Canadian PM Trudeau visited Hiroshima's A-bomb museum a 2nd time on G7's final day

TOKYO -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a second visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum before returning to his country after the Group of Seven (G7) Hiroshima Summit's conclusion on May 21, Japan's government announced here on June 8.

Speaking with reporters, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno verified that Trudeau made the private visit in addition to the one attended by all of the G7 nations' leaders on the summit's first day, May 19. "During his time in Hiroshima, Prime Minister Trudeau visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park a second time, including a tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum," Matsuno explained. "It's meaningful that he visited the museum again within his limited time here to deepen his understanding of the real damage caused by the atomic bombing. I'd like to express the government of Japan's gratitude," Matsuno commented.

According to the Embassy of Canada to Japan, Trudeau revisited the museum on the afternoon of May 21. The embassy declined to discuss the details or reasons for the second visit, treating it as a private matter.

Trudeau was accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, along with the other leaders, for around 40 minutes during his visit to the museum on the summit's first day on May 19. He wrote, "Canada pays solemn tribute to the many lives lost, the unspeakable grief of the Hibakusha, and the immense suffering of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," followed by a message in French, in the museum's visitor book.

At a press conference on May 21, Trudeau remarked, "Most of us don't remember a time when the world was under a threat of nuclear war. The Cold War ended a long time ago, and the danger of nuclear war is unfortunately being forgotten by many. That's why Prime Minister Kishida's decision to come here, not just to his hometown, but to a place that remembers all too well the devastating impact of nuclear war, was really important."

(Japanese original by Shu Furukawa and Takashi Okamura, Political News Department)