Hiroshima: Japan commemorates 75 years of the atomic bomb

On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima, in western Japan. Three days later, the same nightmare repeated itself in Nagasaki.

Seventy-five years later, the bells rang Thursday in Hiroshima to mark this sad anniversary. Atomic bomb survivors, descendants of victims, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a few foreign officials attended the main remembrance ceremony early in the morning in Hiroshima, most wearing masks, due to the pandemic of Covid-19.

Hiroshima, Aug 6, 8:15 a.m. As the sound of the peace bell rings, a minute's silence is observed in honor of the victims of the atomic bomb that exploded over the city 75 years ago. pic.twitter.com/r66UdN0CNA

Limited ceremonies

The general public, on the other hand, had not been invited to the event due to sanitary measures, and had to content themselves with following the ceremony online. Other events were completely canceled, including the Hiroshima Floating Lantern Ceremony, laid at nightfall every August 6, in memory of the victims.

A silent prayer was held at 8:15 am local time, marking the exact moment the atomic bomb exploded in the sky over Hiroshima seventy-five years ago. “On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb destroyed our city. Rumor had it at the time that nothing would grow here for seventy-five years,” city mayor Kazumi Matsui said. "And yet, Hiroshima has recovered, becoming a symbol of peace," he added, calling on civil society to reject the "withdrawal into oneself" of nationalisms. 

"I pledge to do my best for the advent of a world without nuclear weapons and lasting peace," promised Shinzo Abe, often criticized for his intention to revise the pacifist Japanese constitution.

The "Little Boy" bomb killed around 140,000 people in Hiroshima. Numerous casualties were killed instantly, and many more also died from injuries or radiation in the weeks and months that followed. Three days later, a second American A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, causing 74,000 additional deaths.

These two bombs of a destructive power unprecedented at the time brought Japan to its knees: on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced to his subjects the surrender to the Allies, thus signing the end of World War II. .

Historians, however, continue to debate whether this double nuclear attack actually saved more lives by hastening the end of the conflict. Many consider the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be war crimes, given the unprecedented scale of their devastation and the large number of civilian casualties. 

"A world without nuclear weapons seems more and more distant"

The United States has never officially apologized. But in 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims and called for a world without nuclear weapons.

In 2019, Pope Francis also traveled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to hammer home his total rejection of atomic weapons, which he called a "crime", and to vilify the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, a "false security" poisoning on the contrary relations between peoples, according to him.

The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres regretted in a video message broadcast Thursday, that the goal of eliminating atomic weapons, formulated by the UN from its inception, is still unfinished. "Today, a world without nuclear weapons seems more and more distant," he said.

On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, @INakamitsu, the head of the Bureau @UN_Disarmament paid tribute to the victims & courageous survivors "to whom we are indebted & who reminds us of the human cost of war nuclear ". https://t.co/XykRDkM9ds

Some atomic bomb survivors have drawn parallels between their battle with nuclear weapons and the current coronavirus crisis. "Whether it is the coronavirus or nuclear weapons, the way to overcome [these challenges] is solidarity between peoples," Keiko Ogura, an 83-year-old survivor of Hiroshima, recently told reporters.

Some 136,700 survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, called "hibakusha" in Japan, still live today. But with just over 83 years of average age, their strength is diminishing and they seek to pass the baton of witnessing to new generations.

With the help of other activists against atomic weapons, the hibakusha have created an archive of their memory, whether in the form of recorded testimonies, poems or drawings. Despite these initiatives, many fear a loss of interest in their legacy when they are no longer there, although the nuclear threat still remains.

With AFP and Reuters

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application