Obon in Japan is a time to honor ancestors, including victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings from 80 years ago. Visitors reflect on the devastating impacts of these events. Survivors recount moments from August 9, 1945, describing the instantaneous devastation caused by the atomic blast. The societal impact continues, as the morality and responsibility behind the bombings remain topics of global debate. Educational visits to memorials emphasize lasting effects on families and communities, reminding all of the cost of nuclear warfare.
This year and every other since 1945, those ancestral spirits have included the victims of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 80 years ago this month.
We wondered if residents of Nagasaki experienced something similar late in the morning of August 9, 1945-when, as recounted by a survivor, at 11:02 am, suddenly 'there was a roar in the distance' and then 'in the next instant an incredible blast threw my body through the air.'
The explosion killed thousands of people instantly, from infants to elders, and the effects of the blast, both short and long term, resulted in mass devastation and the demise of many others.
From that day on, people in the United States, Japan, and around the world have discussed and debated the morality of dropping the bombs and who was responsible for the death and destruction that took place 80 years ago in both cities.
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