For sake of peace, world leaders should visit Hiroshima in person

[webfact]

For sake of peace, world leaders should visit Hiroshima in person
Editorial Desk
The Yomiuri Shimbun

TOKYO: -- Thursday marks the passage of 70 years since an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On Sunday, Nagasaki will also mark the 70th anniversary of becoming a victim of an atomic bomb during the war.

Many years have passed since the day when a nuclear weapon was used for the first time in human history. The average age of atomic bomb survivors is now above 80.

About 70 per cent of Japanese people do not know the dates when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This finding came through a public poll taken by NHK. The importance of handing down the memory of the atomic bombings from generation to generation has grown greater than ever.

Rose Gottemoeller, US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, will attend this year’s peace memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki — the first time for a senior US government official to be sent from Washington to attend an annual ceremony.

In a peace declaration to be announced at the peace ceremony, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui will call on US President Barack Obama and other leaders from across the world to visit the sites of the atomic bombings.

Next spring, a summit meeting of the Group of Seven major nations (the Ise-Shima summit) will be held in Japan, and Hiroshima is slated to host a related meeting of foreign ministers. It will be a good occasion for them to encounter the reality of a place where an atomic bomb was dropped.

Presently, an atomic bomb exhibition, sponsored by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and other entities, is being held in Washington, the first such exhibition there in 20 years. Included on display are a watch whose hands stopped at the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, and the Hiroshima Panels, joint works by the artists Iri Maruki, a Hiroshima native, and his wife Toshi Maruki.

Full story: http://asianewsnetwork.feedsportal.com/c/33359/f/566601/s/48c7cbac/sc/6/l/0L0Sasianewsnet0Bnet0Cnews0E791440Bhtml/story01.htm


-- ANN 2015-08-07

[lonewolf99]

For the sake of peace all Japanese should visit the "Death Railway" and have it properly explained to them how many Allied soldiers and slave labourers were killed, tortured and starved to death.

Not shown to them as a grreat engineering feat and a money making scam that Thailand has made of it.

They should also go to Nangking in China and discuss the rape and death that took place there, Then they can go to Korea to meet the "Comfort Women".

Before anyone wipes away crocodile tears for the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, think very long and hard why it happened in the first place.

[mmh8]

I agree with the above poster. The only thing hiroshima taught is that when at war with ignorant asians you've got to do massive cullings to make any impact on the same same state of mind. Unless a few cities are nuked they will remain ignorant.

what gets me is the oh so terrible business that should really be prominant, as above and I'm sure there's many that think the couple of bombings were not enough to teach the japs a lesson. number dead per sleeper laid. the atrocities throughout china, burma etc etc. even to some degree the nazi germans treated people better. this does not help world peace, far too contentious,

the only truth out there is start a war kill millions and watch your economy grow unlike any other. worked for the germans, it worked for the japanese

[Scott]

Off-topic post and reply removed.

[uksomchai]

What happend all those years ago was truly horrific but the reason that the decision was made to do this has been totally ignored by the media. It is fine saying that this should never happen again but it should also serve as a very serious deterrent for aggressors around the world.

Those that died were innocent victims of a Government that was evil

RIP

[Publicus]

Several years ago the US ambassador attended the Hiroshima ceremonies for the first time. Now as noted in the OP the Under SecState for arms control will attend. So I suspect it won't be long before a US president attends.

With the G-7 meeting in Japan next spring it probably will not be very long at all, but that's my guesstimate so good on him if he does go.

The United States btw has never apologized or regretted dropping the two A-Bombs because there's no reason to even consider it. People who don't know when or how to surrender precipitate the consequences of their obstanacy.

Japan is now a long term security ally of the US in East Asia and is seen in Washington as the Britain security equivalent of the Orient, the Pacific, South China Sea and the Asian continent, which is a valued position and status.

PM Shinzo Abe is implementing his "democracy diamond" of security from Japan to Hawaii, to Australia on to India back up through the Taiwan Strait to Japan. During recent times Japan and India have had joint Naval maneuvers in the East Sea and in the SCS.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

[Benmart]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

I was born in 1951. I didn't know any of the key people who influenced President Truman to use the bombs. I am not privy to the "official" reasons for that decision. Most, if not all, of the key people in the decision process are dead. Had the bombs not been used and the Japanese mainland invaded, I have no idea how many on both sides would have been killed as a result. The thought is a frightening as the use of the bombs is.

