Hiroshima Lights Torch for Asian Games: A Message of Peace

The road to the Asian Games began in silence.

In Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Thursday, under the shadow of the cenotaph and within sight of the Flame of Peace, Japan lit more than just a torch relay. It lit a message.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui stepped forward to draw fire from the Flame of Peace, the eternal tribute to those killed in the Aug. 6, 1945 U.S. atomic bombing. From that flame, he lit a ceremonial torch. Moments later, Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of the Japanese men’s national soccer team, raised a lighting rod, and its tip caught the same fire. The blaze was then transferred carefully into a golden lantern, sealed and protected, ready to travel.

Around them, officials and guests watched in the still air. Among them was Hideaki Omura, governor of Aichi Prefecture, which will stage the upcoming Asian Games.

For Moriyasu, the moment carried a personal echo. He began his playing career in Hiroshima, first in the corporate game and then as a professional. Now, as national coach, he stood back in the city where his journey started, speaking not about tactics or formations, but about what sport can carry.

“I think that sports have the power of binding different values and cultures together,” he said. He added that he wants athletes heading to the Asian Games “to compete with all their strength while wishing for peace.”

The symbolism ran deep. Hiroshima hosted the Asian Games in 1994, using that tournament to project a vision of recovery and reconciliation. Three decades on, the city again lends its flame to a continental event, this time one centered mainly in Aichi Prefecture from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

The Hiroshima ceremony formed one part of a broader relay story. Earlier in the week, Tokyo — host of the 1958 Asian Games — held its own flame-lighting event on Tuesday. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi and another key hub for the Games, has its own flame as well.

The strands come together this weekend. On Saturday, the fires from Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagoya will be united at Nagoya Castle. From that merged flame, the torch relay for the Asian Games in Aichi will begin, carrying with it not only the usual promise of competition and medals, but a clear reminder of where this particular journey was lit — and why that matters.