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  • World - Asia
  • Updated: August 06, 2020

Japan To Commemorate 75th Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Anniversary

Japan To Commemorate 75th Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Anniversary

Seventy-five years ago, Japan was a recipient of the world's first atomic bomb that was dropped on the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese are celebrating the lives lost amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The celebration, scheduled to hold in Hiroshima on Thursday, will be honoring survivors, their relatives, and some foreign notable individuals.

Due to the pandemic, the event will not be accommodating members of the public, as the celebration will be made available online for streaming.

The physical event which usually includes floating lanterns along the Motoyashu River has been cancelled due to the increases in coronavirus cases in the country.

READ ALSO: Beirut Explosion: 70 Killed, More Than 4,000 Injured

Hiroshima's mayor, Kazumi Matsui, said of the event, “Hiroshima’s mission of calling on people across the world to work towards peace."

A Look Into the Past

On August 6, 1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima that claimed over 140,000 lives, with many of the victims dying instantly, while others died in subsequent weeks due to radiation exposure, burns and other injuries.

The second bomb dropped in Nagasaki by the United States claimed the lives of 74,000 people.

These bombings were said to have necessitated Japan's surrender to the US, which brought about the end to the second World War, although, there are still speculations regarding that assertion.

The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was dubbed the "Little Boy" bomb, and was made of uranium-235, while the second bomb dropped on Nagasaki dubbed the "Fat Man" bomb was made of plutonium, the more complex of the two bombs.

Apologies Unspoken

The United States is yet to issue an apology to Japan in something that is regarded as a war crime within Japan.

Former US President Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima where he expressed his condolences, calling on a nuclear weapon-free world.

A survivor of the war, 83-year-old Keiko Ogura, said that the pandemic bears the same markings as the horrors of 1945, stating,  “I recall the fear I felt right after the bombing.

"No one can escape," she added.

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