Hiroshima: Hiroshima Castle's keep in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in the namesake prefecture has closed after 68 years as a museum due to structural aging. The facility, which ended its run on Sunday, is located within Hiroshima Castle Ruins, a national historic site, in Hiroshima's Naka Ward.
According to Philippines News Agency, the main tower of Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the closing days of World War II and underwent a temporary wooden reconstruction before being rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1958. Ayaka Matsumoto, a 27-year-old caregiver from the city's Higashi Ward, visited the castle keep with her 6-year-old daughter to experience the history of Hiroshima Castle. She expressed her feelings of missing the ability to go inside.
Yuji Yamagata, a 66-year-old self-employed visitor from the city of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, which neighbors Hiroshima, expressed his support for a restoration in wood. The city is considering rebuilding the keep in wood and plans to decide on a development approach in five or more years.
Akihiko Omura, head of the facility, remarked at the closing ceremony on Sunday that he hopes the keep will remain in people's memories as a story passed down across generations.
