Editing Hiroshima

{{Short description|City in Chūgoku, Japan}}
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{{About|the city in Japan|the prefecture with the same name where this city is located|Hiroshima Prefecture|other uses}}
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{{Infobox settlement
|name                    = Hiroshima
|native_name             = {{nobold|{{lang|ja|広島市}}}}
|settlement_type         = [[Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan|Designated city]]
|image_skyline           = {{Multiple image
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| image1 = Atomic Bomb Dome and Motoyaso River, Hiroshima, Northwest view 20190417 1.jpg
| caption1 = Hiroshima skyline within [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial|A-Bomb Dome]]
| image2 = Hiroshima-Castle-1.jpg
| caption2 = [[Hiroshima Castle]]
| image3 = Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum 2.jpg
| caption3 = [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum]] and [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park|Park]]
| image4 = Takueichi Pond and Kokokyo Bridge in Shukkei Garden 1.jpg
| caption4 = [[Shukkei-en]]
| image5 = 鯉城通り - panoramio (1).jpg
| caption5 = [[Hondōri]] (Downtown)
| image6 = Lantern Floating Ceremony in Hiroshima; 2012.jpg
| caption6 = Peace Message ([[Water lantern]])
| image7 = Hiroshima Port Ujina Passenger Terminal 20070811 crop2.jpg
| caption7 = [[Port of Hiroshima]]
}}
|imagesize               =
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|image_flag              = Flag of Hiroshima City.svg
|flag_alt                =
|image_seal              = Emblem of Hiroshima, Hiroshima.svg
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|image_map1              = Hiroshima in Hiroshima Prefecture Ja.svg
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|map_caption1            = Location of Hiroshima in [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]
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|subdivision_type        = Country
|subdivision_name        = {{flag|Japan}}
|subdivision_type1       = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
|subdivision_name1       = [[Chūgoku region|Chūgoku]] ([[San'yō region|San'yō]])
|subdivision_type2       = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
|subdivision_name2       = [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]
|subdivision_type3       =
|subdivision_name3       =
|established_title       = 
|established_date        =
|founder                 = [[Mōri Terumoto]]
|named_for               =
|seat_type               = 
|seat                    =
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|leader_party            =
|leader_title            = [[Mayor of Hiroshima|Mayor]]
|leader_name             = [[Kazumi Matsui]]
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|area_total_km2          = 906.68
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|population_total        = 1199391
|population_as_of        = June 1, 2019
|population_density_km2  = auto
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|population_metro_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=UEA Code Tables |url=http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/UEA/uea_code_e.htm |publisher=Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo |access-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109011635/http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/UEA/uea_code_e.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> (2015)
|population_metro = 1431634 ([[List of metropolitan areas in Japan by population|10th]])
|timezone1               = [[Japan Standard Time]]
|utc_offset1             = +9
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|blank_name_sec1         = City Symbols
|blank1_name_sec1        = Tree
|blank1_info_sec1        = [[Cinnamomum camphora|Camphor Laurel]]
|blank2_name_sec1        = Flower
|blank2_info_sec1        = [[Nerium|Oleander]]
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|blank_name_sec2         = Phone&nbsp;number
|blank_info_sec2         = 082-245-2111
|blank1_name_sec2        = Address
|blank1_info_sec2        = 1-6-34 Kokutaiji,<br />Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi 730-8586
|website                 = {{URL|http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Hiroshima (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Hiroshima" in ''[[shinjitai]]'' ''[[kanji]]''
|picupright=0.4
|shinjitai=広島
|kyujitai=廣島
|romaji=Hiroshima
}}
[[File:Hiroshima Metropolitan Employment Area.svg|thumb|Hiroshima [[Urban Employment Area]]]]
{{nihongo|'''Hiroshima'''|広島市|Hiroshima-shi|extra={{IPAc-en|ˌ|h|ɪr|oʊ|ˈ|ʃ|iː|m|ə}}, <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|UK|h|ɪ|ˈ|r|ɒ|ʃ|ɪ|m|ə}},<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|h|ɪ|ˈ|r|oʊ|ʃ|ɪ|m|ə}}, {{IPA|ja|çiɾoɕima||TomJ-Hiroshima.ogg}}}} is the capital of [[Hiroshima Prefecture]] in [[Japan]]. {{As of|2019|6|1|df=US}}, the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima [[Urban Employment Area]], was US$61.3 billion as of 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/UEA/uea_data_e.htm |title=Metropolitan Employment Area (MEA) Data |author=Yoshitsugu Kanemoto |publisher=Center for Spatial Information Science, The [[University of Tokyo]] |access-date=2016-09-29 |archive-date=2018-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111107/http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/UEA/uea_data_e.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://data.oecd.org/conversion/exchange-rates.htm Conversion rates – Exchange rates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201220924/https://data.oecd.org/conversion/exchange-rates.htm |date=2018-02-01 }} – OECD Data</ref> [[Kazumi Matsui]] has been the city's mayor since April 2011. The Hiroshima metropolitan area is the second largest urban area in the [[Chugoku Region]] of Japan, following the [[Okayama]] metropolitan area.

Hiroshima was founded in 1589 as a [[Jōkamachi|castle town]] on the [[Ōta River]] [[river delta|delta]]. Following the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868, Hiroshima rapidly transformed into a major urban center and industrial hub. In 1889, Hiroshima officially gained city status. The city was a center of military activities during the [[Empire of Japan|imperial era]], playing significant roles such as in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]], the [[Russo-Japanese War]], and the two world wars.

Hiroshima was the first military target of a nuclear weapon in history. This occurred on August 6, 1945, in the [[Pacific War|Pacific theatre]] of [[World War II]], at 8:15&nbsp;a.m., when the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|dropped the atomic bomb]] "[[Little Boy]]" on the city.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hakim |first=Joy|author-link1=Joy Hakim |title=A History of US: Book 9: War, Peace, and All that Jazz |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=January 5, 1995 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |isbn=978-0195095142|title-link=A History of US}}</ref> Most of Hiroshima was destroyed, and by the end of the year between 90,000 and 166,000 had died as a result of the blast and its effects. The [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial]] (a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]]) serves as a memorial of the bombing.

