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TOKYO — Landmarks, medical institutions and other facilities across Japan are being illuminated in gold as part of the Gold September Campaign, an initiative globally observed as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, to highlight the importance of childhood cancer research and support. On the night of Sept. 9, Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward glowed in the campaign color.

The initiative was launched in 2021 following a call from the Japan Children’s Cancer Group (JCCG), an organization comprising pediatric cancer specialists and others. The color gold symbolizes the hope that children battling cancer will have bright futures.

Support for the campaign has steadily expanded since its first year, when 15 sites took part. More than 140 locations nationwide are scheduled to be illuminated by the end of this month.

“Tokyo Skytree has supported the campaign from the very beginning,” a JCCG representative said. “We have received many messages from patients and their families saying that looking up at the tower helped them keep going with their heads held high.”

The representative added, “I hope people will look at the warm light and spare a thought for the children persevering through treatment.”

(Japanese original by Haruno Kosaka, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)