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Hiroshima
(Japan): For the first time in 65 years, a U.S. official
attended the annual memorial of the world's worst nuclear bomb
attack, at Hiroshima. While the decision has been welcomed by
Japanese, many have expressed mixed feelings.
The site of the world's worst atomic bomb attack echoed with choirs
of schoolchildren and the solemn ringing of bells on Friday as
Hiroshima marked its biggest memorial yet and the first to be
attended by the U.S. and other major nuclear powers.
Washington's decision to send U.S. Ambassador John Roos to the 65th
anniversary of the bombing was seen by many as potentially paving
the way for President Barack Obama to visit Hiroshima - which would
be unprecedented for a sitting U.S. leader.
Along with the U.S., Britain and France also made their first
official appearance at the memorial, as well as U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Altogether, 74 nations were
represented.
China, which sent a low-ranking official in 2008, was not
participating. Officials said it did not give a reason.
Hiroshima was careful to ensure that the memorial - while honoring
the 140,000 who died on or soon after the attack on Aug. 6, 1945 -
emphasised a look-forward approach, focusing not on whether the
bombing was justified, a point which many Japanese dispute, but on
averting a future nuclear attack.
Roos said the memorial was a chance to
show resolve toward nuclear disarmament.
"For the sake of future generations, we must continue to work
together to realise a world without nuclear weapons," he said in a
statement.
Ban, who presented flowers at the Eternal Flame in Hiroshima's Peace
Memorial Park, said this year's memorial will send a strong signal
to the world that nuclear weapons must be destroyed.
"Life is short, but memory is long," Ban said. "For many of you,
that day endures ... as vivid as the white light that seared the
sky, as dark as the black rains that followed."
Ban added that the time has come to move from "Ground Zero, to
Global Zero" - a world without any nuclear arms.
Washington's presence welcomed
Washington's decision to attend the anniversary has been welcomed by
Japan's government, but has generated complex feelings among some
Japanese who see the bombing as unjustified and want the United
States to apologise.
"Americans think that the bombing was reasonable because it speeded
up the end of the war. They try to see it in a positive way," Naomi
Sawa, a 69-year-old former teacher, said after paying her respects
to the dead. "But we were devastated."
About 140,000 people were killed or died within months when the
American B-29 'Enola Gay' bombed Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Three
days later, about 80,000 people died after the United States
attacked Nagasaki.
The United States decided to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki because it believed that would speed up Japan's surrender
and avoid the tough battles expected to take Japan's mainland. Fears
of bloody battles were heightened by Japan's intense defences of
outlying islands - such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II.
Concerns that attending the ceremony - an emotional event beginning
with the offering of water to the dead and a moment of silence to
soothe their souls - would reopen old wounds had kept the U.S. away
until this year.
Former President Jimmy Carter visited Hiroshima's Peace Museum in
1984, years after he was out of office. The highest-ranking American
to visit while in office is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who went in
2008. Roos also visited Hiroshima soon after assuming his post last
year.None went for the annual memorial, however.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in Washington
on Thursday that Obama believed "it would be appropriate to
recognise this anniversary" by sending Roos.
The State Department deemed the time was right to do so, and it was
a chance to push Mr. Obama's goal of nuclear disarmament.
Hiroshima's mayor praised that position. "We are encouraged that our
voice is being heard," Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said in a speech at the
ceremony. "It is the wish of the survivors of the bombing that the
voices of peace will be heard."
Akiba called on the Japanese government to take a leadership role in
nuclear disarmament toward "turning a new page in human history.I
offer my prayers to those who died - we will not make you be patient
much longer."
Hiroshima has invited Obama to visit the city, and he has expressed
interest in doing so at some point while he is in office. But such a
visit would be highly controversial.
Peace is important
At Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, where Friday's ceremony was
held, some visitors expressed concerns that Japan's view of the
bombing - seen by many as excessive use of deadly force - conflicts
with America's view.
Katsuko Nishibe, a 61-year-old peace activist, said she welcomed the
decision to send Roos, but added that she thought it was dangerous
to think that the bombing of Hiroshima was justified."I don't think
it was necessary," she said. "We have a very different
interpretation of history. But we can disagree about history and
still agree that peace is what is important. That is the real lesson
of Hiroshima."
The number of survivors able to attend the ceremony is steadily
falling as more die of old age.
According to Japan's Kyodo news agency, the average age of the
survivors is over 76 years, and the number of certified survivors
has fallen to 227,565 from a peak of 370,000.
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