TOKYO — Japan marked the 67th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack with a ceremony Monday that was attended by a grandson of Harry Truman, the U.S. president who ordered the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima.
About
50,000 people gathered in Hiroshima’s peace park near the epicenter of
the 1945 blast that destroyed most of the city and killed as many as
140,000 people. A second atomic bombing Aug. 9 that year in Nagasaki
killed tens of thousands more and prompted Japan to surrender to the
World War II Allies.
The ceremony, attended by representatives of
about 70 countries, began with the ringing of a temple bell and a moment
of silence. Flowers were placed before Hiroshima’s eternal flame, which
is the park’s centerpiece.
Truman’s grandson, Clifton Truman
Daniel, and the grandson of a radar operator who was on both of the
planes that dropped the atomic bombs, joined in the memorial. Ari
Beser’s grandfather, Jacob Beser, was the only person who directly took
part in both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
In a news conference after the memorial, Daniel declined to comment on whether his grandfather’s decision was the right one.
“I’m
two generations down the line. It’s now my responsibility to do all I
can to make sure we never use nuclear weapons again,” he said, according
to Japan’s Kyodo news service.
Daniel, 55, said in a statement
earlier that he decided to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki because he
needed to know the consequences of his grandfather’s decision as part of
his own efforts to help achieve a nuclear-free world.
The U.S.
government sent a representative — the American ambassador — to the
annual commemoration for the first time two years ago. Ambassador John
Roos attended the Hiroshima ceremony on Monday.
Hiroshima Mayor
Kazumi Matsui said Japan must take a bolder role in leading global
disarmament efforts and called on world leaders to come to his city to
“contemplate peace.”
He also said the nuclear accident at
Fukushima last year has shown the dangers of nuclear technology, even
for peaceful purposes, and urged the government to create a mix of
energy sources for Japan that is safe and secure.
“I firmly
believe that the demand for freedom from nuclear weapons will soon
spread out from Hiroshima, encircle the globe, and lead us to genuine
world peace,” he said.
Matsui noted that the average survivor of
the bombing is now 78 years old, and said the city is increasing its
effort to provide them with health care and chronicle their experiences
so the events of that day are remembered.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko
Noda said Japan must pass the experience on to future generations so
that the lessons of Hiroshima are not forgotten.
