Prime Minister Koizumi, who visited the Memorial Hall after the Peace Memorial Ceremony, cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony along with six other persons, including survivor representatives. Guided by Director Koichiro Maeda, he spent about 15 minutes touring the hall. He visited areas that display photos of the deceased and A-bomb accounts on screens as well as the Hall of Remembrance. The circular wall in the Hall of Remembrance is a panorama that recreates a view of the devastated city. The panorama is made of 140,000 tiles, which is the number of people estimated to have died by the end of 1945.

After offering the bouquet, Prime Minister Koizumi produced a gold-colored paper crane from his jacket pocket and quietly placed it with the flowers.

In 1998, Health and Welfare Minister Koizumi said constructing Memorial Hall was "unnecessary" because "we already have an A-bomb museum." This time, Prime Minister Koizumi said, "There is no redundancy between the two structures. The Memorial Hall will preserve A-bomb witness accounts, images, and other precious materials. The more time passes, the more people will understand the importance of what this building provides."

(Caption)Prime Minister Koizumi offering flowers in the Hall of Remembrance