Hopes grow for anti-nuke push

HIROSHIMA: Hopes are growing among people in Hiroshima, including atomic bomb survivors, that US President Barack Obama will express his renewed determination for a world free of nuclear weapons on his historic visit to the site of the US atomic bombing at the end of World War II later this month.

On Tuesday, the Japanese and US governments announced the president’s plan to travel to Hiroshima on May 27 after a Group of Seven summit in the central Japan prefecture of Mie, as the first sitting US leader to do so.

Mr Obama may call for nuclear disarmament in a short speech or a statement while in Hiroshima, according to a source close to bilateral relations, and US media have reported that Mr Obama could give a speech similar to his 2009 Prague address in which he called for a world without nuclear weapons.

“I hope he will say in his speech, ‘Nuclear weapons should never be used again,’ and that ‘dropping atomic bombs was a mistake,’” said Manabu Shigeyoshi, a 67-year-old Hiroshima city resident. Mr Shigeyoshi’s mother survived the atomic bomb attack.

“I want to listen carefully to what President Obama has to say,” said Yuji Egusa, 88, who was a student working on a nearby island when the atomic bomb detonated over the city on Aug 6, 1945. Mr Egusa, who suffers from a cataract traced to his exposure to radiation, hopes Mr Obama will muster the courage to speak his mind.

Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui, who has long sought a visit by Mr Obama to the city, told reporters on Wednesday he expects Mr Obama to “accept the feelings of hibakusha [atomic bomb survivors] and reinforce his speech in Prague”.

With Mr Obama’s Hiroshima trip confirmed, the focus has shifted to whether he will have an opportunity to meet with survivors. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said it is not yet decided whether Mr Obama will meet some of them.

Akinori Okada, 87, who was about 2.7km from the epicentre at the time of the explosion, said he wants Mr Obama to “meet with and listen to hibakusha to learn how much anguish the atomic bomb has caused”.

While in Hiroshima, Mr Obama may visit the Peace Memorial Museum, which displays artifacts that belonged to atomic bomb victims and survivors, and the Atomic Bomb Dome, skeletal remains of the only major building left standing after the explosion.

Seiko Ikeda, 83, who suffered a severe burn on her face at age 12 when the bomb was dropped 1.5km from her, hopes the president will not just visit the museum and the dome but listen to survivors’ voices. Ms Ikeda said she believes if Mr Obama hears their stories in person, he likely will be emotionally overcome.

Hiroshima governor Hidehiko Yuzaki said he hopes Mr Obama will see the effects of the atomic bomb firsthand, allowing him to understand how widespread the damage was.