Nagasaki Peace Park Monument

Nagasaki Peace Park is a purpose-built public park in Nagasaki dedicated to the memory of those killed by the August 9, 1945 atomic bomb. It functions as both a memorial space and a site for annual peace ceremonies.

Open lawns, formal paths and a collection of international memorials and plaques create a contemplative environment centered on the park’s large bronze Peace Statue. Visitors can also find a Peace Flame, smaller monuments donated by cities and organizations, and pathways that lead toward the marked hypocenter and the nearby Atomic Bomb Museum.

The park was established after the war as part of civic efforts to remember the victims and promote peace; international contributions to the monuments reflect postwar reconciliation and remembrance. It has been a focal point for annual memorial services held on the bombing anniversary and for visits by delegations and survivors.

Set in central Nagasaki’s Urakami district, the park lies adjacent to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and close to the city’s hypocenter marker, making it part of the core memorial area in the city.

• Peace Statue: The large bronze Peace Statue is the park’s central feature and was erected in the 1950s.
• Proximity: Located next to the Atomic Bomb Museum and the hypocenter marker, the park is commonly visited together with those sites for a single memorial walk.

What to See#

• Peace Statue: A 10‑metre tall bronze figure by sculptor Seibo Kitamura that represents both a calling to peace and a warning about nuclear weapons; the statue is the park’s central visual focus.
• Memorials and monuments: The park contains memorial plaques, a Peace Flame and several smaller monuments placed by national and international groups to commemorate victims.

From Nagasaki Station: take tram Line 1 or 5 to “Nagasaki Eki-mae,” transfer to tram Line 6 toward “Urakami” and alight at “Nagasaki Peace Park” (roughly 15-20 minutes total). The park is a short walk from the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Urakami Cathedral ruins. Taxis from the station take about 10 minutes.

• Visit at dawn or late afternoon to avoid the midday tour groups and to see the Peace Statue lit from the side-shadows make the pose eerier and more human.
• Combine the park with the nearby Atomic Bomb Museum (a 5-10 minute walk); start with the museum to understand context, then walk the park to see how the city staged memory.
• Stand on the little bridge and look toward the hypocenter marker: local school groups often leave paper cranes and handwritten notes-read them quietly; they say more than plaques.
• Don't rush the canal that cuts through the park. Look for the water marks and the worn flagstones-the human traffic patterns tell a postwar story of ritual and daily life.