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Hiroshima survivors worry that the world will forget

65 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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I think nobody who has been educated in world history would ever forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki for what kind of horrors those bombs left days and decades after. It would serve as a powerful reminder for countries to talk things over first before they start pushing buttons and authorizing launch codes. Let's just hope that world leaders right now and the years to come are aware of history so they won't make the same mistakes people in the past made.

25 ( +29 / -4 )

The headline leaves it hanging at "forget" but what the man said was

“I ask younger people to never forget us and to understand the tragedy, absurdity and cruelty of the war so that nuclear weapons will be eliminated from the world as soon as possible.”

I don't think there is much risk of people forgetting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since they are both large, vibrant cities with lots of things going for them, I actually admire them for not trying to redefine themselves away from being known as the places that suffered atomic bombing. I think they handle it very well.

What are often forgotten are the tragedy, absurdity and cruelty seen in all wars, not just "the war" (World War II) the man was talking about. The majority of people who died in WWII and in several conflicts since have been civilians. Even without nuclear weapons, any use of military force should be understood as meaning dead civilians. That is what happens every time.

25 ( +28 / -3 )

Humanity will never forget. I recommend everyone to visit both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are unforgettable places and proof that beauty and life can arise from ashes.

18 ( +30 / -12 )

Sadly, even if the world forgets, the world will create numerous reminders.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Not victims of the USA but victims of the IJA.

There were about 20 American soldiers as prisoner in Hiroshima who died from Atomic bomb there. Their families never forget their sons who died of it in Hiroshima. I saw the NHK documentary film that the prisoner list told their sons died of atomic bomb in Hiroshima, because the US Army never told them how they died in Japan.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

Japan brought this upon themselves and they have the gall to call themselves the victims?

Wait, the citizenry of Hiroshima weren’t innocent civilians? What were they? Soldiers? Government? How are the citizenry not victims?

10 ( +20 / -10 )

History has recorded the bombings and resultant effects on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They will never be forgotten as long as this civilization remains. People effected by horrific events want to ensure they are never forgotten.

From the Spartans defense against the mighty armies of Persia.

The fall of the Aztecs to the Spanish.

The holocaust of the Jews.

The Comfort women of WWII.

The trail of tears for the American Indians.

Pearl Harbor.

9/11.

Events like these will be remembered by most and all have been digitally recorded for the future to learn in schools when they learn of world history. Many other incidents, too many to mention here, will be taught to future generations. Lest we forget.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

What? The Japanese themselves forgot (and make little effort remembering) the suffering, death and horrors they've caused across Asia during the war. When was the last time you've seen a documentary on prime time Japanese TV about Japan's brutal occupation of various countries, leading to mass murderers and genocide? Never? Thought so...

8 ( +28 / -20 )

What's the need to drop atomic bombs on habitated areas? Why not drop them on uninhabited places as a warning? What happened was cruel beyond belief and prejudiced in my opinion.

8 ( +17 / -9 )

Did you know that the Japanese, like the Germans, were working on making an A-bomb? They would have used it on us non-Japanese if they had it.

Please, for the love of all that is holy, STOP talking as if Japan were some sort of telepathic Borg collective. The innocent, unarmed people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were NEVER consulted about any bombs or any military atrocities. None. Zip. Zero. What you are talking about is like a town having a criminal mayor, so you drive through the streets shooting random passers by on the way to go arrest him.

When a guy murders his neighbor do you go kill his other neighbors? Shoot his mother? Just look, there is no nationwide "they". The leaders were criminals. The military was full of criminals. Even some businessmen were criminals. Whole cities of old men, women and children were not criminals so you don't get to burn them alive. It obviously does not work that way. And just accept that fact cause nobody consulted you before dropping the bombs either. You bear no guilt or blame UNLESS you go excusing mass murder so just STOP.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Don't be worried.

We will never forget.

The self-aggranidizing Japanese government will see to that.

There is nothing better that it does than playing the victim.

7 ( +31 / -24 )

And yet it WAS Japan that started hostilities and who were responsible for many atrocities against the innocent.

The entirety of Japan WAS NOT responsible! How is this not obvious to you? I have no problem killing the individual Japanese responsible for atrocities, or even Americans for that matter. But you DON'T get to drop bombs on babies in cribs just because it will conveniently kill some of those responsible too! Have you not heard a word I have said? Are you honestly going to sit there and say that if one of your neighbors is a serial killer its okay to burn down your whole block with YOU in it to take him down? And feel some blame for his murdering cause that guy was from the same country, same state, same city and maybe even born in the same hospital as yourself? Pure nonsense!

