Work began Monday to reinforce the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, known as the "Atomic Bomb Dome", against earthquakes as part of Hiroshima's efforts to better protect cultural heritage in Japan, local press reported.

The reinforcement scheme includes the evaluation of seismic capacity while drilling holes in the wall of the building and taking out samples of resin concretes and mortars which had been used for renovation process in the past, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun said.

On Monday, more than 10 construction workers carried materials and equipment used for the seismic strengthening works to the grounds where the memorial building is standing on and started to construct a working floor by installation of scaffolding or others.

While specialists point out that there is the fear that the memorial building is insufficiently earthquake resistant, Hiroshima City has said, based on the result of its inspection since 2007, that the building is not currently in danger of falling down even in the event of an earthquake that measures six on the Japanese earthquake damage scale of one to seven.

But the report said the city decided to continue its detailed investigations into at least four parts, which are not supported by joists, of the wall which may be unstable by being overloaded, and to carry out strengthening works of the building.

The report also said that the anti-seismic reinforcement project at the memorial site will continue until July.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, which is commonly called in Japan " Genbaku Dome" and part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on Aug. 6, 1945. A total of 70,000 people were killed instantly and another 70,000 suffered fatal injuries from the radiation. According to the city, the building, designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel, was originally constructed in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and the ruin was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and now serves as a memorial spot to the people who were killed in the bombing.