Hiroshima: A Sad Story & Atrocities of Nuclear Power

SSF author shares photos and experiences on her Japan travel

If I were suddenly transformed into a superhero I’d used my superpowers to deactivate all nuclear bombs around the world to prevent nuclear war.

Every story is sometimes sad but the bombing of Hiroshima is a sad story with horrible outcome, devastation, death, radiation sickness. Every world leader like Presidents(Trump, Putin, Xi Ping) need to visit the Peace Memorial Museum to actually see the harmful effects of nuclear power used in a negative way. Nuclear power should only be used for positive results like in medicine, agriculture, lighting a city with light).

Historically, Hiroshima was the the first target of a nuclear weapon power globally. The date stamp was on August 6, 1945, 8:15 a.m. This was USA military response in the Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii. No where in the museum they’re blaming America for the atomic attack.

Dropping the bomb in Hiroshima killed an estimated 140,000 people plus 74,000 in Nagasaki. If people were near where the bomb fell , buildings were destroyed, people instantly killed with burns, bodies dismantled. The museum had photos of Hiroshima before and after the attack. Some residents who were near the location suffered radioactive lethal health side effects such as cancer, eye problems, leukemia, mutation of their reproductive systems passed on to children.

The entrance sign has the message below both in English and Japanese:
“A single atomie bomb indiscriminately killed tens of thousands of people, profoundly disrupting and altering the lives of survivors. Through belongings left by the Victims , A-bombed artefacts, testimonies of A-bomb survivors and related materials, the Hiroshima Peace Memoral Museum conveys to the world the horrors and the Inhumane nature of nuclear weapone and spreade the message of "No more Hiroshimas.”

The museum displayed “Each person had a name. Each person was loved by someone.”

Outside the memorial is an eternal flame , bells ringing to a call for Peace.

Our tour guide Keiko told about a 12 year old girl Sadako Sasaki, who was 2 years old when the bomb fell. Ten years later her neck became swollen and was diagnosed with leukemia. Legend has it , if you make 1000 origami cranes by folding paper, your wish is granted. Sasako wish was for healing but after making 644 origami cranes, she died. But her story became worldwide famous, the children around the world started to make cranes and send them to Japan; cranes are exhibited in glass case near the memorial. She was known as a hibakusha, a bomb affected person.

Seeing the atrocities, devastation, death in adults and children made me feel dizzy and sick , the same feeling I had when I visited the concentration camp in Auschwitz in Poland with all photos of those who died; I still remember the tiny shoes of the Jewish girl in the museum. I exited the museum. It’s a nauseous feeling when confronted with images of human bodies burned and dismembered.

We pray nuclear war doesn’t happen again for we are destroying the ecosystem of earth natural resources and the human beings who live in this planet. I have photos from museum but I don’t want to post but you can see documentary on the internet of the sad story of Hiroshima in internet or YouTube.

Today Hiroshima is thriving and alive with people, businesses around the place. The cherry blossoms are still blooming and spreading their beautiful petals.

I recommend seeing the movies Oppenheimer, (director of the Manhattan Project) and Tora, Tora, Tora. These movies are related to Hiroshima bombing.

Let’s ring the bells of Peace. No more war. As they cry “No more Hiroshimas.”