Don't take blame for the unilateral actions of others and don't expect others to take such blame either! I don't. Harry S. Truman could have face a war crimes tribunal and its NOTHING to me! It would have been nothing to me in 1945 because I never would have been asked if its okay to drop A bombs and I would have said "NO!" anyway. Don't be a fool. You don't need to own it so don't bend over backwards trying to defend it! It wasn't YOU! It wasn't even a significant minority of people in Nagasaki or Hiroshima responsible for atrocities or the war itself. It was certain leaders of the government, military and business and after the war that's why they hung and not their children! Obviously!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

I hate to say it but I don't think Americans even have a clue about the harm the A-bomb can do. My own uncle was sent by the military to be exposed to nuclear bomb testing sites and it eventually killed him.

In my family home we were raised to hate Japanese for Pearl Harbor and that the A-bomb drops were just revenge, tit-for-tat. Even our schools leaned toward that idea. We were told that the Bomb saved lives because the Allies would have to kill everybody in Japan otherwise! Exterminate them. Wipe them out! Our own politicians have the Cold War as an excuse to lie, telling us nonsense that we could survive an atomic war, until Reagan and Gorbachev negotiated and the hachet was buried at the end of the 80s.

Many films were made about nuclear warfare and its effects and they all sucked. They weren't realistic at all. And even after the Cold War there were ignorant boobs blabbing about nuking Iraq, nuking somalia, nuking Haiti, nuking Afghanistan, etc. Americans have been poisoned by fairy tales about this, the ignorance and nationalistic chauvanism that usually goes with it is apalling and sickening. We have ignorance abound, generations educated enough to be idiots. Donald Trump himself threatened a nuclear war on NK a few years ago.

I'm pretty worried that the world is forgetting too, with all the sugar coated lies we get told in the media, history books and by the politicians. At the same time we now have the new methods of cyberwar, which is messy enough in this 21st century.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Yeah if Koreans must "get over it" with regards to comfort women, then to be fair, Japan needs to "get over it" regarding the A-bombs. Its done and in the past so forget about it. That seems to be the Japanese way forward, just forget the past. Why do they insist on bringing it up every year. Trying to embarrass America I guess. There can be no other reason.

5 ( +15 / -10 )

Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be forgotten. They were singularly and collectively the worst human atrocity events the world has ever known.

What Japan does seem to forget, or be ignorant to, is not being sensible enough to surrender before the bomb was dropped.

There is a lot of right and wrong in war, and it has been documented that the Japanese military murdered anywhere from 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 civilians in Asia.

I know many if not most Americans regret the dropping of the bomb. I doubt most Japanese people even realize how many innocent people got killed by Japan. It was barbaric and inhumane. I think whomever commits war atrocities should own up to them, and it starts with teaching their citizens what exactly happened in war time.

When Japanese people have a casual to a total lack of understanding of Nanking or Unit 731...the experimental and biological weaponry research center using Chinese citizens as human guinea pigs, literally doing documented things like vivisection, and often leading to the cruel death of the subjects, derogatorily and disrespectfully referred to as 'logs' by the Japanese...it unavoidably shows a systemic hypocrisy in Japan.

So, while I understand and believe the atomic bomb is the single worst action man has taken to kill fellow man, and should be remembered for its atrocity, I'd ask Japan to inform and educate citizens so they can comprehend why Japan should take responsibility for her terrible war actions and also so they understand why Japan had some blame for the bomb being dropped.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

The world won't forget but they will remember mostly the lies they were told in history class. That's the REAL trouble.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@jean colmar, the number of US Deaths was 12,500. Over 200,000 Japanese civilians died in the invasion. So what you are saying is the USA killed civilians to save the lives of their troops.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

jeancolmarToday  10:30 pm JST

There is one reason the U.S. decided to use the A-bombs. The Battle of Okinawa. The battle killed some 49 thousand American servicemen.

No. American casualties numbered some 12,500 killed and 36,500 wounded.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Yea, 100,000 cilvilans, old men. women, children and babies fried in seconds, or cursed to live with radiation caused diseases for the rest of their lives couldn't possibly qualify them as "victims".

4 ( +28 / -24 )

@OssanAmerica,

Not victims of the USA but victims of the IJA.

The US didn't brainwash them into never giving up,the US didn't ask them to attack Pearl Harbor,the US didn't ask them to launch pointless kamikaze missions the Imperial Army and Navy of Japan did.

