On August 6th, Japan commemorates the 70th
anniversary of the US atomic bombing (A-bomb) of Hiroshima and on August 9
of Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.
The famous B-29 Bomber, Enola Gay, introduced the world to nuclear horror
by dropping a 15 kiloton bomb – small, by today’s standards – on Hiroshima,
killing 140,000 people and, few days later, on Nagasaki, killing 70,000. Tens
of thousands were added to the casualties in the following years, due to the
nuclear energy side effect. In total, the two bombs are said to have claimed
the lives of 450,000 people. The U.S has never apologized for the civilian
casualties.
For decades, thesurvivors of the attacks– known as Hibaku –
have played a prominent role in the peace and anti-nuclear movement. Survivors
today are mostly in their 80s.
Hiroshima’s Mayor, Kazumi Matsui, plans to call on leaders around the
world, as well as his own, to foster mutual trust, avoiding tension that could
lead to a nuclear standoff.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is known to be in favor of signing a
defense pact with the United States that many legal theorists argue is against
the spirit of the Japanese Constitution. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
is part of the Hiroshima legacy and forbids the use of the use of military
force to settle international disputes.
Large protests against the Japanese government are expected in a country
whose anti-nuclear movement has been recently reinforced following one of the
most serious nuclear plant disasters in history.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/70th-anniverary-of-the-a-bomb-on-hiroshima/