Five reasons why the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan by the US to end World War II should remind us of the dangers of nuclear war. A recall of the bombing's aftermath on Hiroshima Day

Blast from the past: 5 reasons why Hiroshima bombing aftermath is a stark reminder for today's trigger-happy world leaders on nuclear war dangers

Japan marked 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday with a ceremony reminding the world of the horrors unleashed, as sabre-rattling between the United States and Russia keeps the nuclear "Doomsday Clock" close to midnight.A silent prayer was held at 8:15 am (2315 GMT), the moment when US aircraft Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" over the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945.On a sweltering morning, hundreds of black-clad officials, students and survivors laid flowers at the memorial cenotaph, with the ruins of a domed building in the background, a stark reminder of the horrors that unfolded.In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East."These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said."They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct."The final death toll of the Hiroshima attack would hit around 140,000 people, killed not just by the colossal blast and the ball of fire, but also later by the radiation.Three days after "Little Boy", on August 9, another atomic bomb killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing an end to World War II.Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million but the attacks live on in the memories of many.On the eve of the ceremony, people began lining up to pay their respects to the victims in front of the cenotaph.Before dawn on Wednesday, families who had lost loved ones in the attack also came to pray.Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who came in a wheelchair with her grandson, told reporters that her parents and grandparents were bomb victims."My grandfather died soon after the bombing, while my father and mother both died after developing cancer. My parents-in-law also died, so my husband couldn't see them again when he came back from battlefields after the war."People are still suffering," she added.Wednesday's ceremony was set to include a record of around 120 countries and regions including, for the first time, Taiwanese and Palestinian representatives.Nihon Hidankyo, the grassroots organisation that last year won the Nobel Peace Prize, is representing the dwindling number of survivors, known as hibakusha.As of March, there were 99,130 hibakusha, according to the Japanese health ministry, with the average age of 86."I want foreign envoys to visit the peace memorial museum and understand what happened," the group's co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki told local media ahead of the commemorations.Pope Leo XIV said in a statement that "in our time of mounting global tensions and conflicts", Hiroshima and Nagasaki remained "living reminders of the profound horrors wrought by nuclear weapons". - Younger generation -The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime.Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, who survived the blasts as a baby, told AFP he was hopeful that there could eventually be a nuclear-free world."The younger generation is working hard for that end," he said ahead of the ceremony.But in January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" shifted to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest in its 78-year history.The clock symbolising humanity's distance from destruction was last moved to 90 seconds to midnight over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Russia and the United States account for around 90 percent of the world's over 12,000 warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).SIPRI warned in June that "a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened," with nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states modernising their arsenals.Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines following an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.Last month, Matsui urged Trump to visit Hiroshima after the US president likened the 1945 atomic bombings to air strikes on Iran in June."It seems to me that he does not fully understand the reality of the atomic bombings, which, if used, take the lives of many innocent citizens, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and threaten the survival of the human race," Matsui said at the time.Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East.

Japan marked 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday with a ceremony reminding the world of the horrors unleashed, as sabre-rattling between the United States and Russia keeps the nuclear "Doomsday Clock" close to midnight. A silent prayer was held at 8:15 am (2315 GMT), the moment when US aircraft Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" over the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945. On a sweltering morning, hundreds of black-clad officials, students and survivors laid flowers at the memorial cenotaph, with the ruins of a domed building in the background, a stark reminder of the horrors that unfolded. In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East. "These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said. "They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct." The final death toll of the Hiroshima attack would hit around 140,000 people, killed not just by the colossal blast and the ball of fire, but also later by the radiation. Three days after "Little Boy", on August 9, another atomic bomb killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing an end to World War II. Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million but the attacks live on in the memories of many. On the eve of the ceremony, people began lining up to pay their respects to the victims in front of the cenotaph. Before dawn on Wednesday, families who had lost loved ones in the attack also came to pray. Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who came in a wheelchair with her grandson, told reporters that her parents and grandparents were bomb victims. "My grandfather died soon after the bombing, while my father and mother both died after developing cancer. My parents-in-law also died, so my husband couldn't see them again when he came back from battlefields after the war. "People are still suffering," she added. Wednesday's ceremony was set to include a record of around 120 countries and regions including, for the first time, Taiwanese and Palestinian representatives. Nihon Hidankyo, the grassroots organisation that last year won the Nobel Peace Prize, is representing the dwindling number of survivors, known as hibakusha. As of March, there were 99,130 hibakusha, according to the Japanese health ministry, with the average age of 86. "I want foreign envoys to visit the peace memorial museum and understand what happened," the group's co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki told local media ahead of the commemorations. Pope Leo XIV said in a statement that "in our time of mounting global tensions and conflicts", Hiroshima and Nagasaki remained "living reminders of the profound horrors wrought by nuclear weapons". - Younger generation - The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime. Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, who survived the blasts as a baby, told AFP he was hopeful that there could eventually be a nuclear-free world. "The younger generation is working hard for that end," he said ahead of the ceremony. But in January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" shifted to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest in its 78-year history. The clock symbolising humanity's distance from destruction was last moved to 90 seconds to midnight over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia and the United States account for around 90 percent of the world's over 12,000 warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). SIPRI warned in June that "a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened," with nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states modernising their arsenals. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines following an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Last month, Matsui urged Trump to visit Hiroshima after the US president likened the 1945 atomic bombings to air strikes on Iran in June. "It seems to me that he does not fully understand the reality of the atomic bombings, which, if used, take the lives of many innocent citizens, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and threaten the survival of the human race," Matsui said at the time. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East.

