HIROSHIMA -- As of Feb. 9, a total of 1,983,983 people had visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum here in fiscal 2024, marking a record high for the second consecutive year.

The surge in the number of visitors is reportedly due to heightened concerns driven by global instability seen in places like Ukraine and the Middle East and also an increase in foreign tourists due to the weaker yen, among other reasons.

In fiscal 2023, when the G7 Summit was held in Hiroshima, the museum in the city's Naka Ward recorded 1,981,782 visitors. The number of people to tour the facility for fiscal 2024 is expected to exceed 2 million for the first time.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Director Yoshifumi Ishida commented, "With the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, momentum for nuclear disarmament is growing. Through our exhibits, we hope visitors learn about the reality of the atomic bomb's impact and the horrific consequences nuclear weapons will bring if they are used again."

(Japanese original by Deockwoo An, Hiroshima Bureau)