Nagasaki officials conduct annual air ventilation of A-bomb victim register containing 202,053 names

The register, consisting of 206 books, was opened to ventilate its pages and remove moisture at the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims on Friday. The maintenance work is carried out annually in May before the rainy season begins.

Municipal employees turned each page of the 206 books to check for damage after offering a silent prayer at 11:02 a.m., the exact time the bomb was dropped on Aug. 9, 1945. The register records victims' names, dates of death, and ages.

A further 3,173 victims were confirmed to have died in the year through the end of July last year and added to the register. One of the 206 books is dedicated to victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, and another volume records those whose names remain unknown.