As a veteran, I have visited memorials, shrines, cemeteries and monuments dedicate to the millions of people who died in various conflicts around the world. I too felt a sense of sadness and despair in the futility of war.

All I know is that untold millions died in locations all over the world and none of my words will ever bring them back, justify, defend or explain their demise. RIP.

[Publicus]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

The US Operation Downfall for the invasion of the Japanese home islands would have resulted in a total of upwards of one million Americans and Japanese dead, injured, wounded. Plus massive Soviet Russian mechanized army groups were sweeping across Japanese occupied Manchuria then on to the Korean peninsular soon to also be landing in northern Japan.

So the post completely misses a huge global and years long historical event except for one day and then another day.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Publicus

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

For the sake of peace all Japanese should visit the "Death Railway" and have it properly explained to them how many Allied soldiers and slave labourers were killed, tortured and starved to death.

Not shown to them as a grreat engineering feat and a money making scam that Thailand has made of it.

They should also go to Nangking in China and discuss the rape and death that took place there, Then they can go to Korea to meet the "Comfort Women".

Before anyone wipes away crocodile tears for the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, think very long and hard why it happened in the first place.

That was mindreading!!!! I wanted to write exactly the same! BRAVO!!!!

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

This might be of help for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki crocodile tear shedding people:

The Chinese asked the Japanese to at least apologize for their atrocities, they never did!

[Seeker1953]

The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace.

I respectfully request you substantiate this claim - that they offered to surrender - with some historical facts. I'm serious. I'm not flaming you. I want to know if this is your opinion, something you read at the site of the blasts, in a history book or some other source.

And I wonder how deeply the distrust of Japan's word ran after the promises just before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

thank you,

Bill

[HughJass]

For the sake of peace all Japanese should visit the "Death Railway" and have it properly explained to them how many Allied soldiers and slave labourers were killed, tortured and starved to death.

Not shown to them as a grreat engineering feat and a money making scam that Thailand has made of it.

They should also go to Nangking in China and discuss the rape and death that took place there, Then they can go to Korea to meet the "Comfort Women".

Before anyone wipes away crocodile tears for the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, think very long and hard why it happened in the first place.

all countries were guilty of atrocities during WW2

the Russians allegedly raped 2 million german women and children and murdered many of them

the US allegedly saw to it that over a million German POWs died in the year after the war

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

The US Operation Downfall for the invasion of the Japanese home islands would have resulted in a total of upwards of one million Americans and Japanese dead, injured, wounded. Plus massive Soviet Russian mechanized army groups were sweeping across Japanese occupied Manchuria then on to the Korean peninsular soon to also be landing in northern Japan.

So the post completely misses a huge global and years long historical event except for one day and then another day.

No I think your post confirm what I said. The most important reason for the dropping of the bomb was to warn the Russians and not the potential loss of American lives in case of an invasion. And no I dont see Hiroshima as a one day event I see it in historical context but not with American, Japanese or British eyes. Do some research on the US oil sanctions against Japan pre-Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on the Japanese war strategy.

[lap82]

No I think your post confirm what I said. The most important reason for the dropping of the bomb was to warn the Russians and not the potential loss of American lives in case of an invasion. And no I dont see Hiroshima as a one day event I see it in historical context but not with American, Japanese or British eyes. Do some research on the US oil sanctions against Japan pre-Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on the Japanese war strategy.

Agreed

Edited August 7, 2015 by lap82

[NeverSure]

all countries were guilty of atrocities during WW2

the Russians allegedly raped 2 million german women and children and murdered many of them

the US allegedly saw to it that over a million German POWs died in the year after the war

Allegedly huh? Evidence, please? I'm throwing the BS flag.

[NeverSure]

Dropping the bombs was not unlike punching a bully on the playground in strategy. When you take that bully out you not only rid yourself of the problem he's causing, but you demonstrate to anyone watching that they'd best not mess with you either.

It's possible to try to determine "why" the bombs were dropped but in the end they were dropped to end the war.

Cheers.