It is time to stop playing the victim card and to become a grown-up,rounded person who can see from both sides instead of only one.

3 ( +30 / -27 )

No one blames the US any more, but just blames all kinds of atomic bombs all over the world. 

And you know exactly why? Because they can't! There is no "villain" in this a-bomb history because they are too embarassed to point out why they were bombed, so every year they keep pitying themselves over Hiro & Nag bombings without even discussing the whys, almost as if it was some kind of tsunami-like natural disaster or something.

3 ( +13 / -10 )

Do you think Japan still blames the US about atomic bomb? No one blames the US any more, but just blames all kinds of atomic bombs all over the world

It is the bombs fault for falling on two Japanese cities. That hardly makes any sense.

It seems to me Japanese moved on about it decades ago. That's why the Memorial Service is held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in every August.

That is contradictory. They have not moved on if they memorialize it yearly.

And yet when South Korea remembers the comfort women it stirs up a storm in Japan because the Koreans wont stop remembering or talking about it. Hypocritical to the max. For "victims" of the bombing you are happy to elicit sympathy. For the "victims" of the Comfort women tragedy you have zero sympathy and actively berate those who remember or discuss the event. Not a pretty look when that happens.

3 ( +12 / -9 )

Kiyoshi Tanimoto -This is your life-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPFXa2vTErc

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japan was the aggressor. Lets not forget that.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Vanessa CarlisleToday  12:49 am JST

And yet it WAS Japan that started hostilities and who were responsible for many atrocities against the innocent.

The entirety of Japan WAS NOT responsible! How is this not obvious to you? I have no problem killing the individual Japanese responsible for atrocities, or even Americans for that matter. But you DON'T get to drop bombs on babies in cribs just because it will conveniently kill some of those responsible too! Have you not heard a word I have said? Are you honestly going to sit there and say that if one of your neighbors is a serial killer its okay to burn down your whole block with YOU in it to take him down?

Right there is the problem. Too many people in America thought it was OK to nuke Japan, some even wish we nuked the whole nation out of existance (with Pearl Harbor as the excuse). The problem was that Japan, like the other Axis Powers had a fascist regime. They controlled everything - all the books, mags, radio, telegraph, telephones, what little TV there was, education, newspapers, all. They had students and workers and neighborhoods perform 'defense' drills and word was 'everybody's against good ol' us'.

In a World Studies class in college we read a translated book by a Japanese writer who lived during that period. After the regime was toppled Hideiki Tojo and his cabinet of war ministers were tried and executed for crimes against humanity. The Japanese public did not know what was going on, they had been living under a totalitarian government that LIED to them.

Such is the nature of a totalitarian regime, and it's how fascism acts. Fascism also has plagued other nations too. You don't hate the nation or its people, you hate the criminal government that causes the problems. And in this case, the fascist leaders then ruling Japan were the ones to be punished. And they were.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Insist Koreans to "get over it" still keep pushing this pity a-bombed Japan year in year out?

If this was an ocasion to protest what the J-gov put its citizens through out of pure greed, that would be another story..

1 ( +13 / -12 )

thank you for giving us the chance to read this, JT. and no, I will never forget.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Did you know that the Japanese, like the Germans, were working on making an A-bomb? They would have used it on us non-Japanese if they had it.

In fact a German submarine was on its way to Japan with weapon-grade uranium in its hold. Before the sub could get to Japan Germany surrendered. The captain very sensibly announced that the sub would surrender. The Japanese on board said they would commit suicide. The captain asked them to used poison. He did not want blood and guts all over his submarine.

Did you know that the fanatic military hierarchs attempted a coup after Hirohito finally had the good sense to surrender? Did you know that these fanatics would have sacrificed every Japanese rather than surrender?

Had Japan surrendered sooner there would not have been any atomic bombings.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

We were the aggressor, and people here should realise that. Many don't know as we don't learn about it at school.... We should be ashamed...

I've found attitudes of Japanese I've met who lived through the war quite different from those born after. Perhaps not so different in other countries.

My Japanese mother-in-law tells me the atomic bombings came as a huge relief to her and to many others. She was about 14 at the time. Neither she or myself can say whether that is justification for the atomic bombings.

Another person I knew told me he was practicing with a bamboo spear near Mount Fuji when the Hiroshima bomb fell, being trained to repel the invaders. He told me he laughed looking at his spear and realizing how pathetic these activities were. He was also 14 at the time.

