 Image via Wikipedia |
| Citizens of Hiroshima walk by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. |
Hiroshima's mayor welcomed Washington's decision to send U.S. Ambassador John Roos to Friday's commemoration, which began with an offering of water to the 140,000 who died in the first of two nuclear bombings that prompted Japan's surrender in World War II.
The site of the world's first A-bomb attack echoed with the choirs of schoolchildren and the solemn ringing of bells Friday as Hiroshima marked its biggest memorial yet. At 8:15 a.m. — the time the bomb dropped, incinerating most of the city — a moment of silence was observed.
Survivors also offer an oral history for future generations. They openly shared vivid images forever seared into their hearts and minds.
Along with the U.S., Britain and France also made their first official appearance at the memorial, as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Altogether, 74 nations were represented.
Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba is also hoping that President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima, an idea that Obama has said he would like to consider but that would be highly controversial and unprecedented for a sitting U.S. president.
Some people believe Washington's decision to send an ambassador to the ceremony could open the door to a future visit to Hiroshima by President Obama, which would be unprecedented for a sitting president.
Independent analysts estimate the current total world stockpile of nuclear warheads at more than 22,000 – less than a third the number at the peak of the Cold War in the 1980s but still enough for more than 100,000 Hiroshimas
