East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai to hold memorial service Saturday

The public is invited to a Hiroshima Peace Memorial Service at 8 a.m. Saturday at Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin Temple.

Masks are required, and social distancing will be in place to keep everyone safe.

Seventy-seven years ago, on Aug. 6, 1945, a U.S. B-29 bomber shocked the world by dropping the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. Seventy-thousand people were killed instantly, followed by injuries and radiation sickness which raised the death toll to more than 100,000.

The A-bomb was the first nuclear weapon used on mankind.

The public is encouraged to fold paper cranes in honor of Sadako Sasaki following the Peace Memorial Service from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Sangha Hall. These cranes fulfill Sadako’s wish: “This is our city. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.”

Folded cranes will be sent to Hiroshima to be placed beneath Sadako’s statue.

Behind each paper crane is also the story of a life that was lived and remembered.

Every Aug. 6 at 8:15 a.m., members of the public are asked to observe a moment of remembrance for one full minute.

The East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai was established in 1967 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007.

Its primary purpose is to promote goodwill, friendship and mutual understanding among its members, preserve the legacy of early Hiroshima immigrants to Hawaii, uphold the high ideals of early immigrants, and foster better relations with organizations by providing assistance in time of need.