Another lived in Tokyo's Shinagawa-ku, his brother already killed in active service, and he told me he got a little angry at the Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial events. He felt the Tokyo fire bombings deserved the same level of memorial. (I agree with him.)

And at a funeral in Shikoku for an elderly family member, I was dragged into the room where his old buddies were drinking and reminiscing. The comment I remember: "Well old [name withheld] will be the only person round here to have a gaijin at his funeral." A pause, and then, "The only thing you can say about the war is that we really lost it."

My dad's philosophy was along the lines of, "Defend your friends, don't attack your enemies."

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Why would they worry about being forgotten?

Unlike the stories of 'comfort women' and the forced labourers under the brutal IJA which apparently must no longer dredged up, the A-bomb victims will forever be paraded by Japanese pollies so they can continue to run with the story they were the victims not the aggressors of war.

0 ( +21 / -21 )

SpitfireToday  06:12 pm JST

It is always a......'one beautiful Summer's day in August of 1945 an American bomber decided to drop a bomb on us for no apparent reason.'The 'Victimhood' can go to hell. Both the atomic bombs were justified. If you don't believe so you don't know how brainwashed Japan was at that time.

You don't know how brainwashed you are. Fortunately the majority of Americans don't think like you. For the record, I personally consider the use of the A-bombs unjustified, but the first one necessary. The second was both unjustfied and unecessary, And I grew up through the cold war and with the post WWII education of how good we were and how bad "they" were. It's our ability to accept and recognize our faults that make us better than others. Of course, if you're not American this means nothing to you.

0 ( +12 / -12 )

@OssanAmerica,

Dig yourself another hole.

i am brushing mouthing under the carpet unlike you and your countrymen.

man,the truth must really hurt.

0 ( +12 / -12 )

S Koreans still complain about it after the treaty settled in 1965 and agreement settled in 2015 to Japan,

Those agreements never included any clause expecting the South Koreans to forget the events or to stop talking about them nor did it deny them the right to erect statues for remembrance. They have every right to remember and talk about comfort women without the constant verbal attacks by many Japanese when they do. It may be that Japanese attitude that prompts more discussion as to why Japan is so insensitive on this issue and some even deny it being an issue. As in International citizen neither Japanese nor Korean I can say it is an ugly side to those Japanese who berate and harass those who discuss this issue. It is not, nor is it ever about Japanese shame it is about South Korean pain.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I, born 9 months after the Hiroshima / Nagasaki massacre, have grown up in the shadow of the atomic bombs and the impact it has had on societies around the world will never be forgotten.

One can continue to discuss for another 75 years, the reason why Japan attacked the United States, but it can never justify the eradication of innocent people suffering it caused.

The United States can never apologize that the driving force was to test which of the bombs was most effective. Uranium-based or plutonium.

It was necessary to hurry up before the war he ended, so there was very short of time.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The survivors have also lived for decades with lingering shame, anger and fear. Many in Japan believed radiation sickness is infectious or hereditary.

This the Japanese did to their own with impunity. When the bombing remembrance ceremonies are held, this fact is ignored. There's only one perpetrator in the narrative. Unfortunately, the Japanese people never address how they turn on their own and condone it. Burakumin. Hibasha. 3/11 Victims. Hafu. Now COVID-19 front line workers or people who fall ill.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Nobody will forget as long as Japan remembers their aggressive and bad military actions in China and Asia.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

All people have to do is look at the news today from Beirut - if that wasn't a mini-nuke I'm Genghis Khan. How can people forget, when mini-nukes were used in Angola, and more recently in Yemen?

It seems that you are now Genghis Khan.

Nukes in Angola? I don't remember that. South Africa did threaten it once upon a time but didn't follow through. Nukes in Yemen? I must have missed that too.

You are right about Pearl Harbour though, the US was told about the Japanese intentions to bomb PH six days prior to the event but decided to let it happen so they could join the war.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The world has forgotten that during the past 75 years "peaceful coexistence" existed between the U.S., Russia (then Soviet Union) and China

With the exception of that "little" conflict in Korea when Chinese soldiers and Soviet Air forces battled the US and allies for a couple of years with conventional weapons.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

SpitfireToday  04:56 pm JST

@OssanAmerica,

Not victims of the USA but victims of the IJA.

It is time to stop playing the victim card and to become a grown-up,rounded person who can see from both sides instead of only one.

Are you kidding? Do you believe that the fact that for 70 years Japan has continued to resist efforts by the U.S. to eliminate Article 9 is a "bad" thing? Japan refuses to change it because of their belief that they were "victims" of the Imperial Japanese military that lead them down the path to war.