Since being rebuilt after the war, Hiroshima has become the largest [[Cities of Japan|city]] in the [[Chūgoku region]] of western [[Honshu]].
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==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Hiroshima}}

=== Early history ===
The region where Hiroshima stands today was originally a small fishing village along the shores of Hiroshima Bay. From the 12th century, the village was rather prosperous and was economically attached to a [[Zen|Zen Buddhist]] temple called ''[[Mitaki-Ji]]''. This new prosperity was partly caused by the increase of trade with the rest of Japan under the auspices of the [[Taira clan]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=International Dictionary of Historic Places, Volume 5: Asia and Oceania |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers |year=1996 |isbn=1-884964-04-4 |editor-last=Schellinger |editor-first=Paul |location=Chicago |pages=349 |editor-last2=Salkin |editor-first2=Robert}}</ref>

===Sengoku and Edo periods (1589–1871)===

Hiroshima was established on the delta coastline of the [[Seto Inland Sea]] in 1589 by powerful warlord [[Mōri Terumoto]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/History-E/c01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130190042/http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/History-E/c01.html |archive-date=January 30, 2008 |title=The Origin of Hiroshima |publisher=Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation |access-date=August 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/hiroshima_history_city_event |title=Hiroshima: History, City, Event |author=Scott O'Bryan |year=2009 |publisher=About Japan: A Teacher's Resource |access-date=March 14, 2010 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727131904/http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/hiroshima_history_city_event |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hiroshima Castle]] was quickly built, and in 1593 Mōri moved in. The name Hiroshima means wide island in Japanese. Terumoto was on the losing side at the [[Battle of Sekigahara]]. The winner of the battle, [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], deprived Mōri Terumoto of most of his fiefs, including Hiroshima and gave [[Aki Province]] to [[Fukushima Masanori|Masanori Fukushima]], a ''[[daimyō]]'' (Feudal Lord) who had supported Tokugawa.<ref name="Kosaikai">{{cite book |author=Kosaikai, Yoshiteru |title=Hiroshima Peace Reader |publisher=Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation |year=2007 |chapter=History of Hiroshima}}</ref> From 1619 until 1871, Hiroshima was ruled by the [[Asano clan]].
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Mitaki-dera Taho-to.jpg|[[Mitaki-dera]]
File:Fudoin Kondo.jpg|Fudoin
File:Hiroshima-Castle-1.jpg|[[Hiroshima Castle]]
</gallery>

===Meiji and Showa periods (1871–1939)===
After the [[Han system|Han]] was abolished in 1871, the city became the capital of [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]. Hiroshima became a major urban center during the [[Empire of Japan|imperial period]], as the Japanese economy shifted from primarily rural to urban industries. During the 1870s, one of the seven government-sponsored English language schools was established in Hiroshima.<ref>Bingham (US Legation in Tokyo) to Fish (US Department of State), September 20, 1876, in ''Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, transmitted to congress, with the annual message of the president, December 4, 1876'', p. 384</ref> Ujina Harbor was constructed through the efforts of Hiroshima Governor [[Sadaaki Senda]] in the 1880s, allowing Hiroshima to become an important port city.

The [[San'yō Railway]] was extended to Hiroshima in 1894, and a rail line from the main station to the harbor was constructed for military transportation during the [[First Sino-Japanese War]].<ref name="Kosakai"/> During that war, the [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] moved temporarily to Hiroshima, and [[Emperor Meiji]] maintained his headquarters at [[Hiroshima Castle]] from September 15, 1894, to April 27, 1895.<ref name="Kosakai">Kosakai, ''Hiroshima Peace Reader''</ref> The significance of Hiroshima for the Japanese government can be discerned from the fact that the first round of talks between Chinese and Japanese representatives to end the Sino-Japanese War was held in Hiroshima, from February 1 to 4, 1895.<ref>Dun (US Legation in Tokyo) to Gresham, February 4, 1895, in ''Foreign relations of United States, 1894'', Appendix I, p. 97</ref> New industrial plants, including [[cotton mill]]s, were established in Hiroshima in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Origin of Modern Capitalism and Eastern Asia |author=Jacobs, Norman |publisher=Hong Kong University |year=1958 |page=51}}</ref> Further industrialization in Hiroshima was stimulated during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] in 1904, which required development and production of military supplies. The Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall was constructed in 1915 as a center for trade and the exhibition of new products. Later, its name was changed to Hiroshima Prefectural Product Exhibition Hall, and again to Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sanko |title=Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) |year=1998 |publisher=The City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation}}</ref> The building, now known as the A-Bomb Dome, part of the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial]], a [[World Heritage Site]] since 1996, permanently remains the only structure still standing and is a state of preserved ruin.

During [[World War I]], Hiroshima became a focal point of military activity, as the Japanese government joined the Allied at war. About 500 German POWs were held in Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100901131622626_en |title=Hiroshima's contribution to food culture tied to A-bomb Dome｜Opinion｜Hiroshima Peace Media Center |access-date=2010-09-03 |archive-date=2013-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025030048/http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100901131622626_en |url-status=dead}}</ref> The growth of Hiroshima as a city continued after the First World War, as the city now attracted the attention of the Catholic Church, and on May 4, 1923, an [[Apostolic Vicar]] was appointed for that city.<ref>{{Catholic-hierarchy|diocese|dhiro|Diocese of Hiroshima|January 21, 2015}}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Mitsui Bank Hiroshima Branch 1928 - 1.jpg|Old [[Mitsui Bank]] Hiroshima Branch (1928)
File:Hiroshima map circa 1930.PNG|Map of Hiroshima City in the 1930s (Japanese edition)
File:Hiroshima University Hospital 04.jpg|Old Hiroshima Army Weapon Depot
</gallery>

===World War II and the atomic bombing (1939–1945)===
{{main|Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki#Hiroshima}}
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During [[World War II]], the [[Second General Army (Japan)|Second General Army]] and Chūgoku Regional Army was headquartered in Hiroshima, and the Army Marine Headquarters was located at Ujina port. The city also had large depots of military supplies, and was a key center for shipping.<ref name="effects">{{cite web |url=http://www.nuclearfiles.org/redocuments/1946/460619-bombing-survey1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011111052/http://www.nuclearfiles.org/redocuments/1946/460619-bombing-survey1.html |archive-date=October 11, 2004 |title=U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |date=June 1946 |author=United States Strategic Bombing Survey |publisher=nuclearfiles.org |access-date=July 26, 2009}}</ref>

The [[bombing of Tokyo]] and [[Air raids on Japan|other cities in Japan]] during World War II caused widespread destruction and hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bombing to Win: Airpower and Coercion in War |last=Pape |first=Robert |year=1996 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-8311-0 |page=129}}</ref> There were no such air raids on Hiroshima. However, a real threat existed and was recognized. To protect against potential [[firebombing]]s in Hiroshima, school children aged 11–14 years were mobilized to demolish houses and create [[firebreak]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/abom/97e/peace/e/03/omoide.htm |title=Japan in the Modern Age and Hiroshima as a Military City |publisher=The Chugoku Shimbun |access-date=August 19, 2007 |archive-date=August 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820001539/http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/abom/97e/peace/e/03/omoide.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On Monday, August 6, 1945, at 8:15&nbsp;a.m. (Hiroshima time), the American [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], the ''[[Enola Gay]]'', flown by [[Paul Tibbets]] (23 February 1915 – 1 November 2007), dropped the [[nuclear weapon]] "[[Little Boy]]" on Hiroshima,<ref>[http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.html The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233319/http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of History and Heritage Resources.</ref> directly killing at least 70,000 people, including thousands of [[Koreans|Korean slave laborers]]. Fewer than 10% of the casualties were military.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Barton |last=Bernstein |title=Reconsidering the 'Atomic General': Leslie R. Groves |journal=Journal of Military History |volume=67 |issue=3 |date=July 2003 |pages=904–905 |doi=10.1353/jmh.2003.0198 |s2cid=161380682 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/44239 |access-date=2019-05-20 |archive-date=2020-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322095315/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/44239 |url-status=live | issn = 0899-3718 }}</ref> By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to 90,000–140,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rerf.or.jp/general/qa_e/qa1.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions – Radiation Effects Research Foundation |publisher=Rerf.or.jp |access-date=July 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919143939/http://www.rerf.or.jp/general/qa_e/qa1.html |archive-date=September 19, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The population before the bombing was around 345,000. About 70% of the city's buildings were destroyed, and another 7% severely damaged.

