Many historians believe that the real reason Truman chose to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was to ensure that the Japanese would surrender to the USA alone, making the US the sole occupier of post-war Japan. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
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SANTA CRUZ Nearly 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at the Santa Cruz town clock Saturday to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima during World War II and to mourn the lives of more than 225,000 Japanese killed in Japan on that day.
The ceremony was held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was attended by some 50,000 people from 91 countries.
During his speech, Matsui hearkened back to a call made by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, “to realize a world free of nuclear weapons”.
During World War II, an American B-29 bomber called the “Enola Gay” dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, on the morning of August 6, 1945.
Seventy-one years ago this month, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
During the solemn ceremony, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui recalled the visit by Obama in his peace declaration, citing the president’s historic speech. The bomb killed close to 80,000 people instantly and the death toll later went up to about 135,000.
President Obama, who became the first USA sitting president to visit site of the first atomic bomb, met with Mori at the May 27 ceremony, and gave him a hug which immediately took the world’s attention. He did many years of research identifying 12 American war prisoners who also became victims of Hiroshima bombing in August 6, 1945. The Soviets were given incentives to do so and at the Yalta conference in February 1945 were allowed to attack Japan 90 days after Germany surrendered.
“I oppose Abe’s visit to Hiroshima as well as his talk of peace”, said Motoki, who is also against Abe’s attempt to revise the country’s pacifist constitution. And three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons.
While honing in specifically on the perceived threat carried by U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump, Mr Comerford criticised British prime Theresa May following her recent support for the renewal of Trident, the UK’s nuclear deterrent. The smallest are four times more powerful than the “Fat Man” bomb dropped at Nagasaki; most are 10 times more explosive.
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Seventy-one years ago, the USA detonated two nuclear bombs in Japan, killing 200,000 people – mostly civilians.