-1 ( +18 / -19 )

What? The Japanese themselves forgot (and make little effort remembering) the suffering, death and horrors they've caused across Asia during the war.

The japanese are very selective regarding what is to be swept under the rug and what should be never forgotten.

-1 ( +14 / -15 )

As horrible and tragic it was... the world will not forget: unlike Japan forgot about Unit 731, the numerous times it invaded Korea, Comfort women, the atrocities and slaughter of the Okinawan peoples. Always remember when you F&$k with a bull sometimes you catch the horns. To the victims of both bombings. WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU. Peace on earth and good will to all men.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Unfortunately, recent Japanese society is forgetful.

Present Japanese general public forget soon whatever happen.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Nobody should forget what war does. It is always the civilains who suffer. As in this case, why bomb Hiroshima & Nagasaki?? A cowardly action!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Vanessa Carlisle

Did you even visit a museum about the japanese expansionist war in Japan ? If yes, you should be able to understand that your allegory doesn't represent the reality of Japan at that time. Your serial killer managed to brainwash or corner the majority of his neighbor into fighting to death for him and the block was mostly unreachable moreover if trying to aim to the single serial killer with the era technology.

Acknowledging the reason good and bad why the bomb where used is necessary to reduce risk of it to happen again.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

@Vanessa Carlisle

The entirety of Japan WAS NOT responsible! How is this not obvious to you? I have no problem killing the individual Japanese responsible for atrocities, or even Americans for that matter. But you DON'T get to drop bombs on babies in cribs just because it will conveniently kill some of those responsible too!

The entirety of Japan was at WAR. The whole country willingly or not was supporting the war of aggression and expansion against its neighbors and KILLING BABIES with its bombs. Lets not discuss the nanking massacre of civilians or the death marches. Do you honestly think that people were going to stop making war on Japanese cities for fear of killing the innocent when Japan was killing innocents all across the pacific and Eastern Asia? How is it not obvious to you that war kills people. That those who start a war are responsible for the dead and injured on both sides. due to their starting the hostilities against innocent others? Your view is very simplistic and wrong. War is the worst state of humanity because it strips us of compassion and allows for the wholesale slaughter of the innocent in the pursuit of victory. When a soldier hears that his family has been destroyed by an enemy action, how much sympathy remains inside that soldier for the enemy and their families? Think on that.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

All people have to do is look at the news today from Beirut - if that wasn't a mini-nuke I'm Genghis Khan. How can people forget, when mini-nukes were used in Angola, and more recently in Yemen?

Nukes are now looked at as tactical weapons, to be used early, rather than a strategic insurance policy.

It is generally accepted that the use of nuclear bombs on Japan was not a necessary act, but was a message to Russia by the US.

As for the build-up to Pearl Harbour, I recommend reading Robert B. Stinnett's 'Day of Deceit'. Yes, sure, Japan was engaged in expansionist aggressive war, just like the US and it's cronies (sorry, 'Alliance of the Willing') in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Regime Change in Libya and Syria, with Venezuela and Iran now in their sights.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Peter14

It is the bombs fault for falling on two Japanese cities. That hardly makes any sense.

Remember Japan started that war and lost it finally. The US had done what they had to do it at that time. That was political and military decision to end the war. It makes a lot of sense to me. However nukes killed so many civilians. Atomic bombs and comfort women are completely different matter. S Koreans still complain about it after the treaty settled in 1965 and agreement settled in 2015 to Japan, but Japan has not complained any thing to the US since the end of the war, because Japan has moved on a long time ago.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

No, the world will never forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The memories, words, photos and stories about the A-Bomb survivors forever be perpetuated. Even those postwar Hiroshima and Nagasaki people will claim to be A-Bomb "survivors" and retell their grandparents stories.

But people forget there was a WAR being waged at the time. PM Tojo and the IJA refused to surrender.

People have forgotten the Battle of Okinawa, the last major conventional battle of the Great Pacific War and how Japan sacrificed the island and its people to buy time to prepare for the U.S. invasion.

People also forget there was a time when the world was nuclear-free, i.e., prior to 1945. The world during those times was at war and all the wars prior to 1945 have been fought with CONVENTIONAL weapons.

The world has forgotten that during the past 75 years "peaceful coexistence" existed between the U.S., Russia (then Soviet Union) and China attributable to the very existence of nuclear weapons. These nuclear weapons have made war unthinkable and forced leaders to resolve issues peacefully through dialog and negotiation.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Japan needs to "get over it" regarding the A-bombs.

