Hiroshima atom bomb:

Let it be the last one on earth

The 66th anniversary of the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, the eighth largest seaport city of Japan took place on August 6 with a memorial service to the 236,062 people who have hitherto perished, at the Peace Cenotaph Pagoda in the presence of the Mayor of the city and a large number of relatives of the dead. It was the first time in the history of the earth that an uranium atom bomb weighing 4,500 kg was dropped to annihilate human beings

Jim RAMANAYAKE

Death came within seconds instantly killing 80,000 people suffering from the agony of radiation estimated at 300,000 centigrade at the hypocentre. It had a devastating effect on human beings, their bodies getting torn off, internal organs blown to smithereens, flesh hanging on their bodies with no eyes, noses or mouths but only holes.

What a tragedy for the annihilation of human beings on the earth, what unbearable suffering they underwent for no fault of theirs. USA dropped the second bomb weighing 4.5 tons, a plutonium on the Nagasaki city instantly killing another 70,000 human beings on August 9. Was this necessary was a questionable topic at that time.

The World War II was started by the German Chancellor Herr Hitler in 1939. Italy under General Benito Mussolini joined forces with the Nazis for capturing European States, but had a severe setback when they attacked USSR under the command of Genralissmo Joseph Stalin. Russia joined hands with USA and UK to form the Allied Forces. Japanese warlords pushed Japan into the war against the allied forces, with the blessings of the Emperor Hirohito who was considered as a demigod in Japan. Japanese troops started capturing the Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and China etc; The famous Japanese General Tojo led the Japanese Army that inflicted heavy damage on the US Forces on a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbour destroying many warships and planes. Japanese Forces bombed the Trincomalee and the Colombo harbours used by the allied forces but their attacks were repelled by the Royal Air Force Planes. Lord Mountbatton was the Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces and had his operational headquarters in Kandy. Sri Lanka was spared of occupation by Japanese troops due to the presence of strong American, British, Indian and Sri Lankan Forces here.

Second world war era

In the second world war era there were German scientists doing research on making an atomic mass destruction device. The great German scientist Albert Einstein warned the then American President Roosevelt of the dangers to the world if Herr Hitler laid his hands on this device. Therefore in 1942, USA set up the Manhattan Project on nuclear research assisted ably by the famous scientist and Nobel prize winner J Robert Oppenheimer. Over 100 laboratories were engaged in this research project in the USA and they sought the advice of many world renowned scientists and ultimately in 1945 USA made the first atom bomb and tested it in an isolated desert in Mexico.

The test proved that America became the first nation in the world to discover a mass destruction weapon.

The bomb had a devastating effect on the land and atmosphere. Thereafter the American Air Force dropped the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The then American President, Harry Trueman, issued a warning to Japan, that unless they surrendered to the Allied Forces, whole of Japan would be destroyed by continued attacks by atomic bombs. At that time fortunately for Japan there were two atomic research scientists working at the Physical and Chemical Research Institute, Dr R Takemi and Professor Yoshio Nishima, who knew about the dangers of atomic radiation on human beings and they advised Emperor Hirohito to surrender immediately.

Western systems

On August 12, Japan surrendered thereby saving the country and its people of total annihilation. They accepted the Potadam Declaration. Thereafter the American General McArthur was appointed as the Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in Japan. The American Forces were based in Japan and the country started the postwar recovery program. The Japanese people had to undergo a great deal of hardship. The psychological trauma of defeat and the thousands of innocent people dead by the deadly atomic attacks made the Japanese people more determined to recover from the ashes and within a few years they were able to become a formidable economic power in the world. Japan which was producing cheap fast selling goods began to improve their quality and productivity process and began making high quality superior products by innovating the Western systems. They captured the world markets with sophisticated products and became an example to Asian countries.

Post-mortem conference

At the post was post-mortem conference held in San Francisco, America, the Allied Forces wanted Japan to pay compensation for the war crimes and damages, which if accepted would have become a heavy burden on the country at that time. However, J R Jayewardene, the then Sri Lankan Finance Minister who represented the country pleaded in mitigating terms quoting the preachings of the Buddha and he very forcefully convinced the world leaders and they decided not to get compensation from Japan.

A few years later a Commonwealth of Nations Conference was held in Colombo and they decided to accept a proposal to establish the Colombo Plan for providing assistance to the wartime damaged economies of the Asian and Pacific countries. Australia and Britain supported the move and in 1954 the Colombo Plan was established with the Secretariat in Colombo. Although Japan was not a British Commonwealth country it decided to join this in order to provide technical training to scholars from the region and to provide project assistance for the development of these countries. Colombo Plan was similar to the Marshal Plan set up by America to assist the European economies to recover from the devastation of the World War II.

Japan had to win the trust and confidence of the Asian countries who had to face many atrocities and hardships under Japanese occupation. Japan also had to develop their economy and find markets for their products in the Asian region. With this end in view in 1974, the Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka toured the Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. He received a very hostile reception and on his return to Japan, he recommended to the Government to provide more assistance and aid to the region and he formed the Japan International Co-operation Agency for channelling assistance and providing training facilities in Japan.

JICA training facilities

The Overseas Technical Co-operation Assistance program (OTCA) was replaced with a more dynamic and result oriented JICA. Since the inception of the Colombo Plan Japan has provided official training scholarships to nearly 5,000 from Sri Lanka alone. It has also become the leading donor of development assistance and grant aid for the development of the economy of Sri Lanka. I am one of the recipients of JICA training facilities in Japan in 1974. During my stay in Japan I had the opportunity to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Tomb. Daily there are many visitors and some of them are the relatives of the dead coming and praying. Aged people over 70 years are still dying due to radiation effects.

It was a very pathetic sight. Many pacific people at that time were considering whether it was really necessary for America to drop an atomic device, as they were winning the war with the capture of Berlin by the Russian and Allied troops. With a matter of weeks the war would have ended.

It is very sad to witness the nuclear arms race still going unabated in the world today.

The United Nations should completely ban the use of nuclear arms on human beings. Many nations are attempting to acquire nuclear knowledge. A future war will lead to mass annihilation of human beings.

In a memorial service held at Nagasaki, Japan the 60th anniversary of the bomb, the Mayor, Iccho Ito appealed to Americans to agitate for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Koizumo pledged to maintain world peace and a nuclear free world.

The devastating tsunami disaster which affected five countries in December 2004, killed about 160,000 people. One atom bomb killed 240,000 in one city. The peace loving people of the world should resolve not to permit nuclear mass destruction devices on human beings. May Hiroshima and Nagasaki be the last.

The writer is a former Vice President of Lanka-Japan Friendship Society and JICA Alumni Association.