Japanese Emperor Naruhito, left, Empress Masako (centre) and Princess Aiko, offer flowers and pay their respects to atomic bombing victims, at the peace park in Nagasaki, western Japan, Friday, Sept, 12, 2025. -- Kyodo News via AP
NAGASAKI, Japan (AP): Japanese Emperor Naruhito, accompanied by his wife and daughter, paid their respects Friday to atomic bombing victims in Nagasaki as he wrapped up a tour of some of the worst-hit places in World War II and Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the bombing.
Naruhito, his wife, Empress Masako, and their daughter, Princess Aiko, bowed deeply and offered bouquets of white flowers at the memorial for atomic bombing victims at the ground-zero site in the peace memorial park in Nagasaki.
The United States dropped a plutonium bomb on the southwestern city of Nagasaki at 11:02 a.m. on Aug. 9, 1945, killing more than 70,000 people by the end of that year.
The attack came only three days after the U.S. dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima, destroying the city and killing 140,000 others. Japan announced its surrender on Aug. 15, ending World War II and the country's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.
The visit to Nagasaki, Naruhito’s first since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne, and the first ever for Aiko, wraps up their tour of prayers and consolation this year.
Hundreds of people holding small rising-sun flags waved and called their names as the royal motorcade headed to the peace park, while the Imperial couple and Aiko lowered their windows and waved to the cheering crowd on the roadside.
Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep speaking of the tragedy of war to younger generations.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, Naruhito has visited places this year where some of the bloodiest battles and bombings occurred, including at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima.
In July, Naruhito and Masako honored thousands of Japanese prisoners of World War II who were held under harsh conditions in Mongolia during their trip to that country. It’s part of his effort of atonement and remembrance of the tragedy of war fought in the name of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito.
The royal couple and the princess also visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to observe exhibits and met with atomic bomb survivors. On Saturday, the Naruhito family plans to visit a nursing home for the atomic bomb survivors to meet more of them.
In the evening, thousands of Nagasaki residents welcomed the Imperial couple and Aiko by holding up lanterns on a building rooftop visible from the royal family’s hotel. Participants moved their lanterns up and down and sideways in unison in their show of welcome and appreciation for the Imperial family’s Nagasaki visit.
"I am pleased that the Emperor decided to visit Nagasaki as part of the 80th anniversary tour this year,” said Aoi Noguchi, 38, who came with her family. "Through the interaction with the atomic bomb survivors, who are getting fewer and fewer in number, I hope their message (of peace) goes out to the world.”
Yoshinori Takase, a 64-year-old Nagasaki citizen, said he came to the lantern event to join a rare occasion. "This the first time for his family to visit, and I came to experience the atmosphere.”
With their average age now exceeding 86, many survivors have expressed frustration over the growing nuclear threat in recent years despite their decades-long grassroots campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.
In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945.
In June, Naruhito visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians, and about 12,000 Americans, killed in the Battle of Okinawa.
Aiko accompanied her parents, underscoring Naruhito’s wish that she would learn of the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations. - AP