Do you think Japan still blames the US about atomic bomb? No one blames the US any more, but just blames all kinds of atomic bombs all over the world. It seems to me Japanese moved on about it decades ago. That's why the Memorial Service is held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in every August. More than 90 countries join in the the Ceremony.

-3 ( +9 / -12 )

You people please remember that we only been reading the history that winner of War wrote... Maybe another history also exists... Starving Japan out... Maybe...

-4 ( +15 / -19 )

@finally rich

it seems to me they are not embarrassed at all about the memorial service every August. It is just a ceremony. All countries have some kinda ceremony every year. They just hate such nuclear bombs that many countries are making,,,,,, and hope not again somewhere in this world. Therefore more than 90 countries join in the ceremony every year.

-5 ( +8 / -13 )

Please, for the love of all that is holy, STOP talking as if Japan were some sort of telepathic Borg collective. The innocent, unarmed people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were NEVER consulted about any bombs or any military atrocities.

Perhaps not. But their sons, brothers and fathers still fought the allies and no doubt killed many. The people of those towns no doubt worked in military factories producing goods that killed allied personnel. And then there were those who did not support war.

And yet it WAS Japan that started hostilities and who were responsible for many atrocities against the innocent. This proves that there are no real winners in war and that the innocent on both sides are often among those who pay the most awful price.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

I think the world should forget. It will probably prefer not remembering. It wasn't the worlds fault anyway. The world didn't drop bombs on itself. It gets enough damage from solar flares/bursts, asteroids and space debris probably. It might not be too fond of typhoons either.

To the world it would have to remember the reason why the bombs were dropped here anyway and it probably benefits more by concentrating and or focusing on other things.

I was born in America and am quite proud not to have had involvement in the droppings.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were important before the detonations and I am more interested in that than in the execution of a militaristic decision. Likewise I would like to think the world and the people living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including survivors, mean more to me as well.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

There is one reason the U.S. decided to use the A-bombs. The Battle of Okinawa. The battle killed some 49 thousand American servicemen. The U.S. military realized an island by island invasion would crease unimaginable carnage. The A-bombs were really a last resort.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

The Japanese themselves forgot (and make little effort remembering) the suffering, death and horrors they've caused across Asia during the war

The death tolls in some of the countries that get no attention are astounding. There were huge invasion-induced famines in most of the countries the Japanese invaded. It should be one of the big stories taught about the war, not technology porn about tanks, radar, or bouncing bombs.

-7 ( +8 / -15 )

A lot of my young-adult students think the atomic bomb dome is "boring", maybe they could make it more interesting with some quirky mascots.… of course I am kidding, but it feels kind of inevitable that these horrific things will eventually be forgotten. Thats just the way our society works. We cant even take actual threats such as climate change seriously, let alone things that happened 70+ years ago.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Um, yeah, I hardly think the right wing nut jobs in the LDP and their Nippon Kaigi palls will let that happen.

-9 ( +6 / -15 )

playing the victim

I would agree only to the extent that they are not the actual victims per se. I would at the same time be compelled to stress the importance and necessity of others helping to ensure people are constantly reminded that there are those who are capable (both physically and mentally) of engaging in massacres of this scale, as history has shown as recently as less than a decade ago.

-11 ( +2 / -13 )

OssanAmericaToday 04:48 pm JST

Yea, 100,000 cilvilans, old men. women, children and babies fried in seconds, or cursed to live with radiation caused diseases for the rest of their lives couldn't possibly qualify them as "victims".

Yes indeed, someone seems cursed to suffer radiation almost of their own making. Let's see.... Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukushima daiichi ......and..God forbid, by the horrible relationships of the world family of countries today, if not careful another several may be unleashed soon on the world.The doomsday clock is 30 secs to Midnight.

-12 ( +5 / -17 )

I don't think its about forgetting, its about greed, racism, bigotry and intolerance. I don't trust the Israelis with their nukes. In fact, they won't even admit they have them. You would think a country like Israel would have learned from the horrors of WWII, yet they continue to defy international law, illegally occupy land and terrorize the Palestinians. Keep an eye on them.

-18 ( +5 / -23 )

My question is : we're was Japanese Air defence? No radar? No defence planes protected borders. I would understand to make one mistake when first bomb was thrown but after that... No high alert? No extra air defence? Or what is the real story here? Test on humans? Answer?

-27 ( +2 / -29 )

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