The public release of film footage of the city following the attack, and some of the [[Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission]] research on the human effects of the attack, were restricted during the [[occupation of Japan]], and much of this information was censored until the signing of the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] in 1951, restoring control to the Japanese.<ref>Ishikawa and Swain (1981), p. 5</ref>

As [[Ian Buruma]] observed: {{blockquote|News of the amazing explosion of the atom bomb attacks on Japan was deliberately withheld from the Japanese public by US military censors during the Allied occupation—even as they sought to teach the natives the virtues of a free press. Casualty statistics were suppressed. Film shot by Japanese cameramen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombings was confiscated. "Hiroshima", the account written by John Hersey for ''The New Yorker'', had a huge impact in the US, but was banned in Japan. As [John] Dower says: "In the localities themselves, suffering was compounded not merely by the unprecedented nature of the catastrophe&nbsp;... but also by the fact that public struggle with this traumatic experience was not permitted."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Seldon |first=Mark |date=December 2016 |title=American Fire Bombing and Atomic Bombing of Japan in History and Memory |url=https://apjjf.org/2016/23/Selden.html |journal=The Asia-Pacific Journal |volume=14 |via=Japan Focus |access-date=2019-03-26 |archive-date=2019-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326231734/https://apjjf.org/2016/23/Selden.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

The book ''[[Hiroshima (book)|Hiroshima]]'' by [[John Hersey]] was originally published in article form in the magazine ''[[The New Yorker]]'',<ref name="autogenerated3"/> on August 31, 1946. It is reported to have reached Tokyo, in English, at least by January 1947 and the translated version was released in Japan in 1949.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2009/08/16/books/the-pure-horror-of-hiroshima/#.UdhVsfnVDTc |title=The pure horror of Hiroshima |work=[[The Japan Times]] |first=Donald |last=Richie |date=August 16, 2009 |access-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806215706/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2009/08/16/books/the-pure-horror-of-hiroshima/#.UdhVsfnVDTc }}</ref> Although the article was planned to be published over four issues, "Hiroshima" made up the entire contents of one issue of the magazine.<ref name="ReferenceA">Sharp, "From Yellow Peril to Japanese Wasteland: John Hersey's 'Hiroshima'", Twentieth Century Literature 46 (2000): 434–452, accessed March 15, 2012.</ref><ref name="The New Yorker 2010">Jon Michaub, "Eighty-Five From the Archive: John Hersey" ''The New Yorker'', June 8, 2010, np.</ref> ''Hiroshima'' narrates the stories of [[Hibakusha|six bomb survivors]] immediately before and four months after the dropping of the [[Little Boy]] bomb.<ref name=autogenerated3>Roger Angell, From the Archives, "Hersey and History", ''The New Yorker'', July 31, 1995, p. 66.</ref><ref name=autogenerated4>John Hersey, Hiroshima (New York: Random House, 1989).</ref>

Oleander (''[[Nerium]]'') is the official flower of the city of Hiroshima because it was the first to bloom again after the explosion of the atomic bomb in 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/0000000000000/1112000428867/ |script-title=ja:広島市 市の木・市の花 |access-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-date=April 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408231422/http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/0000000000000/1112000428867/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Hiroshima aftermath.jpg|Hiroshima August 1945
File:AtomicEffects-Hiroshima.jpg|Hiroshima in October 1945, two months after the bombing
File:Looking South East General view looking south east building 5H-21 (5-H).jpg|Old [[Mitsui Bank|Teikoku Bank]] Hiroshima Branch (1945)
</gallery>

===Postwar period (1945–present)===
[[File:Emperor Showa visit to Hiroshima in 1947.JPG|thumb|237px|Emperor [[Hirohito]] visiting Hiroshima in 1947, where he held a speech encouraging the city's citizens in the aftermath of the war. The domed [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial]] can be seen in the background.]]
On September 17, 1945, Hiroshima was struck by the Makurazaki Typhoon ([[Typhoon Ida (1945)|Typhoon Ida]]). [[Hiroshima Prefecture]] suffered more than 3,000 deaths and injuries, about half the national total.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://excite.co.jp/world/english/web/body/?wb_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bioweather.net%2Fcolumn%2Fweather%2Fcontents%2Fmame068.htm&wb_submit=%83E%83F%83u%83y%81%5B%83W%96%7C%96%F3&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710150554/http://excite.co.jp/world/english/web/body/?wb_url=http://www.bioweather.net/column/weather/contents/mame068.htm&wb_submit=%83E%83F%83u%83y%81%5B%83W%96%7C%96%F3&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |script-title=ja:Excite エキサイト |access-date=August 7, 2018 }}</ref> More than half the bridges in the city were destroyed, along with heavy damage to roads and railroads, further devastating the city.<ref>Ishikawa and also Swain (1981), p. 6</ref>

From 1945 to 1952, Hiroshima came under [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force|occupation from the British Empire]].

Hiroshima was rebuilt after the war, with help from the national government through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law passed in 1949. It provided financial assistance for reconstruction, along with land donated that was previously owned by the national government and used by the Imperial military.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/History-E/c05.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080206124545/http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/History-E/c05.html |archive-date=February 6, 2008 |title=Peace Memorial City, Hiroshima |publisher=Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation |access-date=August 14, 2007}}</ref>

In 1949, a design was selected for the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]. Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the closest surviving building to the location of the bomb's detonation, was designated the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial|Genbaku Dome (原爆ドーム) or "Atomic Dome"]], a part of the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]. The [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum]] was opened in 1955 in the Peace Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/VirtualMuseum_e/exhibit_e/exh0507_e/exh050701_e.html |title=Fifty Years for the Peace Memorial Museum |publisher=Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum |access-date=August 17, 2007 |archive-date=August 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830055255/http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/VirtualMuseum_e/exhibit_e/exh0507_e/exh050701_e.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The historic castle of Hiroshima was rebuilt in 1958.

