Remembering Hiroshima now and beyond

Hiroshima has always been in the hearts and minds of the Japanese ever since the city was flattened by an atomic bomb seventy years ago.  It has become a well-established practice for prime ministers of Japan and most of their cabinet members to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9 respectively, and pray for the salvation of the souls of fallen victims and pledge for the abolition of nuclear weapons. 

One can feel the irony surrounding the official parts of these ceremonial events even more strongly, when in less than ten days, a majority of the same governmental team is seen visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in the heart of Tokyo to pray for the salvation of souls for those who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. There is nothing wrong in praying for those who did not hesitate to die in battlefields fighting for the country. Almost every country has this ritual of hero-worshiping and remembering the gallant fighters who sacrificed their lives for the greater interest of the nation. But when we take into account the fact that at the Yasukuni Shrine Japan's convicted war criminals are also enshrined, we get a different picture. This has always been a paradox of the official observance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries. This year's seventieth anniversary observance will also more or less follow the same trend. 

But beyond official controversies, Hiroshima and Nagasaki is remembered by many around the world as a stark reminder of what lies ahead of mankind if the ever growing nuclear arsenals keep flourishing. For seventy years, the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been telling the same story with the hope that their message will not hit a dead-end. And the stories they tell are full of sorrow and misery, reminiscent of doomsday scenarios of fictional works that many of us are well aware of. Yet, the message seems to be hitting nowhere. The never-ending arms race is showing no sign of a respite and wars and conflicts with more deadly consequences are being fought on a regular basis while the risk of more devastating consequences loom large. The situation definitely calls for the need of listening more carefully the messages coming out of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And here lies the importance of the two observances that at least can give concrete evidences of the destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons.

The two Japanese cities were flattened by ironically named bombs. The "Little Boy" hit Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945, claiming more than 100,000 lives in immediate consequence and bringing extreme suffering and misery to many more in the long run. Japan at the time was already on the retreat. US troops by then had got hold of Okinawa and were about to launch concerted assaults on Japan's main islands. Visibly, there was no sign of any possible Japanese counter attack with devastating consequences. An unconditional surrender was imminent and secret negotiations to that end were also carried on by different parties. Hence, the use of the atomic bomb in such a situation was aimed with a purpose, other than the declared one of a quick Japanese surrender, and the subsequent unfolding of events immediately after the war give enough evidence to that end. The Manhattan Project had already brought the desired result of producing the atomic bomb and the US administration was eager to show the world, and any future adversary, its military capability with the hope of opening a new chapter in history heralding American dominance. The use of the second bomb was to reassure the world that the arsenal was well-stocked and that eventually sealed the fate of Nagasaki where the "Fat Man" was dropped late in the morning of August 9, claiming more than 70,000 victims in the immediate aftermath. The combined death toll linked to the attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their radiation effects has since risen to 460,000. 

It's not only the number of deaths that counts. The way they died and the suffering of those who survived the anguish tell the story of the extent of pain and misery the bombs brought them. There hardly is any comparison in the history of human misery of that extent, and it is this part of the whole story that needs to be told and retold until the conscience of humanity awakens. This is the task that had been performed all these years by the group of survivors known as Hibakusha.

However, with the passage of time, their number is shrinking rapidly and those concerned are now feeling an urgent need to find new ways to keep the memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki alive with firsthand accounts of the devastation. According to official statistics, there are around 180,000 survivors – many of whom are ageing – who live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both the cities have recently taken initiatives to train young people in the art of telling the stories in the same way as some of the victims have been doing all these years. The goal is to keep the memories of the people alive, so that the messages of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be conveyed to Japan and the world in a much more meaningful way. So, there is hope that the flames of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will keep on burning long after the Hibakushas take leave from the world, after enduring unspeakable sufferings throughout the post-World War II years.

The writer is a Tokyo based Bangladeshi journalist. He also teaches at Japanese universities.