Atomic Bomb Anniversary

Earlier this week, Japan marked the atomic bomb anniversary and urged the world leaders to dismiss nuclear arms. 71 years have passed since the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where more than 200,000 people had been killed by the blast of the explosion and acute radiation poisoning.

Each year, Hiroshima and Nagasaki asks world leaders to come and listen to the stories of the survivors, in the hope they would manage to persuade the nations to give up on nuclear weapons.

In May, Barak Obama was the first US president that visited Hiroshima. He delivered a speech asking nuclear powers to renounce their reasoning based on fear and to stop the production of atomic bombs.

Even though the tour was somewhat short, and the speech of the US president was found to be a bit abstract, it is a huge step forward in admitting the importance of banning nuclear weapons. Another interesting fact is the exposure given by the visit, which addresses in a powerful way the issue of atomic bomb use, striking civilians and militaries in a non-discriminative way.

Moreover, the media said that it is very likely that the Obama administration will submit a resolution to the UN Security Council asking for a ban on nuclear weapons testing. Another request would be to have the US assume a “no first use” policy when it comes to its nuclear arsenal.

However, it is yet unclear if Japan itself will adopt the same line in terms of nuclear weapons. The population does not agree with the Japanese government that is somehow reluctant in taking a firm position in abolishing nuclear weapons.

The Hiroshima ceremony hosted in the commemoration of the atomic bomb anniversary involved official representatives of 100 nations.

The local authorities stress the fact that seeing the exhibits from the Peace Memorial Museum can immediately make anyone understand the importance of stopping the development of nuclear weapons.

However, the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been improperly covered in the media, in such a way that people from all over the world do not have a correct idea of the horrific impact of the atomic bomb.

Media preferred showing images of mushroom clouds and buildings, while the pictures of bodies damaged by radiation and of human remains after the blast are often not showed in the press.

As per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, there are almost 15,400 nuclear weapons in the world.

Image Source: Wikipedia