Hiroshima also contains a [[Peace Pagoda]], built in 1966 by [[Nipponzan-Myōhōji]]. Uniquely, the pagoda is made of [[steel]], rather than the usual stone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://japandeluxetours.com/experiences/hiroshima-peace-memorial-park |title=Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park |publisher=Japan Deluxe Tours |access-date=May 23, 2017 |archive-date=January 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109032854/https://japandeluxetours.com/experiences/hiroshima-peace-memorial-park |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hiroshima was proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament in 1949, at the initiative of its mayor, [[Shinzo Hamai]] (1905–1968).{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} As a result, the city of Hiroshima received more international attention as a desirable location for holding international conferences on peace as well as social issues.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} As part of that effort, the Hiroshima Interpreters' and Guide's Association (HIGA) was established in 1992 to facilitate interpretation for conferences, and the Hiroshima Peace Institute was established in 1998 within the [[Hiroshima University]]. The city government continues to advocate the abolition of all [[nuclear weapon]]s and the Mayor of Hiroshima is the president of [[Mayors for Peace]], an international Mayoral organization mobilizing cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons [[2020 Vision Campaign|by 2020]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hiroshima.htm |title=Surviving the Atomic Attack on Hiroshima, 1944 |publisher=Eyewitnesstohistory.com |date=August 6, 1945 |access-date=July 17, 2009 |archive-date=August 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805180140/http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hiroshima.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/media-gallery/video/hiroshima-aftermath |title=Library: Media Gallery: Video Files: Rare film documents devastation at Hiroshima |publisher=Nuclear Files |access-date=July 17, 2009 |archive-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623222755/http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/media-gallery/video/hiroshima-aftermath/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 27, 2016, [[Barack Obama]] became the first sitting United States president to visit Hiroshima since the atomic bombing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaster |first=Carolyn |date=May 27, 2016 |title=President Obama Visits Hiroshima |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/live/president-obama-hiroshima-japan/obama-becomes-1st-sitting-president-to-visit-hiroshima/ |access-date=September 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407211729/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/live/president-obama-hiroshima-japan/obama-becomes-1st-sitting-president-to-visit-hiroshima/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 49th annual [[G7]] summit was held in Hiroshima in May 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.g7hiroshima.go.jp/ |title=G7 Hiroshima 2023 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-date=18 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518184058/https://www.g7hiroshima.go.jp/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hiroshima is situated on the [[Ōta River]] delta, on [[Hiroshima Bay]], facing the [[Seto Inland Sea]] on its south side. The river's six channels divide Hiroshima into several islets.
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" heights="130" perrow="3" caption="Gallery">
File:Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum 2.jpg|[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]
File:Atomic Bomb Dome and Motoyaso River, Hiroshima, Northwest view 20190417 1.jpg|alt=Atomic Bomb Dome by night on 8 September 2017|[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial|Atomic Bomb Dome]] by [[Jan Letzel]] and modern Hiroshima
File:Hiroshima Andersen 20200803-1.JPG|[[Andersen Institute of Bread and Life|Andersen Takaki Bakery]]
File:Genbakudome by night.jpg|Atomic Bomb Dome by night
File:Hiroshima A-bomb dome.jpg|Genbaku Dome seen from Orizuru tower in 2019
</gallery>

== Geography ==
=== Climate ===
Hiroshima has a [[humid subtropical climate]] characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. Like much of Japan, Hiroshima experiences a seasonal temperature lag in summer, with August rather than July being the warmest month of the year. Precipitation occurs year-round, although winter is the driest season. Rainfall peaks in June and July, with August experiencing sunnier and drier conditions.
{{Weather box
| location = Hiroshima (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1879–present)
| single line = Y
| metric first = Y
| Jan record high C = 18.8
| Feb record high C = 21.5
| Mar record high C = 24.2
| Apr record high C = 29.0
| May record high C = 31.5
| Jun record high C = 34.4
| Jul record high C = 38.7
| Aug record high C = 38.7
| Sep record high C = 37.4
| Oct record high C = 31.4
| Nov record high C = 26.3
| Dec record high C = 22.3
| Jan record low C = -8.5
| Feb record low C = -8.3
| Mar record low C = -7.2
| Apr record low C = -1.4
| May record low C = 1.8
| Jun record low C = 6.6
| Jul record low C = 14.1
| Aug record low C = 13.7
| Sep record low C = 8.6
| Oct record low C = 1.5
| Nov record low C = -2.6
| Dec record low C = -8.6
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 46.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 64.0
| Mar precipitation mm = 118.3
| Apr precipitation mm = 141.0
| May precipitation mm = 169.8
| Jun precipitation mm = 226.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 279.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 131.4
| Sep precipitation mm = 162.7
| Oct precipitation mm = 109.2
| Nov precipitation mm = 69.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 54.0
| year precipitation mm = 1572.2
| Jan mean C = 5.4
| Feb mean C = 6.2
| Mar mean C = 9.5
| Apr mean C = 14.8
| May mean C = 19.6
| Jun mean C = 23.2
| Jul mean C = 27.2
| Aug mean C = 28.5
| Sep mean C = 24.7
| Oct mean C = 18.8
| Nov mean C = 12.9
| Dec mean C = 7.5
| year mean C = 16.5
| Jan high C = 9.9
| Feb high C = 10.9
| Mar high C = 14.5
| Apr high C = 19.8
| May high C = 24.4
| Jun high C = 27.2
| Jul high C = 30.9
| Aug high C = 32.8
| Sep high C = 29.1
| Oct high C = 23.7
| Nov high C = 17.7
| Dec high C = 12.1
| year high C = 21.1
| Jan low C = 1.6
| Feb low C = 2.2
| Mar low C = 5.1
| Apr low C = 10.1
| May low C = 15.1
| Jun low C = 19.8
| Jul low C = 24.1
| Aug low C = 25.1
| Sep low C = 21.1
| Oct low C = 14.9
| Nov low C = 8.9
| Dec low C = 3.9
| year low C = 12.7
| Jan humidity = 66
| Feb humidity = 65
| Mar humidity = 62
| Apr humidity = 61
| May humidity = 63
| Jun humidity = 71
| Jul humidity = 73
| Aug humidity = 69
| Sep humidity = 68
| Oct humidity = 66
| Nov humidity = 67
| Dec humidity = 68
| year humidity = 67
| Jan sun = 138.6
| Feb sun = 140.1
| Mar sun = 176.7
| Apr sun = 191.9
| May sun = 210.8
| Jun sun = 154.6
| Jul sun = 173.4
| Aug sun = 207.3
| Sep sun = 167.3
| Oct sun = 178.6
| Nov sun = 153.3
| Dec sun = 140.6
| year sun = 2033.1
| Jan snow cm = 3
| Feb snow cm = 3
| Mar snow cm = 0
| Apr snow cm = 0
| May snow cm = 0
| Jun snow cm = 0
| Jul snow cm = 0
| Aug snow cm = 0
| Sep snow cm = 0
| Oct snow cm = 0
| Nov snow cm = 0
| Dec snow cm = 2
| year snow cm = 8
| unit precipitation days = 0.5 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 6.8
| Feb precipitation days = 8.3
| Mar precipitation days = 10.6
| Apr precipitation days = 9.9
| May precipitation days = 9.7
| Jun precipitation days = 11.9
| Jul precipitation days = 11.6
| Aug precipitation days = 8.6
| Sep precipitation days = 9.6
| Oct precipitation days = 7.1
| Nov precipitation days = 6.9
| Dec precipitation days = 7.6
| year precipitation days = 108.6
| source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php?prec_no=67&block_no=47765&year=&month=&day=&view= |script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） |publisher=[[Japan Meteorological Agency]] |access-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521160137/https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php?prec_no=67&block_no=47765&year=&month=&day=&view= |url-status=live }}</ref>
| source = 
}}

