The atomic bomb and fading memories

If Japan was not sure about the type of bomb used on Hiroshima, this was not the case for the United States. President Harry S. Truman, announcing the news from the cruiser, Augusta, in the mid-Atlantic, said the device contained 20,000 tons of TNT and was more than 2,000 times more powerful than the largest bomb used to date. The bomb, known among its inventors as "Little Boy," was dropped at 8:15 local time from an American B-52 bomber named Enola Gay. It devastated an area of five square miles and more than 60 percent of the buildings of the city were destroyed.

The official Japanese figure released afterward put the death toll in Hiroshima at 118,661 civilians. But later estimates suggest the final toll was about 140,000 of Hiroshima's total population of 350,000. In addition, many have also suffered long term sickness and disability. Later it has become a regular yearly practice for the city administration to add the names of those who have died from cancer and other long-term ailments over past year to the list of victims preserved at a memorial dedicated to them. Last year 5,142 new names were added, raising the toll to 237,062.

For 60 years since the atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the questions that have been raised repeatedly are yet to find conclusive answers. Was it really necessary to drop atomic bombs on densely populated cities to force Japan to surrender, or was the United States simply trying to find out what the bomb could do, and by doing so was trying to convey a clear message to the Soviets about Washington's military might?

The majority in the United States hold the opinion that the use of the atomic bombs did save more lives than they had taken, as further expansion of war on Japan's mainland, they believe, would probably resulted in extremely high casualties on both sides. But in Japan, on the other hand, the majority still encounter an uneasy feeling as they face such questions and see the bombings as an unjustified act to punish a country that didn't have the power and strength to continue fighting for very long. This is why the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki carry much significance, not only for Japanese who belong to various anti-war groups, but also for many ordinary citizens whose predecessors had to go through untold sufferings and misery due to faulty state policies focusing narrowly on military strength.

The majority of those who had the misfortune to experience firsthand the aftereffects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are in their 70s and 80s now. According to official figures, slightly more than 266,000 atomic bomb survivors live in Japan and their average age is 73. It can be said that the survivors have witnessed the emergence of three different generations in their lifetime, and with the passage of these three generations, memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are gradually fading.

It is true that various efforts to convey the message of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still underway. Every year books and manuscripts are being published and seminars and symposiums are held. But still the memory seems to be giving way to apathy or indifference. When the city of Hiroshima conducted a survey five years ago, more than half of the city's elementary school students said they did not know the year when the atomic bomb hit their city. Nearly 30 percent of junior high school students also failed to give the correct answer. As a result, despite peace memorials held every summer, even in the stricken area where the Atomic Bomb Dome stands today, memories are quickly fading. Moreover, we also occasionally come across news items that seem to be carrying a completely different message. Two years ago, a university student from Kansai region set fire to folded paper cranes that were placed as an offering at the Hiroshima Peace Park.

In the last week of July, police in Hiroshima arrested a 27-year old rightist after he turned himself in and admitted to vandalising a memorial dedicated to nearly 240,000 victims of the atomic bombing. He told police he was offended by the word "mistake" in the granite memorial's inscription that reads: "Please rest in peace. We will never repeat the mistake." The memorial was designed by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum architect Kenzo Tange and was erected in 1952. It entombs 83 registers that record the names of 237,062 atomic bomb victims. Though the repair works are now underway, full restoration of the Cenotaph for the victims is expected to take at least a month. The incident also gives another example of fading memories related to Hiroshima.

But fortunately, many in Japan are also realising the importance of carrying the message of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the younger generations in a meaningful way, so that they too can feel the importance of making the world nuclear free. Last year, a university of Japan started a "Hiroshima-Nagasaki" course, which looks into various problems concerning nuclear weapons. As part of the course, atomic bomb survivors are invited to give lectures.

Some in Japan probably are realising that time is running out. Quite soon when no atomic bomb survivors are left, for Japan it would probably mark the beginning of a much more difficult time to fight against fading memories. Fortunately, among survivors too, the realisation is quite strong and many are now coming forward to convey the message that they were keeping within themselves for very long. At this extremely difficult time for the whole world when nuclear ambitions of states are fuelling uncertainties, memories of what such weapons can do to mankind should not be allowed to fade that easily.

Monzurul Huq is Tokyo correspondent for The Daily Star.