About Memorial Tower

The Pacific War National Memorial Tower for the Victims of Air Raids on War-Damaged Cities (hereinafter referred to as the Memorial Tower) was erected on October 26, 1956, to commemorate and console the souls of over 500,0009,700 non-military personnel who died in air raids and other incidents during the Pacific War, as well as to pray for lasting world peace.

This memorial tower consists of the tower body, front room, apron, and side pillars. The apron shows the locations of 113 war-damaged cities (1 prefecture, 99 cities, and 13 towns) on a map of Japan, and each side pillar is engraved with the date of the bombing, the number of deaths and deaths, the affected population, and the names of the mayors who have been in charge of reconstruction for each war-damaged city.

Since the construction of the memorial tower, a Memorial Peace Prayer Ceremony has been held every year on October 26th, the day of completion, to commemorate the victims of the air raids across the country. This ceremony is attended by many people from all over the country, including the Cabinet Office.

Furthermore, as dirt had become quite noticeable due to ageing over the years, a renovation project was carried out in 2006, marking the 50th anniversary of the building's construction.

"The brutal fighting of the Pacific War came to an end with Japan's unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945. For approximately 7 years after that, Japan was under the occupation of the Allied forces, but with the coming into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty on April 28, 1952, Japan was finally able to regain its national sovereignty.

Accordingly, the government did establish ways to pay respects to the military personnel who died as victims of the war and to offer condolences to their families, but it paid no attention to the many innocent civilians who, without any defense whatsoever, met untimely and untimely deaths in the shameless air raids.

The Association of War-Damaged Cities, which was formed in January 1947 to bring together 113 cities across Japan that had been reduced to ruins by the unprecedented devastation of war, has devoted its efforts since its founding to war-damage reconstruction. However, rather than limiting itself to superficial reconstruction, the association also sought to commemorate those who died in the air raids of war-damaged cities that had been overlooked by government policy. On May 17, 1952, at its 10th regular general meeting in Fukui City, it resolved to erect a National Memorial Tower for the Pacific War Air Raid Victims of Cities Damaged by War, and it was unanimously decided that the site for the tower should be Himeji City, the birthplace of the National League of War-Damaged Cities and the location of its headquarters.

Once this project was announced to the public, it aroused an outpouring of sympathy among the nation, and large sums of money were donated in large quantities from every city and from elementary school children, junior high school and high school students, women's groups, and people of all walks of life and professions. Therefore, this memorial tower is the crystallization of the deep feelings of respect and mourning expressed by the entire nation.

Its significance is that it is a place of rest where the souls of the unfortunate victims of the air raids during the Pacific War can rest in the warm embrace of brotherhood, and a monument that teaches the tragic truth of war. Furthermore, it conveys to future generations that war is a tragedy that befalls both the living and the dead, that a country is destroyed and even if mountains and rivers remain, it brings about such devastation and that recovery is such a difficult and painful endeavor, and teaches that all living beings, regardless of East or West, should unite strongly and do their utmost to prevent war. It was erected with the hope that the voices of those who visit this memorial will resonate and spread as prayers for peace to every corner of the world.

1956