HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum welcomed its 60 millionth visitor Sunday.

"It's a large number equivalent to nearly half the population of Japan. We feel its significance," said Koichiro Maeda, the director of the museum.

Maeda said attendance at the museum, which opened its doors in Naka Ward in August 1955, has exceeded 1 million people a year since fiscal 1979. More than 100,000 foreign visitors have visited the site each year since fiscal 2002.

The museum, which features exhibits about the atomic bombing of the city, is planning to refurbish its facilities in fiscal 2013.