No more Hiroschimas!

From my jofyful experiences in Osaka, I went to Hiroshima and Nagasaki - quite the emotional contrast. Among other sights, I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum which made it their mission to spread the word about the atomic bombings that took place in August 1945 - with the hopeful intention that others do not have to experience the same kind of terror. This is further demonstrated via their slogans „No more Hiroshimas“ and „Peace begins in Nagasaki“.

The extent of the destruction and suffering displayed in the museums was shocking, to say the least. The exhibits were partly very graphic and made me equally angry and sad. More than once I found myself shaking my head about the horrifying scenes. The museums definitely reached their goal: making their visitors think about the many people who had lost their lives as well as the people that had survived but had to endure much suffering in the aftermath of the attack. While the museum in Nagasaki detailed very well the scientific aspects of the bombing, the museum in Hiroshima focused more on the people. I made a photo of one of the stories for you so that you better understand what I mean.
In total 140.000 people had died due to the atomic bombings till the end of 1945 in Hiroshima - in Nagasaki it had been 70.000. The „lucky ones“ died instantly when the bombs exploded - probably without even knowing what was happening. People sustained injuries up to 15 km far away from the center of the bombing. These people died in the days and months after the bombing due to radiation poisoning, severe burns or as a consequence of their other injuries. BUT: the death toll from above does not yet include those people who died 5, 10 or more years after the bombing from leukemia or cancer.

It is well-documented how carefully planned the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was. The U.S. (and their allies) wanted to end World War II before the Soviet Union gained too much influence in the world. Japan was actually already in a weak position by the time. Nevertheless, the U.S. wanted to force their quick surrender - at least officially. So, they chose a few Japanese cities to demonstrate the superiority of their new weapon. A later study carried out by the U.S. themselves showed that this was completely unnecessary since Japan was about to surrender anyways. So, the objective was to send a message to the rest of the world and to assure U.S. supremacy in the post-war world order.
Also the reasons for selecting Hiroshima and Nagasaki as places to drop the atomic bombs seemed rather cruel to me. The months long preparation involved selecting cities which size, topology and military facilities promised to show the most significant destruction. Moreover, ordering a second bombing with a plutonium bomb only 3 days after the uranium bomb in Hiroshima hints at the possibility that this was just an experiment for the U.S. It is hard to fathom that Harry S. Truman (the president of the U.S. who ordered the attacks) was capable of making such a terrible decision. But he did and even defended it when asked about it later in the fifties of the 20th century.

Outside the museum, I was asked by some school kids to write a peace message into their notebook. Apparently, some homework they have been tasked with on their excursion. The schools of Hiroshima put a lot of emphasis on educating their students about the history of their city. Rightly so! I think every human being should visit Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki and learn first hand about these tragedies in 1945 as well as the importance of disarming again after the arms race of the Cold War in the 20th century.

It doesn’t take long to realize that people in these cities wish for only one thing: peace. It’s written all over both places. In Hiroshima, there is the „Promenade of Peace“, the „Peace Memorial“, even the football stadium is about to be renamed to „EDION Peace Wing Hiroshima“ in 2024 and there are many more examples. In Nagasaki, there is the „Peace Statue“, the „Fountain of Peace“, the „Peace Bell“ … you get the idea. To me it was surprising and admirable at the same time that both cities - that had suffered such devastating losses for what I would call questionable reasons - arrived at this humble conclusion and now advocate for peace (see https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/1… and https://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp.e.jc.hp.transer…). Let’s hope their gruesome experiences stay in our memories for a long time and keep the leaders of today’s world from using these weapons of mass destruction again.

To end this post on a positive note:

the last days made me realize (again) how incredibly lucky 🍀 I am - born and raised in Europe, in such peaceful times and currently having the chance to travel the world in complete freedom. I am nothing but grateful for my privileged life 🧿
Chances are, you - who are reading this - also belong to the privileged group of people that had a good life so far. Keep that in mind when you complain the next time about trivialities like the bus being late 😉

In this spirit … Peace ✌️Baca lagi