80th anniversary: A look at the memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Surviving as places of peace

Eighty years ago this week, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on Aug. 6, 1945. Three days later, another fell on the city of Nagasaki. Between 120,000 and 220,000 people died in the blasts or from burns, other wounds and radiation exposure over the next few months.

Hiroshima history

In the summer of 1945, the war in Europe was over, but fighting in the Pacific remained intense. The U.S. and its allies were closing in on the Japanese mainland, yet Japan’s military refused to surrender.

Hiroshima, a manufacturing center of about 350,000 people, had a key military role, serving as the port for much of Japan’s Imperial Navy.

On Aug. 6, 1945, an American B-29 dropped the world’s first atomic bomb used in warfare. The detonation over the city instantly killed about 80,000 people and left tens of thousands more exposed to lethal radiation. Three days later, a second A-bomb was detonated over Nagasaki, immediately killing an estimated 40,000 people.

On Aug. 15, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, ending World War II. On Aug. 6, 1949 — the four-year anniversary of the bombing — the Japanese people decided the Hiroshima district should be maintained as a peace memorial. The area was reborn as what is known as Peace Memorial Park. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955, and it draws about 1 million visitors a year. The park and museum recall and showcase the devastation of the nuclear attack and advocate for world peace.

You can learn more about the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum here.

Nagasaki endures

Nagasaki Prefecture has survived many tragic events such as the persecution of Christians during the Edo period; the eruption of Mt. Unzen, which was the deadliest volcanic event in recorded Japanese history; and the atomic bombing during World War II.

Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, which rank immediately below the national government and form the country’s first level of jurisdiction and administrative division.

Having to overcome and rebuild from these heartbreaking events, Nagasaki now thrives as an international city with the mission to promote world peace. During the World Night View Summit in 2012, Nagasaki was designated one of the world’s top three night views alongside Hong Kong and Monaco.

Each year, Nagasaki promotes the importance of world peace and a world without nuclear weapons. Nagasaki Hypocenter Park and The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum are some of the most visited spots. The scenery of central Nagasaki, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides, is unique and beautiful.

This basin is filled with water, which was craved by so many of the atomic bomb victims before they died. In the evening it is illuminated by around 70,000 fiber-optic lights that shine in remembrance of the estimated number of those who died. Upon entering the facility grounds, visitors proceed counterclockwise around the basin, symbolically taking them back to 1945. This is intended to calm the minds of visitors before they pay their respects. Below the basin is Nagasaki Memorial Hall, where a registry of names of atomic bombing victims is enshrined.

Number of victims registered at Nagasaki Memorial Hall: 198,785

Number of registry books: 202 as of Aug. 9, 2024

The Peace Memorial was completed in 2002.

You can learn more about the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial here.

Sources: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Peace Database, Federation of American Scientists, Nagasaki National Peace Memorial for the Atomic Bomb Victims Photos: The Associated Press, Wikimedia Commons