===Wards===
Hiroshima has eight [[Wards of Japan|wards]] (''ku''):
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Ward
!Japanese
!Population
!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
!Density<br />(per km<sup>2</sup>)
!Map
|-
|[[Aki-ku, Hiroshima|Aki-ku]] (Aki ward)
|安芸区
|align=right|80,702
|align=right|94.08
|align=right|857
|rowspan=8|[[File:Hiroshima wards.png|300px]]
|-
|[[Asakita-ku, Hiroshima|Asakita-ku]] (Asa-North ward)
|安佐北区
|align=right|148,426
|align=right|353.33
|align=right|420
|-
|[[Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima|Asaminami-ku]] (Asa-south ward)
|安佐南区
|align=right|241,007
|align=right|117.24
|align=right|2,055
|-
|[[Higashi-ku, Hiroshima|Higashi-ku]] (East ward)
|東区
|align=right|121,012
|align=right|39.42
|align=right|3,069
|-
|[[Minami-ku, Hiroshima|Minami-ku]] (South ward)
|南区
|align=right|141,219
|align=right|26.30
|align=right|5,369
|-
|[[Naka-ku, Hiroshima|Naka-ku]] (Central ward)<br />*administrative center
|中区
|align=right|130,879
|align=right|15.32
|align=right|8,543
|-
|[[Nishi-ku, Hiroshima|Nishi-ku]] (West ward)
|西区
|align=right|189,794
|align=right|35.61
|align=right|5,329
|-
|[[Saeki-ku, Hiroshima|Saeki-ku]] (Saeki ward)
|佐伯区
|align=right|137,838
|align=right|225.22
|align=right|612
|-
| colspan="5" |<small>Population as of March 31, 2016</small>
|}

=== Cityscape ===
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" heights="130" perrow="3" caption="Gallery">
File:An Overview of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park as Seen From a Hotel Rooftop as Secretary Kerry Visited the City (26370244825).jpg|Hiroshima City [[Central business district|CBD]] (2016)
File:Night views from Mount Kogane01.jpg|[[Skyline]] of Hiroshima City from Mount Futaba (2019)
File:North entrance of Hiroshima Station20210330.jpg|[[Hiroshima Station]] (2021)
File:鯉城通り - panoramio (1).jpg|Around [[Hondōri Station (Astram Line)|Hondōri Station]] (2010)
File:20100722 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park 4478.jpg|[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]] (2010)
</gallery>

===Demographics===
[[File:Hiroshima population pyramid in 2020.svg|thumb|299x299px|Hiroshima prefecture population pyramid in 2020]]
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical population
|type        = Japan
|align       = right
|width       = 
|state       = 
|shading     = 
|percentages = 
|footnote    = 
|1920 | 160510
|1925 | 195731
|1930 | 270417
|1935 | 310118
|1940 | 343968
|1945 | 137197
|1950 | 285712
|1955 | 357287
|1960 | 540972
|1965 | 665289
|1970 | 798540
|1975 | 862611
|1980 | 992736
|1985 | 1044118
|1990 | 1085705
|1995 | 1105203
|2000 | 1134134
|2005 | 1151888
|2010 | 1174209
|2015 | 1186655
|2020 | 1199186
}}

In 2017, the city had an estimated [[population]] of 1,195,327. The total area of the city is {{convert|905.08|km²|2|abbr=out}}, with a [[population density]] of 1321 persons per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1522027456625/simple/29youran.pdf |script-title=ja:広島市勢要覧 |publisher=Government of Hiroshima City |access-date=2018-06-18 |archive-date=2018-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618025750/http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1522027456625/simple/29youran.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2023, the city has a population of 1,183,696.<ref>{{Cite web |title=人口，世帯数（町丁目別） – 統計情報{{!}}広島市公式ホームページ｜国際平和文化都市 |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/toukei/12649.html |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp |archive-date=2023-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318164409/https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/toukei/12649.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The population around 1910 was 143,000.<ref name="terry">{{cite book |title=Terry's Japanese Empire |url=https://archive.org/details/terrysjapanesee00terrgoog |author=Terry, Thomas Philip |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Co |year=1914 |page=[https://archive.org/details/terrysjapanesee00terrgoog/page/n967 640]}}</ref> Before [[World War II]], Hiroshima's population had grown to 360,000, and peaked at 419,182 in 1942.<ref name="statprofile">{{cite web |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/12_pro/profile-e.html |title=2006 Statistical Profile |publisher=The City of Hiroshima |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206110108/http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/kikaku/joho/toukei/12_pro/profile-e.html |archive-date=February 6, 2008 |access-date=August 14, 2007}}</ref> Following the atomic bombing in 1945, the population dropped to 137,197.<ref name="statprofile"/> By 1955, the city's population had returned to pre-war levels.<ref>{{cite book |title=Post-conflict Reconstruction in Japan, Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor |last1=de Rham-Azimi |first1=Nassrine |first2=Matt |last2=Fuller |first3=Hiroko |last3=Nakayama |publisher=United Nations Publications |year=2003 |page=69}}</ref>

=== Surrounding municipalities ===
;[[Hiroshima Prefecture]]
*[[Kure]]
*[[Higashihiroshima]]
*[[Akitakata, Hiroshima|Akitakata]]
*[[Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima|Hatsukaichi]]
*[[Akiōta, Hiroshima|Akiota]]
*[[Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima|Kitahiroshima]]
*[[Fuchū, Hiroshima (town)|Fuchū]]
*[[Saka, Hiroshima|Saka]]
*[[Kumano, Hiroshima|Kumano]]
*[[Kaita, Hiroshima|Kaita]]

==International relations==
===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan}}
Hiroshima has six [[sister cities]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Sister/Friendship Cities |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10358.html |website=city.hiroshima.lg.jp |publisher=Hiroshima |access-date=2021-05-25 |archive-date=2021-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525125437/https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10358.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Chongqing]], China (since October 1986)<ref>{{cite web |title=The City of Chongqing (Peoples Republic of China) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/220417.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2023-03-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Daegu]], South Korea (since May 1997)<ref>{{cite web |title=Daegu Metropolitan City (Republic of Korea) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10621.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2023-03-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|DEU}} [[Hanover]], Germany (since June 1983)<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Hannover (Lower Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10356.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2024-03-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Honolulu]], United States (since June 1959)<ref>{{cite web |title=City and County of Honolulu (Hawaii, United States of America) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10357.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2023-03-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Montreal]], Canada (since June 1998)<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Montreal (Quebec, Canada) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10354.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2023-03-31}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Volgograd]], Russia (since September 1972)<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Volgograd (Volgograd Oblast, Russian Federation) |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/10347.html |website=The City of Hiroshima |access-date=2024-03-31}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

