Unnamed physicist comments on the centrality of the A-bomb in Japanese identity
The overwhelming consensus among the Japanese is summed up by the following statement: Never Again.
Never again should the world bear witness to the use of nuclear weapons. Today, a sense of responsibility prevails among survivors to campaign against their use.
Hiroshima, a city that had always possessed a strong military identity, was coined the “International City of Peace” in the aftermath of the bombs.
During the 1950s, state money was poured into the city to fund peace projects. The Peace Park, built near the bomb’s hypocentre, contains the official Atomic Bomb Monument (built in 1953), the Peace Memorial Hall (1955), the Peace Memorial Museum (1955) and the Children’s Atomic Bomb Monument (1958). Additionally, the Peace Bridge and the Peace Road were constructed nearby. The A-Bomb Dome remains one of the few buildings that still stands from before the attack.
The inscription on the Atomic Bomb Monument represents the feeling that has been galvanized into the survivors’ essence over time. It reads:
Rest in Peace. The mistake shall not be repeated.
However, more important than these monuments is the collective response of the survivors. Not immediately forthcoming, this reaction has become stronger over time. Survivors spoke of a profound impact the bombings had on their lives and how it motivates them to continue to seek the eradication of nuclear arms and secure world peace. For many, putting their disfigurement to use was a means of therapy, giving them purpose and affirming that their lives are not meaningless.
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One reason for the delayed reaction was the censorship laws in effect during American occupancy. While Americans maintained a more or less pacifistic attitude during this time, their long standing policy of military secrecy, as well as the extreme sensitivity of the population, made it preferable to remove this issue from public discussion.
There was outbreak of anti-bomb literature after the Americans exited Japan in 1952, in particular following the infamous Bikini incident of 1954, where Japanese fishermen were exposed to the fallout of an an American administered hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific.
The bombs also had a profound role in shaping the new Japanese economy, centered on science and technology. This was reflected by new Minister of Education Tamon Maeda’s statements on August 19 when he declared that the new school system would place an “emphasis on basic science.” As if the link between the bombs and the new policy was not clear enough, a Japanese newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, ran an article titled “Toward a Country Built on Science” the very next day. Within this article, it was suggested that Japan had “lost to the enemy’s science.”
Thus the atomic bomb has had a profound effect on Japanese industry as well as shaping their views of peace.
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