[Credo]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

The US Operation Downfall for the invasion of the Japanese home islands would have resulted in a total of upwards of one million Americans and Japanese dead, injured, wounded. Plus massive Soviet Russian mechanized army groups were sweeping across Japanese occupied Manchuria then on to the Korean peninsular soon to also be landing in northern Japan.

So the post completely misses a huge global and years long historical event except for one day and then another day.

No I think your post confirm what I said. The most important reason for the dropping of the bomb was to warn the Russians and not the potential loss of American lives in case of an invasion. And no I dont see Hiroshima as a one day event I see it in historical context but not with American, Japanese or British eyes. Do some research on the US oil sanctions against Japan pre-Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on the Japanese war strategy.

Japan was at war and you think that oil sanctions is a big problem? Unbelievable. Someone was interfering with their war effort and you view that as a bad thing?

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

I see that many posters here have never ever actualy visited the site. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was not sadness, it was not awe, it was a sense of despair at humans ability to inflict pain on others. Hereby I dont try to talk away their crimes in the war. The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace. The US refused this term and wanted unconditional surrender, as we know Japan still have an emperor today, so why were the bombs dropped. The truth may include revenge for Pearl Harbour and a warning to the Russians, but not the official reason of the potential lose of life if the US invade Japan, because they already offered their surrender.

The US Operation Downfall for the invasion of the Japanese home islands would have resulted in a total of upwards of one million Americans and Japanese dead, injured, wounded. Plus massive Soviet Russian mechanized army groups were sweeping across Japanese occupied Manchuria then on to the Korean peninsular soon to also be landing in northern Japan.

So the post completely misses a huge global and years long historical event except for one day and then another day.

No I think your post confirm what I said. The most important reason for the dropping of the bomb was to warn the Russians and not the potential loss of American lives in case of an invasion. And no I dont see Hiroshima as a one day event I see it in historical context but not with American, Japanese or British eyes. Do some research on the US oil sanctions against Japan pre-Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on the Japanese war strategy.

Japan was at war and you think that oil sanctions is a big problem? Unbelievable. Someone was interfering with their war effort and you view that as a bad thing?

Where did I say it was a bad thing I said it had an influence on their war strategy.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace.

I respectfully request you substantiate this claim - that they offered to surrender - with some historical facts. I'm serious. I'm not flaming you. I want to know if this is your opinion, something you read at the site of the blasts, in a history book or some other source.

And I wonder how deeply the distrust of Japan's word ran after the promises just before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

thank you,

Bill

Bill another article came up today with quotes from US generals regarding the dropping of the bombs.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-08-07/dropping-bomb-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-was-never-justified

[chuckd]

The fact is that they agreed to surrender before the bombs were dropped, but wanted to keep the emperor inplace.

I respectfully request you substantiate this claim - that they offered to surrender - with some historical facts. I'm serious. I'm not flaming you. I want to know if this is your opinion, something you read at the site of the blasts, in a history book or some other source.

And I wonder how deeply the distrust of Japan's word ran after the promises just before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

thank you,

Bill

Bill another article came up today with quotes from US generals regarding the dropping of the bombs.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-08-07/dropping-bomb-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-was-never-justified

And from yet another link...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Predicting Casualty Numbers

Truman met with the Joint Chiefs and other senior advisers in June 1945 to review the initial invasion plans. At least four different opinions emerged about potential casualties. These estimates for U.S. losses on Kyushu ranged from as low as 31,000 for just the first thirty days, to a total of about 280,000. Truman authorized the landing on Kyushu, but withheld his approval for Coronet.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/pacific-operation-downfall/

---------------------------------------------------------------------

This estimate was for the invasion of Kyushu only.

[chuckd]

The battle for Okinawa in the March to June 1945 time frame resulted in the following numbers:

US deaths 20,195 with a KIA count of 12,520

Japanese military death counted from 77,166 to 110,000

Civilian deaths were between 40,000 and 150,000

And this was the battle for one small island with an airfield near the main islands of Japan.

The Japanese military and people wanted to die for their Emperor. The bombs saved hundreds of thousands of them from having to do so.

[Andrew65]

For the sake of peace all Japanese should visit the "Death Railway" and have it properly explained to them how many Allied soldiers and slave labourers were killed, tortured and starved to death.

Not shown to them as a grreat engineering feat and a money making scam that Thailand has made of it.

