US Ambassador Attended Hiroshima Memorial
On 6 Aug 2010, a crowd of 55,000 gathered to remember the destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima as the result of the first atomic bomb used as a weapon. One of those present were John Roos, the US Ambassador to Japan. Although he did not speak at the ceremony, he became the first official representative of the government of the United States to attend this annual ceremony, and it sparked a possibility that US President Barack Obama may visit Hiroshima when he will visit Japan in Nov 2010 during the scheduled Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference; no US president had ever visited Hiroshima since the atomic bombing. American conservative groups, however, criticized Roos' decision to attend the ceremony, citing that it might be viewed as an admission of guilt despite the US government's official position that the use of atomic weapons killed far less than the number of deaths that would have occurred had the alternative of invasion been chosen.
"We greet this August 6 with re-energized determination that no one else should ever have to suffer such horror," said Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima, who did not stress the importance of Roos' presence. Instead, he focused on his message of working toward a world without nuclear weapons.
For more information:
WW2DB: Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
The New York Times: U.S. Attends Hiroshima Ceremony
The Guardian: John Roos is first US representative to attend Hiroshima memorial ceremony in Japan
Back to Main | Back to 2010 News Index
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
- » Passing of Margaret Kelly (25 Jan 2021)
- » WW2DB's 16th Anniversary (29 Dec 2020)
- » Hidekazu Tamura shared his feelings toward his war time internment (2 Sep 2020)
- » See all news
- » 1,094 biographies
- » 332 events
- » 38,158 timeline entries
- » 1,127 ships
- » 337 aircraft models
- » 191 vehicle models
- » 352 weapon models
- » 117 historical documents
- » 225 facilities
- » 464 book reviews
- » 27,165 photos
- » 351 maps
Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943