More than seven decades since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima people are still attempting to cope with its legacy and health consequences, the Japanese ambassador to Ireland said at a commemoration event on Saturday.
Advertisement
August 6: Hiroshima on Saturday observed the 71st anniversary of the USA atomic bombing during the Second World War in 1945, with the mayor calling for a nuclear-weapon-free-world at a function held at the Peace Memorial Park.
Mayor Kazumi Matsui has called on world leaders to do more to free the world from nuclear weapons and to follow in the footsteps of President Barack Obama, who made a historic visit to this city in May. Six days after the Nagasaki attack, Japan surrendered, ending the war.
“His visit was the proof that Hiroshima’s strong wish not to tolerate the “absolute evil” was shared by President Obama”, he said.
The first use of nuclear weapons against humans annihilated Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly. “We must re-imagine our connection to one another as members of the human race”.
In May, Obama became the first occupant of the White House to officially visit the city. He did not offer an apology for the bombing.
Terumi Kuwada, a former president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, said the day is to honour those killed by nuclear weapons. He urged him to join Obama in taking the leadership toward ridding the world of nuclear weapons. The list bore the names of 2,723 people, including 12 who died over the past year. The bombing in Hiroshima killed about 150,000 people, and the raid on Nagasaki claimed the lives of some 70,000 people.
“It speaks to our long-term commitment to the abolition of nuclear weapons”, said Isaacs.
Advertisement
“As America used nukes once you can bet the time will come that they would use them again, and not just one or two, maybe dozens”, he added. This year also features a brief interview with Julie Salverson, a drama professor at Queen’s whose research and writing focuses on the atomic age. This was an action that the United States hoped would help to end the war in the Pacific. “Despite the progress we saw in the 80’s, nuclear weapons experts agree that the risk of a nuclear attack today is higher than it was during the Cold War”.
