An exhibition hall featuring a Japanese fishing boat exposed to radiation from a US nuclear test in the Pacific marked the 50th anniversary of its opening on Wednesday.
The Daigo Fukuryu Maru was contaminated by fallout from the hydrogen bomb test on March 1, 1954, at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Its 23 crewmembers were exposed to radiation. One died six months later.
Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, which is operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, is offering a special anniversary exhibition.
A group of 11 third-grade junior high schoolers from Mie Prefecture, central Japan, visited the hall on Wednesday.
They were briefed by a curator about the 1954 incident, the preservation of the vessel and other information. They carefully looked at and took pictures of articles on display.
One student said an account left by a crewmember who hoped to become the last victim of atomic and hydrogen bombs resonated deeply.
The hall said visitors include students from more than 400 elementary, junior high and high schools every year. It added that the number of visitors from the hall’s opening through last March was about 6.14 million.
Meanwhile, preserving the boat has become a major challenge, as it was built about 80 years ago.
The curator, Ichida Mari, said the facility has a mission to showcase a past incident of nuclear bomb damage, while letting visitors think about how today’s society should be. She said she hopes to discuss options for maintaining the boat with experts.
