80 Years of US Atomic Bombing on Japan: Ishraq Ahmed Hashmi

 

It has been 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It was on the morning of August 6, 1945, when the most deadly and destructive weapon in human history was dropped on this earth from an American plane, the bomb named Little Man, and three days later, on August 9, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, named Fat Man. Perhaps this is why the month of August is reserved for remembering the dead in Japan; just as we traditionally go to clean and decorate the graves of our loved ones in Muharram, it is customary here that in the month of August everyone goes back to their native area, and in addition to attending the graves of their loved ones, they also take care of and repair them.

J. Robert Oppenheimer, reflecting on the atomic power he helped unleash:

“The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us … to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country.”

Japanese cemeteries consist of graves carved out of stones. On the concrete floor is a stone amulet carved out of a human height and one square meter in area. It would be more appropriate to call the grave a samadhi, because after the cremation of the deceased, his ashes and remains are enclosed in a small pot and placed in this grave. The average cost of this samadhi is around three million Pakistani rupees, while expensive types of graves are built in crores. Here, however, each family has only one samadhi, in which the pot of each deceased is placed. Schoolchildren have a whole month off.

There are no calendar holidays in offices, but each institution celebrates a four-, six-day, or week-long holiday as per its convenience. The purpose of these holidays is to provide employees with an opportunity to visit their native places. Young people dressed in traditional attire and carrying drums and flags take out processions. The color of these processions that go from town to town is more of a festival than a mourning. The reason for this difference is the religious concept of life and death. The reason for celebrating this festival called “Obon” in the month of August is probably because during the Second World War, the United States carried out atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the same month, which caused millions of deaths. The word "tragedy" seems too small for the disaster that the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki faced as a result of the American atomic bombs. Millions of people died in the blink of an eye. Millions of people were permanently disabled by the flames and radioactive rays. The horrific devastation caused by the atomic bomb was not a single day's disaster. Many children born years later were born disabled due to the effects of nuclear radiation. Many people who witnessed this mass death did not speak a word for decades due to the horror; they remained silent. The effects of fear, terror, and anguish can still be seen and felt among the survivors 80 (eighty) years later.

The UN Secretary-General’s message summed it up:

“A city was reduced to ruins. And humanity crossed a threshold from which there could be no return… You didn’t just rebuild a city. You rebuilt hope.”

The Japanese saw their bustling cities reduced to ashes as a result of the atomic bombing. Such destructionhas never been seen before in human history, nor has any human settlement since then faced such devastation. This nation did not just sit and mourn on the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but, filled with new enthusiasm, started such a vigorous campaign of reconstruction that seems to be continuing to this day. It is not that the Japanese have completely forgotten the past. Such a beautiful combination of traditionalism and modernity is hardly seen in any other society in the world as is found in Japan. The good thing is that these two colors are seen with complete understanding.

It is difficult to accurately estimate the total number of nuclear weapons currently in the world, but experts estimate that 10,000 nuclear weapons are on high alert, ready to be launched at any time. The United States and Russia hold 93 percent of the world's nuclear arsenal. According to experts published in international media, Pakistan has an estimated 120 to 140 nuclear weapons, while India has around 110. International experts believe that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is larger than India's. China's current nuclear arsenal is estimated to be around 250. It can also be said that China's nuclear arsenal is equal to the combined arsenal of Pakistan and India.

The recent war between Pakistan and India, in which our clear victory has been recognized by the whole world, but at the same time, in the event of a future war between India and Pakistan, strategic experts believe that the possibility of this being an unconventional war cannot be ruled out, which is certainly a frightening prospect. There is a lot of concern at the global level due to the growing border tensions; the reason for this is that both the warring countries have nuclear power. God forbid that the residents of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have to witness such destruction as the residents of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have to go through as a result of the atomic bombing.

From Daisaku Ikeda's point of view:

“Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.”