On the night of the 6th, the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a floating lantern ceremony was held to comfort the spirits of the victims.
In the Motoyasu River, which flows near the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima City, colorful lanterns were lit and floated down the river.
Last year, citizens' participation was canceled due to the new coronavirus, but this year, for the first time in three years, the citizens themselves wrote a message to the lantern.
Approximately 2,500 lanterns were floated, with words such as "No more Hiroshima" and "May the world be peaceful."
A man in his 80s from Hiroshima, whose parents were exposed to the atomic bombing, said, "I thought of my parents and wrote a message on the lantern. I hope that the world will be free of nuclear weapons and that the world will be happy."
Toshiyasu Wakasa, a member of the Lantern Floating Executive Committee, said, "I was relieved to be able to broadcast messages from citizens for the first time in three years. I want people all over the world to know how many people died."