Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NUKEWARS
Nagasaki marks 69th anniversary of US atomic bombing
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Aug 09, 2014


Tens of thousands marked the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Saturday, as the city's pacifist mayor urged the Japanese government to listen to increasing concerns over controversial plans to expand the role of its military.

Crowds gathered to remember the more than 70,000 people who died in the initial blast or from after-effects in the months and years following the bombing, which hit Nagasaki at 11:02 am local time (0202 GMT).

Bells tolled as ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates observed a moment of silence at the time of detonation that turned the Japanese city into a ball of flames.

The ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, went ahead despite a powerful typhoon churning towards the region whipping up strong winds.

"I would like to act as a storyteller," Yasuhiko Yuge, a 74-year-old survivor of the bombing said. "Young people have interest but their opportunities to know about the history of the bombing are limited," Yuge was quoted as saying by Jiji Press.

Another survivor, aged 71, told Jiji: "Peace has become common and the number of stories of survivors has declined. I think we can understand each other by placing importance on peace."

In a speech at the ceremony, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue called for a nuclear-free world and underlined concerns about the government's decision last month to allow its military to go into battle in defence of allies.

Tokyo's move to invoke the right to exercise so-called "collective self-defence" came despite widespread public opposition and fears among people in neighbouring China and South Korea, which regularly accuse Japan of failing to atone for its aggressive wartime actions.

"The oath prescribed in the Japanese Constitution that Japan shall renounce war is the founding principle for postwar Japan and Nagasaki," Taue said.

"However, the rushed debate over collective self-defence has given rise to the concern that this principle is wavering," the mayor said.

"I urgently request that the Japanese government take serious heed of these distressed voices," he said.

The ceremony was held near the spot where the US military dropped a plutonium bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" on August 9, 1945. Japan surrendered six days later, ending World War II.

The bombing of Nagasaki came three days after the first-ever atomic blast at Hiroshima, which claimed 140,000 lives.

Opinion remains divided over whether the twin attacks were justified. While some historians say it prevented many more casualties in a planned land invasion, critics have said the attacks were not necessary to end the war, arguing that Japan was anyway heading for imminent defeat.

Washington, which has been a close ally of Tokyo since the war, has never officially apologised for the bombings, however, leaked diplomatic cables from 2009 suggested that the Japanese government had rebuffed the idea of a US apology and a visit to Hiroshima by President Barack Obama.

.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








NUKEWARS
Hiroshima marks anniversary of atomic bombing
Hiroshima, Japan (AFP) Aug 05, 2014
Tens of thousands were to gather for peace ceremonies in Hiroshima on Wednesday, marking the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city, as anti-nuclear sentiment runs high in Japan. Ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates, including US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, were to observe a moment of silence at 8:15 am local time (2315 GMT), when t ... read more


NUKEWARS
China to send orbiter to moon and back

August supermoon will be brightest this year

Manned Moon Mission to Cost Russia $2.8 Bln

Tidal forces gave moon its shape

NUKEWARS
Opportunity Heads to 'Marathon Valley'

NASA Mars Curiosity Rover: Two Years and Counting on Red Planet

Robotic Rock Climbers Could Uncover Clues to Mars' Past

Russia To Construct Landing Pad For ExoMars Mission

NUKEWARS
NASA Selects Proposals for Advanced Energy Storage Systems

NEEMO 18 Aquanauts Complete Underwater Mission

NASA Selects Innovative Advanced Concepts For More Study

NASA's Space Launch System Boosters Office Completes Critical Design Review

NUKEWARS
More Tasks for China's Moon Mission

China's Circumlunar Spacecraft Unmasked

China to launch HD observation satellite this year

Lunar rock collisions behind Yutu damage

NUKEWARS
Robonaut Upgrades, Spacewalk Preps and Cargo Ops for ISS Crew

US EVAa Delayed; Crew Preps For Russian EVA, Robonaut Upgrades

Europe's Fifth and Final Resupply Ship Launches to Station

Science and Spacesuit Work While ATV-5 Preps for Launch

NUKEWARS
Russia to Decide on Future of Sea Launch Project by End of 2014

SpaceX launches AsiaSat8 into orbit via Falcon 9 rocket

United Launch Alliance Launches Two Rockets in Just Four Days

AsiaSat 8 Successfully Lifts Off

NUKEWARS
Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability

Planet-like object may have spent its youth as hot as a star

Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits

Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets

NUKEWARS
USN Moderates CubeSat RF Communications Standards Meeting

IT outsourcing boom boosts struggling Bulgaria

NASA Engineer Set to Complete First 3-D Printed Space Cameras

Disney develops tool to design inflatable characters and structures




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.