Within Japan, Hiroshima has a similar relationship with [[Nagasaki]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=姉妹・友好都市（令和元年版広島市勢要覧） – 広島市公式ホームページ｜国際平和文化都市 |url=https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/11/142347.html |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp |archive-date=2023-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704205106/https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/11/142347.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Economy and infrastructure ==
*[[Mazda|Mazda Motor Corporation]]
*[[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi]], [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]], [[Japan Marine United|JMU]]cor IHI Kure Works, Mitsui and other shipyards on the area
*[[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi]] HI Kanon and Eba Works, [[IHI Corporation|IHI]] Kure machinery
[[File:Rijo-dori Street from platform of Hondori Station at dusk.jpg|thumb|200px|Downtown Hiroshima]]
[[File:Hiroshima-Hondori Shopping Street at dusk 2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Hondōri]] Shopping Street]]
[[File:Hiroshima Zero Gate2 20160911.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|Hiroshima Zero Gate]]

=== Health care ===
====Hospitals====
*Hiroshima City Hospital
*Hiroshima City Asa Hospital
*Hiroshima City Funairi Hospital
*Hiroshima Prefectural Hospital
*Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital
*Hiroshima University Hospital
*Japan Post Hiroshima Hospital
*JR Hiroshima Hospital

==Media==
The ''[[Chugoku Shimbun|Chūgoku Shimbun]]'' is the local newspaper serving Hiroshima. It publishes both morning and evening editions. Television stations include [[Hiroshima Home Television]], [[Hiroshima Telecasting]], [[Shinhiroshima Telecasting]], and the [[RCC Broadcasting]]. Radio stations include [[Hiroshima FM]], [[Chugoku Communication Network]], [[FM Fukuyama]], [[FM Nanami]], and [[Onomichi FM]]. Hiroshima is also served by [[NHK]], Japan's public broadcaster, with television and radio broadcasting.

==Education==
[[File:HiroshimaL&SUniv.jpg|thumb|200px|Former Faculty of Science Building No. 1 at [[Hiroshima University]]]]
[[File:HiroshimaUniv SatakeMemorialHall.jpg|thumb|200px|Satake Memorial Hall at Hiroshima University in Higashihiroshima City]]
===University===
[[Hiroshima University]] was established in 1949, as part of a national restructuring of the education system. One national university was set up in each [[prefecture]], including Hiroshima University, which combined eight existing institutions (Hiroshima University of Literature and Science, Hiroshima School of Secondary Education, Hiroshima School of Education, Hiroshima Women's School of Secondary Education, Hiroshima School of Education for Youth, Hiroshima Higher School, Hiroshima Higher Technical School, and Hiroshima Municipal Higher Technical School), with the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical College added in 1953. In 1972, Hiroshima University moved from Hiroshima City to a larger campus in [[Higashihiroshima]] City. By 1995, almost all campuses were relocated to [[Higashihiroshima]]. The schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and the graduate schools in these fields on the Kasumi Campus and the law school and Center for Research on Regional Economic System on the Higashi-Senda Campus are still in Hiroshima City.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/category_view.php?category_child_id=2&category_id=8&template_id=14&lang=en |title=History of Hiroshima University |publisher=Hiroshima University |access-date=June 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629051712/http://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/category_view.php?category_child_id=2&category_id=8&template_id=14&lang=en |archive-date=June 29, 2007}}</ref>

Notable art institutions include the [[Elisabeth University of Music]] and [[Actor's School Hiroshima]].

==Notable people==
*[[Reiji Okazaki]] (岡崎 令治, 1930–1975), molecular biologist, discoverer of [[Okazaki fragments]]
*[[Kumi Tanioka]], composer and pianist
*[[Suzuka Nakamoto]], Babymetal singer
*[[Mana (Japanese musician)|Mana]], visual kei musician
*[[Unicorn (Japanese band)]], rock band
*[[Perfume (Japanese band)]], girl group

==Transportation==
[[File:Hiroshima airport japan.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Hiroshima Airport]]]]
[[File:Astram line 6122 at Omachi station.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Astram Line]]]]
===Airways===
====Airport====
Hiroshima is served by [[Hiroshima Airport]] {{airport codes|HIJ|RJOA}}, located {{convert|50|km|mi}} east of the city, with regular flights to [[Tokyo]], [[Sapporo]], [[Sendai]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], and also to [[China]], [[Taiwan]] and [[South Korea]].

The other nearest airport is [[Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport]], located {{convert|43|km|mi}} south-west of Hiroshima, re-instated commercial flights on December 13, 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/japan-carrier-to-offer-iwakuni-flights-1.99042 |title=Japan carrier to offer Iwakuni flights |date=February 19, 2010 |first1=Travis J. |last1=Tritten |first2=Chiyomi |last2=Sumida |publisher=Stars and Stripes |access-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109062920/https://www.stripes.com/news/japan-carrier-to-offer-iwakuni-flights-1.99042 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Railways===
====High-speed rail====
;[[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]]
*[[San'yō Shinkansen]]
[[File:広島シティネットワーク路線図.png|thumb|Hiroshima City Network]]
====Trains====
;[[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]]
*[[Hiroshima City Network]]: [[San'yō Main Line]], [[Kure Line]], [[Geibi Line]], [[Kabe Line]]
[[Hiroshima Rapid Transit]]
*[[Astram Line|Hiroshima New Transit Line 1]] (Astram Line)
Skyrail Service
*[[Skyrail Midorizaka Line|Hiroshima Short Distance Transit Seno Line]]
===Tramways===
[[File:Hiroshima Electric Railway map.png|thumb|200px|Hiroden route map]]
Hiroshima is notable, in Japan, for its [[light rail]] system, nicknamed ''[[Hiroshima Electric Railway|Hiroden]]'', and the "Moving Streetcar Museum". Streetcar service started in 1912,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vehicle.city.hiroshima.jp/VEHICLE_HP/Contents/01_home/0104_English/02_hiroden/romen.asp |script-title=ja:広島市交通科学館 |trans-title=Hiroshima City Transportation Museum |access-date=2015-01-06 |archive-date=2017-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516063933/http://www.vehicle.city.hiroshima.jp/VEHICLE_HP/Contents/01_home/0104_English/02_hiroden/romen.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> was interrupted by the atomic bomb, and was restored as soon as was practical. (Service between Koi/Nishi Hiroshima and Tenma-cho was started up three days after the bombing.<ref name="hiroshimapeacemedia.jp">{{cite web |url=http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/hiroshima-koku/en/special/index_2011091301.html |title=Peace Newspaper produced by Japanese teenagers: Peace Seeds:feature story |access-date=2015-01-06 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195936/http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/hiroshima-koku/en/special/index_2011091301.html |url-status=live }}</ref>)

Streetcars and light rail vehicles are still rolling down Hiroshima's streets, including streetcars 651 and 652, which survived the atomic blast and are among the older streetcars in the system. When Kyoto and Fukuoka discontinued their trolley systems, Hiroshima bought them up at discounted prices, and, by 2011, the city had 298 streetcars, more than any other city in Japan.<ref name="hiroshimapeacemedia.jp"/>
*[[Hiroshima Electric Railway|Hiroden]]
**[[Hiroden Main Line|Main Line]], [[Hiroden Ujina Line|Ujina Line]], [[Hiroden Eba Line|Eba Line]], [[Hiroden Hakushima Line|Hakushima Line]], [[Hiroden Hijiyama Line|Hijiyama Line]], [[Hiroden Yokogawa Line|Yokogawa Line]], [[Hiroden Miyajima Line|Miyajima Line]]

