Relatives of Dutch POWs visit former Nagasaki prison site to honor their memory

2 — the site of the larger of the two war prisons in Nagasaki during the war — that was erected in 2015 with contribution from Japanese survivors of the Nagasaki bombing and their descendants as a symbol of reconciliation and peace. Saturday's ceremony also underscored how the connection between the families of the "Dutch POWs who returned home with painful memories, and the descendants of atomic bombing survivors in Nagasaki is very symbolic,” said Kazuhiro Ihara, whose father was a survivor of the bombing and had also worked for reconciliation with the POWs. On Friday, Emperor Naruhito visited Nagasaki with his wife Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko to pay tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing and meet with some of the survivors, stressing the importance of telling the tragedy of war and learning from history.