Imperial couple’s visit comes as Japan condemns Israeli attacks on Iran, urging both sides in to show restraint
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako Thursday paid tribute to victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Iran, including on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
During their first visit to Hiroshima since Naruhito’s accession in 2019, the imperial couple laid flowers and bowed at a cenotaph in Peace Memorial Park, honoring the victims of the atomic bombings, Kyodo News reported.
Touring a hall displaying bombing relics, the emperor called it “heartbreaking” to learn the epicenter had once been a crowded residential area.
They later visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where they viewed images of destruction and a display on Nihon Hidankyo, the country’s atomic bomb survivors’ group.
The visit comes amid Japan’s condemnation of ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday urged de-escalation, saying, “We are deeply concerned about the exchange of attacks and continue to strongly urge all parties to exercise as much self-restraint as possible.”
Nihon Hidankyo also denounced Israel’s actions. “We cannot help but feel strong indignation and anxiety,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. “Attacks on nuclear facilities should never be tolerated.”
The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing about 140,000 people. A second bomb hit Nagasaki on Aug. 9, killing 70,000 more. Japan surrendered days later, ending World War II.
Hostilities began between Israel and Iran last Friday, when Tel Aviv launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.
Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.
In Iran, 585 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to Iranian media reports.
However, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Thursday that the death toll in Iran since the early hours of June 13 climbed to at least 639 amid ongoing Israeli military strikes.