===Roads===
====Expressway====
*[[Hiroshima Expressway (urban expressway)|Hiroshima Expressway]]
====Japan National Route====
Hiroshima is served by [[Japan National Route 2]], [[Japan National Route 54]], [[Japan National Route 183]], [[Japan National Route 261]], [[Japan National Route 433]], [[Japan National Route 487]], [[Japan National Route 488]].
====Prefectural Route====
Hiroshima Prefectural Route 37 (Hiroshima-Miyoshi Route), Hiroshima Prefectural Route 70 (Hiroshima-Nakashima Route), Hiroshima Prefectural Route 84 (Higashi Kaita Hiroshima Route), Hiroshima Prefectural Route 164 (Hiroshima-Kaita Route), and Hiroshima Prefectural Route 264 (Nakayama-Onaga Route).
===Seaways===
====Seaport====
*[[Port of Hiroshima]]
====Sealane====
;Ishizaki Kisen
*[[Port of Hiroshima]] - [[Kure, Hiroshima|Port of Kure]] - [[Matsuyama|Port of Matsuyama]]
;[[First Beach]]
*[[Port of Hiroshima]] - [[Etajima, Hiroshima|Port of Etajima]]
;Other
*[[Port of Hiroshima]] - [[Ninoshima|Nino-shima Island]]
*[[Port of Hiroshima]] - Kanawa-jima Island
<gallery>
File:広島西飛行場01.jpg|[[Hiroshima–Nishi Airport]]
File:Hiroshima Station Building.jpg|[[Hiroshima Station]]
File:Hiroshima Bus Center- arrivalside2017.jpg|[[Hiroshima Bus Center]]
File:Hiroden 5006B 20150502.jpg|A Hiroshima tram, 2015
File:Hiroden 5200 20190623.JPG|[[Hiroshima Electric Railway|Hiroden]]
File:Hiroshima port.jpg|Port of Hiroshima
File:Niho Junction.jpg|Niho JCT
File:Shinonome IC pt1.jpg|[[Hiroshima Expressway (urban expressway)|Hiroshima Expressway]]
</gallery>

==Culture==
[[File:Rainbow bridge in Shukkei-en Hiroshima.jpg|thumb|[[Shukkei-en]]]]

Hiroshima has a professional [[symphony orchestra]], which has performed at Wel City Hiroshima since 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wel-hknk.com/ |title=Wel City Hiroshima |publisher=Wel-hknk.com |access-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-date=July 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724215640/http://www.wel-hknk.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are also many museums in Hiroshima, including the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum]], along with several art museums. The [[Hiroshima Museum of Art]], which has a large collection of French [[renaissance]] art, opened in 1978. The [[Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum]] opened in 1968 and is located near [[Shukkei-en]] gardens. The [[Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art]], which opened in 1989, is located near Hijiyama Park. 

Festivals include [[Hiroshima Flower Festival]] and [[Hiroshima International Film Festival]]. The [[Hiroshima International Animation Festival]] was held biennially from 1985 until 2020.

[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]], which includes the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial]], draws many visitors from around the world, especially for the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony]], an annual commemoration held on the date of the atomic bombing. The park also contains a large collection of monuments, including the [[Children's Peace Monument]], the [[Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims]] and many others.

[[Hiroshima Castle|Hiroshima's rebuilt castle]] (nicknamed ''Rijō'', meaning ''[[Koi]] Castle'') houses a [[museum]] of life in the [[Edo period]]. [[Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine]] is within the walls of the castle. Other attractions in Hiroshima include [[Shukkei-en]], Fudōin, [[Mitaki-dera]], [[Hiroshima Tōshō-gū]], and Hijiyama Park.

===Events===
[[File:Hiroshima FF 2011.JPG|thumb|Hiroshima Flower Festival 2011]]
*[[1994 Asian Games]]
*Ebisu Festival, November, Ebisucho, [[Hatchobori Station (Hiroshima)|Hacchobori]], Chuo Dori
*Hiroshima Flower Festival, May, [[Peace Boulevard|Heiwa Odori]], [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]
*[[Hiroshima International Film Festival]], held annually in November
*[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony]], August 6, [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]
*Toukasan, first Friday to Sunday in June, Mikawa-Cho, Chuo Dori

===Cuisine===
[[File:Preparing okonomiyaki in Hiroshima.jpg|thumb|left|A man making an [[okonomiyaki]] at a restaurant in Hiroshima]]
Hiroshima is known for [[okonomiyaki]], a savory ([[umami]]) pancake cooked on an iron plate, usually in front of the customer. It is cooked with various ingredients, which are layered rather than mixed as done with the [[Osaka]] version of okonomiyaki. The layers are typically [[egg]], [[cabbage]], [[bean sprout]]s (moyashi), sliced pork/bacon with optional items ([[mayonnaise]], fried [[squid]], [[octopus]], [[cheese]], [[mochi]], [[kimchi]], etc.), and noodles ([[soba]], [[udon]]) topped with another layer of egg and a generous dollop of okonomiyaki sauce (Carp and Otafuku are two popular brands). The amount of cabbage used is usually 3 to 4 times the amount used in the Osaka style. It starts piled very high and is generally pushed down as the cabbage cooks. The order of the layers may vary slightly depending on the chef's style and preference, and ingredients will vary depending on the preference of the customer.

===Sports===
[[File:Bigarch050423.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Edion Stadium Hiroshima]]]]
[[File:MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima facade.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Mazda Stadium]], home of [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]]]
Hiroshima has several professional sports clubs.

====Football====
The city's main [[association football]] club is [[Sanfrecce Hiroshima]], who play at the [[Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima]]. As Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club, they won the [[Japan Soccer League]] five times between 1965 and 1970 and the [[Emperor's Cup]] in [[1965 Emperor's Cup|1965]], [[1967 Emperor's Cup|1967]] and [[1969 Emperor's Cup|1969]]. After adopting their current name in 1992, the club won the [[J.League]] in [[2012 J.League Division 1|2012]], [[2013 J.League Division 1|2013]] and [[2015 J1 League|2015]]. 

The city's main women's football club is [[Angeviolet Hiroshima]]. Defunct clubs include [[Rijo Shukyu FC]], who won the Emperor's Cup in 1924 and 1925, and [[Ẽfini Hiroshima SC]].

====Baseball====
[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] are the city's major [[baseball]] club, and play at the [[Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima]]. Members of the [[Central League]], the club won the [[Central League]] in 1975, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1991, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the club won the [[Japan Series]] in 1979, 1980 and 1984.

====Basketball====
[[Hiroshima Dragonflies]] ([[basketball]]).

====Handball====
[[Hiroshima Maple Reds]] ([[handball]]).

====Volleyball====
[[JT Thunders]] ([[volleyball]]).