They should also go to Nangking in China and discuss the rape and death that took place there, Then they can go to Korea to meet the "Comfort Women".

Before anyone wipes away crocodile tears for the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, think very long and hard why it happened in the first place.

all countries were guilty of atrocities during WW2

the Russians allegedly raped 2 million german women and children and murdered many of them

the US allegedly saw to it that over a million German POWs died in the year after the war

In recent years I did read in a few weighty tomes about WWII (written by highly regarded war historians), that the Red Army/Soviets inflicted 80 - 90% of all Nazi casualties. Numbers far higher than many people believe. What happened in Russia/Operation Barbarossa was truly & staggeringly awful.

[Andrew65]

The battle for Okinawa in the March to June 1945 time frame resulted in the following numbers:

US deaths 20,195 with a KIA count of 12,520

Japanese military death counted from 77,166 to 110,000

Civilian deaths were between 40,000 and 150,000

And this was the battle for one small island with an airfield near the main islands of Japan.

The Japanese military and people wanted to die for their Emperor. The bombs saved hundreds of thousands of them from having to do so.

Allegedly the fire-bombing of Tokyo resulted in more deaths than the A-bombs.

There was also, allegedly, large numbers of Soviet troops streaming across Manchuria, in an easterly direction, towards Japan.

Another poster has stated that the Japanese had offered to surrender, I have heard of this before, but I don't believe that this was ever conclusively established as fact.

[arunsakda]

The dropping of the Atomic bombs was not necessary to end the war. Truman did not listen to his top Generals, most who advised against it. Bull Halsey advised it would be a barbaric war crime. Even LeMay admitted it was unnecessary. The 500,000 figure is revisionist history BS that came from a Truman book in the 1950s. It has become an absurd joke shoved down America's throat for 60 years. actually Truman was advised an invasion of Japan would cost 40,000 Allied casualties. This number is based on the dubious possibility the Japanese military would be able to be supplied and fed somehow while the nation was completely isolated and completely vulnerable to B29's that bombed with impunity.

There were hardly no military targets left to attack. Hiroshima had been kept untouched as a test ground for the scientists new toy. In a war of superlative atrocity the Atomic bombing of Japan remains one of the most shocking war crimes of history and can never be justified. I hoped President Obama could have taken this opportunity to visits Hiroshima and formally apologize to the Japanese on the behalf of the America. instead , he pushes ahead with more bombs and a completelynew state of the art plutonium facility at Los Alamos. Nobel Peace prize my foot!

As for the Japanese offering surrender they did do so, but only on condition the "National Polity" was retained. The U.S. Insisted on "unconditional" surrender but then allowed Emperor Showa to remain, as part of the U.S. postwar strategy and even rehabilitated his image as some kind of "victim", when everyone knows what should have happened to him. More propaganda and lies. Many books have been written about this.

Edited August 8, 2015 by arunsakda

[mmh8]

there is no doubt that dropping the bombs was essential. otherwise the critical experiment of understanding the dropping of the bombs would have never been known at that time. the effect on city, on big number of people etc. thus others may have used them.so in dropping these bombs the japanese were quelled. the japanese basically deserved it for their atrocities. and to make them surrender

units rounded up throughout the AP region refused to beleive that Japan had surrendered, since death comes first in the culture at that time certainly, so they needed Japanese interpreters to explain the emporor had surrendered.

on the balance of justice who's to say Japans treatment of civilans pow, burma railroad etc throughout asia was not a worse death that killing of cities. the majority of citizens would not have felt a thing, whereas the japanese enforced torturous conditions on all that came under their thro.

the generation that was involved will die and this will be forgotten, then ignorants people such as the natives of thailand will start beleiving hitler was a hero and japan did nothing wrong in China, burma etc etc.

less contentious would be holocaust memorial for sake of world peace. maybe it would help israeli extremists to be a bit more human, it would generate discussion on the most contentious issues in the world as now a country called Israel exists, etc etc.

[jaidam]

and while these world leaders are sat in their dickie-bow ties feasting on crustaceans and champers at Hiroshima, wouldn't it be great to bring back Enola for one last fly past and drop another FatMan (after removing the poor Japanese civilians from danger). Nobel peace prize material for sure.

[mmh8]

ha ha I guess this has just put you on the fbi most wanted list, next time even on a transfer they will grill you