Today (2013 August 6th) is the sixty-eighth anniversary of the atomic bombing of 広島 (Hiroshima, Japan).
This is a photo of 「原爆ドーム」.
The name literally means “Atomic Bomb Dome” but it’s usually called “Hiroshima Peace Memorial” in English.
Today in Japan at 8:16AM, there will be a moment of silence.
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Tokyo Five 
Thank you for scrutinious analysis of my post.
I will try to respond to some albeit not all of the comments.
Let me re-emphasize : war is hell. In our pursuit to prove how right we are we tend to forget what it means. And yes, we do need occasional reality check. Occasional reminder. Especially when emotions are running high out of the broken pride and pain and out of love for your country. I understand you love your country and your people, I love mine too. You should be proud of it accomplishments and it culture, and I am proud of mine. But do not forget main facts of WW2. Do not let your emotions take over your intellect.
Here are the facts:
1. Japan attacked.
2. Japan was on the wrong side.
These are the facts. This was WW2. A war unlike any other in the history of human kind. Forget Pacific war for a minute. Take a look at the eastern front: USSR lost 27mln people. More than half were civilians. Germany faced more than 1/5 of their nation being annihilated. German women were systematically raped. European Jewry was almost but destroyed. Every nation participated in the war was fully engaged in it. It meant there was no family that this way or another was not affected.
When you are in the middle of the conflict of such magnitude the only thing matters is victory: unconditional surrender or annihilation of your enemy. To achieve it – you will do whatever means necessary. It is either us or them.
If you look from the history perspective in hindsight. It was Hiroshima and Nagasaki that brought Japan to it knees. If it wasn’t – the war would continue as japanese ‘honor’ code wouldn’t allow it to give up. You know it better than me.
Thank G-d it was Allies that won the war. What a unimaginable tragedy would of been if results were different. And yes, civilian casualties need to be mourned. No women or children need to die for no cause. Just like no women or children needed to die for no cause in Aushwitz, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, China, France, US and Japan.
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>Thank you for scrutinious analysis of my post.
– Sure. (But, technically you wrote a comment on my post.)
>1. Japan attacked. 2.Japan was on the wrong side.
– Not trying to justify the attack of Pearl Harbor, or any other action taken during a war…but it wasn’t unprovoked. It wouldn’t make any sense to randomly attack a neutral country for no reason! America had a naval blockade against Japan that was crippling it, so they made an attempt to end, or at least, hinder that blockade.
Kind of a moot point in this discussion, though.
>To achieve it (victory)– you will do whatever means necessary.
– Those bombs did bring an end to the war more quickly…but at too great a cost.
I feel, though, that every country does terrible things during a war. I also feel that America is a great country and that the intentions and the final outcome of those bombings were good and right.
But, mankind must never use such weapons again.
>Thank G-d it was Allies that won the war.
– Yes, even (most) Japanese people now would agree with that.
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Reality check: war is hell.
To end it you must to do what you must. By whatever means necessary. It includes any and all power in your arsenal. Only then the peace can be restored.
The WWII was unlike other wars. It was the fight for survival. Japan was on the wrong side from the beginning and had to pay it price.
If Japan surrendered sooner Nagasaki wouldn’t be necessary.
If Japan wouldn’t attack in 1941 Hiroshima wouldn’t be necessary.
Those are the fundamental truths.
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– Thanks for commenting, though my opinion is a bit different from yours.
>Reality check: war is hell.
– Do you assume that I need such a “reality check”? I know war is terrible, of course.
Don’t you think it’s appropriate, though, to remember the innocent victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the anniversary of the atomic bombings rather than imply that Japan got what they deserved?
>To end it you must to do what you must. By whatever means necessary.
– I’d say bombing civilians is outside the perimeters of acceptable combat warfare.
>If Japan surrendered sooner Nagasaki wouldn’t be necessary.
– It’s said that Nagasaki was bombed before the Emperor in Tokyo could be told about the extent of the destruction to Hiroshima.
>If Japan wouldn’t attack in 1941 Hiroshima wouldn’t be necessary.
– Do you think that Japan attacked the U.S. Navy in Hawaii for absolutely no reason?
>Those are the fundamental truths.
– Not all of the facts though.
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It’s now been another year. Today is 2014 August 6th … the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
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It was a horrific day and pains my mother greatly. She passed by Hiroshima shortly after the bombing to return to Hawaii. She still remembers the sight.
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Did your mother see Hiroshima right after it was bombed?
I’m sure that must have been devastating!
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I’m not positive, but I think it was the following year. She had several friends who ended up with cancer who lived close by the area.
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> I think it was the following year.
Even so, that is still quite soon after!
> She had several friends who ended up with cancer
That’s very sad.
Is Hiroshima your mother’s hometown?
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Oliver Stone is planning to make a movie about Hiroshima.
He’s in Hiroshima right now… at the Peace Memorial where there is an annual rememberance ceremony about to start.
I saw him on the TV news this morning. He had tears in his eyes.
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Thank you for sharing this, with all of the current “events” going on we tend to forget to remember and honor those of the past.
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You’re on the U.S. military base in Japan, right?
I don’t know if the U.S. military has a moment of silence for the victims of Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th … but everywhere else in Japan, everyone stops for one minute on those two days every year.
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Yes I am on base in Yokosuka. I haven’t heard anything about a moment of silence on base but I will observe it.
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Yeah, the American military probably wouldn’t … due to the politics.
It’s good that you’ll remember the victims.
It’s in two minutes.
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It’s now 7:36AM on August 6th in Japan.
In 40 minutes Japan will have a moment of silence.
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