====Other sports====
The [[Woodone Open Hiroshima]] was part of the [[Japan Golf Tour]] between 1973 and 2007. The city also hosted the [[1994 Asian Games]], using the Big Arch stadium, which is now used for the annual [[Mikio Oda Memorial International Amateur Athletic Game]]. The now-called [[Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center]] was one of the host arenas of the [[2006 FIBA World Championship]] (basketball).

==Tourism==
The Japanese city and the Prefecture of Hiroshima may have been devastated by the atomic bomb {{Years or months ago|1945}}, but today, this site of the destruction is one of the top tourist destinations in the entire country. Statistics released by the nation's tourist agency revealed that around 363,000 visitors went to the metropolis during 2012, with Americans making up the vast majority of that figure, followed by Australians and Chinese.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidejapantours.com/japan-news/3306/hiroshima-increasingly-popular-with-tourists/ |title=Hiroshima increasingly popular with tourists {{!}} Inside Japan Tours |website=insidejapantours.com |access-date=July 27, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308231427/https://www.insidejapantours.com/japan-news/3306/hiroshima-increasingly-popular-with-tourists/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, some 1.18 million foreigners visited Hiroshima, a 3.2-fold jump from about 360,000 in 2012. Americans were the largest group, accounting for 16%, followed by Australians at 15%, Italians at 8% and Britons at 6%. The numbers of Chinese and South Korean visitors were small, representing only 1% and 0.2% of the total.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Hiroshima-promoting-peace-tourism-to-draw-attention-to-more-A-bomb-sites/ |title=Hiroshima promoting peace tourism to draw attention to more A-bomb sites {{!}} Asia Nikkei |website=asia.nikkei.com |access-date=September 7, 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118192740/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Hiroshima-promoting-peace-tourism-to-draw-attention-to-more-A-bomb-sites/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Places of interest===
There are many popular tourist destinations near Hiroshima. A popular destination outside the city is [[Itsukushima|Itsukushima Island]], also known as [[Miyajima, Hiroshima|Miyajima]], which is a sacred island with many temples and shrines. But inside Hiroshima there are many popular destinations as well, and according to online guidebooks, these are the most popular tourist destinations in Hiroshima:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://planetyze.com/en/japan/hiroshima/sights |title=Hiroshima – Most famous Sights |website=Planetyze |language=en |access-date=July 27, 2017 |archive-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813105021/https://planetyze.com/en/japan/hiroshima/sights |url-status=live }}</ref>
#[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum]]
#[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial|The Atomic Bomb Dome]]
#[[Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park]]
#[[Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima]]
#[[Hiroshima Castle]]
#[[Shukkei-en]]
#[[Mitaki-dera|Mitaki-dera Temple]]
#[[Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine]]
#[[Kamiyachō Station (Hiroshima)|Kamiyacho]] and [[Hatchobori Station (Hiroshima)|Hatchobori]] (''A major center in Hiroshima which is a shopping area. It is directly connected to the [[Hiroshima Bus Center]]'')
#[[Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park]]
#[[Hiroshima Botanical Garden]]

Other popular places in the city include the [[Hondōri]] shopping arcade.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Other sources===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |title=Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Physical, Medical, and Social Effects of the Atomic Bombings |last1=Ishikawa |first1=Eisei |first2=David L. |last2=Swain |publisher=Basic Books |year=1981}}
*{{Cite book |author=Kowner, Rotem|author-link=Rotem Kowner |year=2002 |chapter=Hiroshima |editor1=M. Ember |editor2=C. Ember |title=Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures (Vol. II) |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofur0000unse/page/341 341–348] |publisher=Grolier |isbn=978-0717256983|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofur0000unse/page/341}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
*Pacific War Research Society, ''Japan's Longest Day'' (Kodansha, 2002, {{ISBN|4770028873}}), the internal Japanese account of the surrender and how it was almost thwarted by fanatic soldiers who attempted a coup against the Emperor.
*[[Richard B. Frank]], ''Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire'' Penguin, 2001 {{ISBN|0141001461}})
*[[Robert Jungk]], ''Children of the Ashes'', 1st Eng. ed. 1961. [http://playpen.meraka.csir.co.za/~acdc/education/Dr_Anvind_Gupa/Learners_Library_7_March_2007/Resources/books/childrenoftheashes.pdf Gyanpedia.in PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226020939/http://playpen.meraka.csir.co.za/~acdc/education/Dr_Anvind_Gupa/Learners_Library_7_March_2007/Resources/books/childrenoftheashes.pdf |date=2017-12-26 }}
*[[Gar Alperovitz]], ''The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb'', {{ISBN|067976285X}}
*[[John Hersey]], [[Hiroshima (book)|''Hiroshima'']], {{ISBN|0679721037}}
*[[Michihiko Hachiya]], ''Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician'', August 6 – September 30, 1945 (Chapel Hill: [[University of North Carolina Press]], 1955), since reprinted.
*[[Masuji Ibuse]], ''Black Rain'', {{ISBN|087011364X}}
*[[Tamiki Hara]], ''Summer Flowers'' {{ISBN|069100837X}}
*[[Robert Jay Lifton]] ''Death in life: The survivors of Hiroshima'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1st edition (1968) {{ISBN|0297764667}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hiroshima}}
{{Wikivoyage|Hiroshima}}
{{NIE Poster}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/genre/0000000000000/1001000000021/index.html Hiroshima City official website] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218093848/http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/genre/0000000000000/1001000000021/index.html |date=2015-02-18 }} (In English)
*[http://visithiroshima.net/ Official tourist information website (in 5 languages)]
*[https://archive.today/20140811210752/http://oldnewmaps.com/2014/08/05/hiroshima-atomic-bomb-6-august-1945/ Hiroshima before and after atomic bombing] – interactive aerial maps
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140808070853/http://oldnewmaps.com/2014/08/05/hiroshima-atomic-bomb-damage-1945/ Hiroshima atomic bomb damage] – interactive aerial map
*[http://zidbits.com/2013/11/is-nagasaki-and-hiroshima-still-radioactive/ Is Hiroshima still radioactive?] – No. Includes explanation.
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112011107/http://www.geocities.com/peterance/hiroshima.htm |date=November 12, 2007 |title=Peter Rance's 1951 Hiroshima Photographs }}
*[http://citymayors.com/mayors/hiroshima_mayor.html City Mayors article]
*[http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-71-1794/conflict_war/hiroshima/ CBC Digital Archives – Shadows of Hiroshima]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121127040614/http://www.gojapango.com/travel/hiroshima_maps.htm Hiroshima Map] – interactive with points of interest
*[http://www.bbc.com/programmes/p008ww09 BBC World Service] BBC Witness programme interviews a schoolgirl who survived the bomb
*[http://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/2013/12/creating-peace-through-law-the-city-of-hiroshima/ Hope Elizabeth May, "Creating Peace through Law: the City of Hiroshima"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705162104/https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/2013/12/creating-peace-through-law-the-city-of-hiroshima/ |date=2017-07-05 }}
*[https://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/en/ hiroshima-navi]
*[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima "Hiroshima" By John Hersey, A Reporter at Large, August 31, 1946, The New Yorker]
*{{osmrelation-inline|4097196}}

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