiji Press)–A register of people who died from the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was aired at a memorial park in the western Japan city on Wednesday for its upkeep. City officials took the books out of a stone chamber at the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after offering a silent prayer at 8:15 a.m., the exact time that the atomic bomb was dropped on Aug. 6, 1945. They turned pages one by one to remove moisture and check for damage. The register consists of 130 volumes listing the names of 349,246 individuals confirmed to have died as of Aug. 5 last year, along with their dates of death and ages. One volume is dedicated to those whose names remain unknown. In addition, a book containing the names of 16 victims of the U.S. atomic bombing of the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki three days after Hiroshima was also aired out. They were included in the Hiroshima memorial in accordance with their own wishes or those of their family members. In recent years, the Hiroshima city government has asked two atomic bomb victims to enter names into the register. Due to the aging of victims, the city held a public recruitment for the role for the first time this year. Selected bookkeepers observed the airing process as part of training. “We hope people across all generations will feel the thoughts of atomic bomb victims and recognize the preciousness of peace,” a city official said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]