JAPAN / FILE: Survivors of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima look to U.S. and United Nations to realise their dreams of a nuclear free world

Record ID: 465662

  • Title: JAPAN / FILE: Survivors of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima look to U.S. and United Nations to realise their dreams of a nuclear free world
  • Date: 6th August 2010
  • Summary: PICTURE SHOWING KASAOKA'S FAMILY BEFORE THE BOMBING PICTURE SHOWING KASAOKA WHEN SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD
  • Embargoed: 21st August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA92VDDPTL2IZEWAJD9K6XX4IJ6
  • Story Text: Ahead of the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, survivors look forward to nuclear free world while hoping to keep the memory of the tragedy alive.
    At 8:15 a.m. on August 6th 1945, the U.S. B-29 bomber Enola Gay, dropped the Hiroshima bomb, called "Little Boy", which released a mix of shockwaves, heat rays and radiation that killed thousands instantly.
    Sadae Kasaoka was only 12 years old when the bomb hit. And while she herself survived the explosion and subsequent radiation, most of her friends did not.
    After the smoke cleared, the bodies were put in mass graves along the beach and burned. It was Kasaoka's job to make sure the flames did not spread.
    "Their dreams, hopes and bodies were all killed by the bomb. (When they were burning the bodies), I felt like I could see their spirits. I want to live my life to make up for the part of theirs they couldn't. I feel that my role has become to live and tell everyone what a tragic and miserable situation it actually was," Sadae Kasaoka told Reuters as she remembered the horrors of the past.
    The toll from the bombing rose to 140,000 out of an estimated population of 350,000 by the end of 1945 with thousands more dying of illnesses and injuries later.
    While some have called on the United States to apologize for dropping the bomb, Stephen Leepeer, an American who chairs the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and oversees operations at the Hiroshima peace museum, explains otherwise.
    "By any definition, they were a war crime, so I am down on those bombings. However, I'm not going to make an issue of that with any American or ambassador or government official or anybody else, because that is not the point. The point is how do we keep it from happening again," said Stephen Leeper.
    UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and a representative from the United States will attend the anniversary ceremony at the city's Peace Memorial Park. This will be the first time a sitting UN Secretary General will attend commemorative ceremonies.
    "And having Ambassador Roos here, and Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon come here for the first time ever. This is the first secretary general to ever come to this ceremony. This is a tremendous event for us, and we are very excited about it not because of the prestige it gives us, but because we think this is a change in how the world is thinking about nuclear weapons," Leeper said.
    The number of bombing survivors is rapidly dwindling, and those who remain are doing their best to keep the memories alive.
    "I think that the reason I have been able to live so long is so that I can tell the next generation about the equality of life and the importance of peace. That's my mission," said Tomoko Matsumoto, a 78-year-old survivor who lost her entire family in the blast.
    "What I want is to get rid of all nuclear weapons. If the United States were to take the lead, I think that other countries would approve and follow along," Matsumoto added, who also said that she would welcome a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.
    Obama said last year he wanted to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki while in office.
    Three days after the Hiroshima attack, on Aug. 9, 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, in southern Japan.
    Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending the military aggression that brought it into World War Two.
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