Hiroshima city is the capital of Hiroshima prefecture , and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Japan . About a million people live in Hiroshima . One national university was set-up in each prefecture , including Hiroshima University , which combined eight existing institutions ( Hiroshima University of Literature and Science , Hiroshima School of Secondary Education , Hiroshima School of Education , Hiroshima Women 's School of Secondary Education , Hiroshima School of Education for Youth , Hiroshima Higher School , Hiroshima Higher Technical School , and Hiroshima Municipal Higher Technical School ) , with the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical College added in 1953 .