Nagasaki wants to light up Peace Park and will consult with hibakusha

A photo shows an image of illuminations being planned at the Peace Park in the city of Nagasaki. | NAGASAKI MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT / VIA KYODO

Kyodo

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Jun 14, 2017

NAGASAKI – The Nagasaki Municipal Government is considering lighting up the Peace Park commemorating the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing of the city.

City officials in charge of tourism said they hope to have the lighting display in place by 2020 to attract more visitors to the park, adding that they want the event to be used as a venue to pray for world peace.

According to the officials, visitors can freely enter the park even at night, but there are few street lamps on the grounds near the peace statue, which only has two lights illuminating it.

The city plans to set up lights on the park grounds heading up to the statue to make it stand out more. The officials said they will consult an organization of atomic bomb survivors before deciding where to place the lights and the hours they will be turned on.

In the city of Hiroshima, which also suffered a similar attack during the war, the Atomic Bomb Dome was lit up last year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of it being listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site. The city reduced the number of lights after the event was criticized by some A-bomb survivors as inappropriate for a place of repose for the victims’ souls.