Emperor Naruhito and family meet atomic bomb survivors during Nagasaki visit

Anadolu Agency

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Akito met survivors of the atomic bombing at a nursing care facility in Nagasaki on Saturday.

Arriving at the facility at around 10:30 am local time (0130 GMT), the Imperial family spoke with residents in their 80s and 90s, bending down to make eye contact and listening attentively, according to The Japan News.

The family arrived in the city on Friday for a three-day visit. This marks the emperor’s first visit to Nagasaki since ascending the throne in 2019, and the 23-year-old princess’s first visit to the city.

On Friday, they laid flowers at a memorial in Nagasaki Peace Park and met survivors aged 81 to 101 at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.

The United States dropped the plutonium bomb “Fat Man” on the port city at 11:02 am local time (0202 GMT) on 9 August 1945, following the earlier bombing of Hiroshima. The attack killed around 70,000 people in Nagasaki. Japan formally surrendered on 15 August 1945, bringing World War II to an end.

On Sunday, the emperor and empress will attend the opening ceremony of the National Cultural Festival and the National Arts and Culture Festival for Persons with Disabilities.

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