Ceremony of offering paper cranes for wishing for peace in the town of the U.S. atomic bomb development base

Ceremony of offering a wish for peace in the town of the U.S. atomic bomb development base August 7, 10:03

On the 6th, 75 years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a ceremony was held for the first time in the town that became the development base of the atomic bomb in the United States, offering cranes in hope of world peace.

The ceremony was first planned by Oakland, Southern Tennessee, by the Parks Department, which manages a historic American facility, and was attended by about 100 residents.

Oak Ridge has facilities related to the so-called "Manhattan Project," a development and manufacturing plan for the atomic bomb that was promoted by the United States during World War II, and it is also called "Atomic City" from its history.

After gathering the bells made in hopes of friendship between Japan and the United States, the people gathered on a paper with a paper crane design saying, "War is a terrible thing," and "a more peaceful world will be realized." Was being written.

One of the Oak Ridge residents who attended the ceremony said, "I think the atomic bomb killed a lot of people, but I think the dropping of the atomic bomb ended the war early. I came to remember it."

Another person said, "I attended thinking about both the A-bomb survivors and those involved in the plan. I hope that such a tragedy will never happen in the future."

Also, the Park Bureau recruited paper cranes on this day, and about 40 paper cranes were shown at the venue.

The message and paper cranes are to be held in 2045, which is 100 years after the atomic bomb was dropped, in order to convey the history of the atomic bomb and the thoughts for peace to future generations.

In the United States, President Trump said in a statement last month that it has been 75 years since the first nuclear test in human history, ``leading to the end of World War II and bringing unprecedented stability to the world'' There is a strong opinion that "the atomic bombing was necessary to end the war".

Regarding the significance of the ceremony in such a situation, the Park Bureau said, "It is important to keep in mind that the atomic bomb caused unprecedented physical and psychological damage to people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki." is.

US Government Park Service “It is important to stop and think”

Chris Kirby, who is in charge of the facilities related to the "Manhattan Project" at the Park Department of the US government, told NHK in a telephone interview about the significance of the ceremony, "The atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago. It's important to recognize that the Manhattan plan and the many complex decisions that led to the atomic bomb's release confuse us and continue to this day. I thought it was important to stop and think even in time."

“We do not support or object to the decisions made during World War II. The Parks Department does not have the power to comment on US government policy,” said Kirby. The issues surrounding the issue are very complex and pose a lot of controversial danger, so we try to have an objective explanation and diverse perspectives."

"Atomic bomb town" Even now...

Oak Ridge in Tennessee where the ceremony was held was one of the bases of the so-called "Manhattan Project", a development and manufacturing plan for the atomic bomb that was promoted by the United States during World War II. It was placed.

The town was later called "Secret City", which means "secret town" in Japanese, or "Atomic City," which means "town of atomic bomb," and there are still energy-related facilities such as nuclear power. , Has become a key industry of the town.

There is also a museum in the town that tells the history of the atomic bomb, and the opinion that "the atomic bombing was necessary to end the war" remains strong.

Richard Cook, who has lived in this town for many years, said, "It would have been much worse if the U.S. troops had invaded Japan further at that time. What happened in this town during World War II was But it inspires people."

A movement to reconsider history

In the United States, there is a strong opinion that the atomic bombing was necessary to end the war, but recently there are some voices who are trying to reconsider its history.

Amber Biary, western Idaho, found the Park Department soliciting a message for the peace of origami cranes and sent them with her son.

It means that the message "Love, hope, peace for all people" was written on the paper crane.

“I want to teach children about the importance of peace. I want to learn about the past of our country and learn why we did it with the heart of praying for peace. I don't think it was because it was a difficult decision in a complicated situation at the time, but the results of the A-bomb experiments should have made it clear how serious the damage would be to people." ..