The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, three days later, are credited by some historians with ending World War II. The dome was the only building left standing near the bomb’s hypocenter after the nuclear attack.
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At 8:15am (2315 GMT), the exact time the bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, the crowd stood for a moment of silence in the heavy summer heat while cicadas shrilled, the Peace Bell rang and hundreds of doves were released into the sky.
Hiroshima mayor Matsui used Thursday’s ceremony to criticize Abe’s security plans, saying leaders should stick with the “pacifism of the Japanese constitution”.
Yonkovig’s story is not the only one in Northumberland County so closely tied to the bombings at Hiroshima. The desire for an apology has persisted in the country even as Japan struggles to come to terms with atrocities committed by its own forces during World War II.
Fortunately, the events of that day have also been documented by investigative journalists like John Hersey, who wrote first-hand accounts of the events that were published a year later, on August 31st of 1946 in “The New Yorker”. That is because Abe has a “future-oriented” vision, they said.
Prime Minister Abe mourned the souls lost in Hiroshima earlier today, but in the days ahead, he faces a hard task, to acknowledge the lessons of history and reposition his country amid the enduring mistrust of his neighbors.
There are still more than 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world.
About 50,000 people attended the ceremony in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, including U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and global Security Rose Gottemoeller and representatives of about 100 other countries. Moving the U.S. closer in policy and perspective to Japan would help to accomplish the abolition of nuclear weapons. Does the post-Hiroshima generation still appreciate the horror of nuclear weapons and the dangers posed by the prospect of a nuclear conflict?
“Seventy years on, I re-emphasize the necessity of world peace”, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the memorial service.
“I hope that the Japanese government will serve as a bridge between nuclear-capable nations and those without, and be at the forefront of nuclear disarmament discussions”.
The co-pilot of the Enola Gay, Robert Lewis, later wrote, “My God, what have we done?” after seeing the destruction of the bomb. “Our hearts go out to the survivors”, he said. A “black rain” of radioactive particles adopted the blinding blast and fireball, and has been linked to greater charges of most cancers and different radiation-related illnesses amongst survivors.
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“We are all growing older”, he said.
