In 1991 my friends Enri and his Japanese friend (now his wife) Jun took me to visit the city of Hiroshima. There on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped. A second followed on August 9 in Nagasaki. These events helped bring an end to the WW II but also revealed the appalling damage that such bombs can inflict on people and places. It was hoped that such weapons of mass destruction would never be used again.
Atomic bomb epi-centre dome, Hiroshima, Japan
In the Cold War era I remember living with the fear that somehow, somewhere a war would start that no one could win. The only possible outcome was one of mutually assured destruction. It was hoped that the knowledge of this would be enough to deter the use of such weapons and so far, thank God, they have not been used again.
Now more countries have the capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Some of them are in ongoing situations of conflict with neighbours (India and Pakistan come to mind) while others like North Korea, Israel and Iran have issues with other counties. Tensions between the USA and both Russia and China are high at the present time. Added to this there is the fear of terrorist groups might also be able to create similar weapons or what are called “dirty bombs”. While they have not been used since August 9, 1945, our fear of these weapons has not totally receded.
The Red Cross New Zealand website, which advocates for the elimination of all nuclear weapons, contains the following information reflecting the humanitarian needs that would be created.
“Following an explosion, an overwhelming number of people would need immediate treatment. However, in the affected area, most medical personnel would be dead or injured. The blast would destroy local medical centres and any surviving medical supplies would be quickly used up.
Many who survived the explosion would later die from radiation sickness. Survivors would also face an increased risk of developing cancers like leukemia and thyroid cancer. These long-term effects are still being felt in Japan, where nuclear weapons were used in 1945. The impact also continues in the Pacific, where nuclear testing occurred over decades until the middle of the 1990s.”
One of the other memories I took away from my visit to Hiroshima was the story of Sadako Sasaki. She set out to make 1000 paper cranes to help her recover from the effects of the blast but died before she finished at age 12. Her friends took up the task of completing what she started and now paper cranes are a world-wide symbol of hope and peace.
Each year on ANZAC Day we remember those who have died in war. A key part of the ritual of that day is the constant repetition of the line “Lest we forget”. It is, therefore, vital that we also remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki and what happened there so that we never have to face what the people there experienced in August 1945.
Fr Pat O'Shea
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Shop