Did PM Takaichi Lay Flowers at the Grave of the Pilot Who Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki? She Visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. [Fact-Check]

Posts with video claiming that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi laid flowers at the grave of the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki spread widely online — but the claim is false. The video shows Takaichi laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington, D.C., during her visit to the United States for the Japan-U.S. summit on March. The pilot referenced in the posts is actually buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery.

※This is the English version of the article below.

https://www.factcheckcenter.jp/fact-check/international/no-tribute-from-takaichi-at-sweeneys-grave/

CLAIM UNDER REVIEW

The Viral Claim

On March 25, 2026, a post with a video claiming that "Horrifying Shame as Japan's Prime Minister laid flowers on the grave of the pilot who dropped the bomb on Nagasaki" spread widely on X. As of April 2, the account that posted the original has been suspended.

Why We're Fact-Checking This

As of March 30, the post had been reposted more than 2,000 times and viewed over 2.1 million times. It also spread in Japanese, and given its significant reach, we decided to fact-check it (examples:1, 2).

VERIFICATION

What the Video Shows

The viral video is 47 seconds long. It shows Takaichi visiting Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington and laying flowers there on March 20. Overlaid in the corner is separate footage of bombs being dropped from an aircraft.

The sound of soldiers' commands and a military band can be heard, but there is no narration.

She Visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery

It is a fact that Takaichi visited Arlington National Cemetery and laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during her U.S. trip (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, "Prime Minister Takaichi's Visit to Arlington National Cemetery and Wreath-Laying," March 20, 2026).

The Prime Minister's Office official YouTube channel also published a short video of the ceremony. Based on the individuals present and their attire, the video that spread online can be confirmed to be footage from that same event (@kanteijp, "Visit to Arlington National Cemetery — PM Takaichi #shorts").

The Pilot Is Buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Not Arlington

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a burial site for unidentified soldiers who died in war. So is the pilot cited in the post — the one who dropped the bomb on Nagasaki — actually buried at Arlington?

According to the U.S. Air Force website, the pilot was then-Major Charles W. Sweeney, as stated in the post (Official United States Air Force Website, "Major General Charles W. Sweeney").

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, Sweeney is not buried at Arlington National Cemetery but at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Massachusetts (Veterans Legacy Memorial, "Charles W. Sweeney, Dec. 27, 1919 – Jul. 16, 2004").

No Record of Travel to Massachusetts

Takaichi's schedule can be verified through the Prime Minister's Office website and news reports. She arrived at the U.S. Air Force's Joint Base Andrews near Washington, on the afternoon of March 18 (local time) aboard the government aircraft. She participated in the Japan-U.S. summit, a dinner reception, and other events, and departed the base on the afternoon of March 20. There is no record of her traveling to Massachusetts during that time (Prime Minister's Office: "U.S. Visit — Day 1 (1)," "Day 1 (2)," "Day 2"; Jiji Press: PM's Schedule March 19, March 20, March 21).

Origin: Russian Media Outlet Pravda

Three days before the claim  under review was posted on social media, Russian media outlet Pravda had published articles — from March 22 onward, in its U.S. and U.K. editions — claiming that Takaichi had laid flowers at Arlington National Cemetery at the graves of Charles Sweeney and others.The Pravda USA article was accompanied by a nearly identical 47-second video.(Pravda USA, March 22; Pravda UK, "Japan's PM Lays Flowers on the Grave of Nagasaki's Killer," March 24.)

VERDICT: FALSE

Posts with video claiming that Japanese PM Takaichi laid flowers at the grave of the pilot who bombed Nagasaki spread widely. The video cited as evidence shows PM Takaichi laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Furthermore, the pilot in question is buried not at Arlington but at the Massachusetts National Cemetery. The claim is therefore rated FALSE.

Fact-checker’s Note

Claims that "PM Takaichi laid flowers at the grave of the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki" were reported not only in Russian media outlets, but also in Iran and Armenia (IRNA News Agency, March 22; NEWS.am, "Japanese PM visits cemetery where pilot who dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is buried," March 24).

These reports serve to amplify a narrative that "Japan is at America's beck and call." Whether this was intentional or based on misunderstanding is difficult to determine, but the factual errors are clear.

Information dissemination aimed at manipulating public opinion is called an "influence operation." Influence operations targeting Japan spread not only in Japanese, but in the languages of countries around the world.

SOURCES

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. "Prime Minister Takaichi's Visit to Arlington National Cemetery and Wreath-Laying." March 20, 2026. https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/na/na1/us/pageit_000001_02809.html

@kanteijp. "Visit to Arlington National Cemetery — PM Takaichi #shorts." https://youtube.com/shorts/-8GQdMqvkWo?si=RLaeaGfQhi-uXpkm

Official United States Air Force Website. "Major General Charles W. Sweeney." https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/article/105472/major-general-charles-w-sweeney/

Veterans Legacy Memorial. "Charles W. Sweeney, Dec. 27, 1919 – Jul. 16, 2004." https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/CHARLESWSWEENEY/95E924B

Prime Minister's Office. "U.S. Visit — Day 1 (1)." https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/105/actions/202603/19usa_1.html

Prime Minister's Office. "U.S. Visit — Day 1 (2)." https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/105/actions/202603/19usa_2.html

Prime Minister's Office. "U.S. Visit — Day 2." https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/105/actions/202603/20usa.html

Jiji Press. "PM's Schedule (March 19)." https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026031900538&g=pol

Jiji Press. "PM's Schedule (March 20)." https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026032000182&g=pol

Jiji Press. "PM's Schedule (March 21)." https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026032100180&g=pol

Pravda USA. "During her visit to the USA, the Japanese Prime Minister Takayoshi visited the Arlington National Cemetery and laid flowers on the graves of American soldiers who occupied Japan, including Charles Sweeney, the pilot who.." March 22. https://megalodon.jp/2026-0331-1227-30/https://usa.news-pravda.com:443/usa/2026/03/22/706769.html

Pravda UK. "Japan's PM Lays Flowers on the Grave of Nagasaki's Killer." March 24. https://uk.news-pravda.com/world/2026/03/24/132461.html

IRNA News Agency. March 22. https://megalodon.jp/2026-0331-1225-50/https://x.com:443/IrnaEnglish/status/2035716403668619632

NEWS.am. "Japanese PM visits cemetery where pilot who dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is buried." March 24. https://news.am/eng/news/938425.html

Verified by:Ayako Nezu
Edited by: Kamome Fujimori, Daisuke Furuta