Hiroshima 80 years on: Japan warns world edging closer to nuclear war

Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to remember the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan, 1945. The attack led to many deaths and left many survivors(Hibakusha), suffering from the lasting effects of radiation.

Hiroshima Day 2025: What’s the history and significance of the ‘catastrophic moment’ in World War II

On August 6, 1945,&nbsp; the world changed forever. An entire city wiped out from the face of the earth. At around 8.45 am, a blinding beam of light appeared in the sky, along with a deafening sound of an explosion. It marked the arrival of the nuclear age.<h2>The little boy</h2>They called it 'the little boy', a US B-29 bomber also known as the ‘Elona Gay’, dropped a 10 feet long and 4,400 kg bomb from a height of 31,000 feet. The bomb detonated in the air at 1,900 feet above Hiroshima. It released 15,000 tons of TNT; in an instant, 80,000 people were incinerated, some just leaving behind only their shadows. The US dropped another plutonium bomb at Nagasaki on August 9, which it claims was an attempt to finish the war swiftly.<h2>Why Hiroshima? This was not just about ending the war</h2>The United States have iterated again and again that the bomb was necessary to end the bloody invasion of Japan.&nbsp; August 6, 2025, will be the 80th anniversary of the dreadful incident of Hiroshima. Historians have long debated the rationale of the attack."I had urged (the bomb not be used) because Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was not necessary,” said Ralph Bard, Under Secretary of the Navy, in a memo dated June 27, 1945.Japan was already weak; it had already lost the bloodiest clash of the Pacific War, the Battle of Okinawa. The US have captured the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. American forces were within striking distance of mainland Japan. Japan's navy and air force were virtually destroyed. The US had complete control of the sky. Japan had absorbed firebombs in 60 different cities, and Tokyo only had a death toll of 100,000. Japan's economy was crumbling, and there was a widespread shortage of food, fuel and raw materials. It was exploring a peace deal and wanted to preserve its Empire. It reached out to the USSR to mediate a peace deal even though the USSR had not declared war on Japan. The Soviet Union was about to enter the war; it officially declared war against Japan on August 8, 1945.Scholars and historians have debated the logic behind using the devastating weapon. Many, like Herbert Feis, have defended the use of the bomb. While others, like American Historian Martin Sherwin, said that the bombing had complex political motivations. Gar Alperovitz, a revisionist American historian and political economist who later challenged Herbert Feis in his book, Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam (1965), claiming that the US used the atomic bomb to gain geopolitical leverage over the USSR. The bomb was not necessary; it was a way to display US military might to the USSR, which was an ideological rival of the West, and send a message to Joseph Stalin, even if they were fighting against a common enemy, Nazi Germany.&nbsp;"The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender… dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary," said General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in 1963, recalling his memories. He served as the U.S. President in 1953, succeeding Harry S. Truman.“We knew we were beaten. We had no arms left with which to fight. The peace party was carrying on a very bitter struggle within the government to end the war,” said Prince Konoe Fumimaro, former Japanese Prime Minister, in post-war interrogation.Nonetheless, President Truman went on with his plan. His rationale was that a ground invasion of Japan would be a bloody affair. Japanese leaders were not ready for unconditional surrender as demanded by the Potsdam Declaration of the Allied forces and promptly&nbsp;denied the ultimatum of July 26.“The question is not whether Truman had to use the bomb to end the war quickly, but whether he believed that was the only way or the best way, given the wider context,” wrote J. Samuel Walker, a more balanced historian. Eighty years later, the debate still carries on, whether Hiroshima was the needed price for peace or the beginning of the Cold War.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Uncover the truth behind the US bombing of Hiroshima with ‘Little Boy’. Was it truly to end the War? Discover the untold motivation that led to the nuclear age. 

On August 6, 1945, the world changed forever. An entire city wiped out from the face of the earth. At around 8.45 am, a blinding beam of light appeared in the sky, along with a deafening sound of an explosion. It marked the arrival of the nuclear age. The little boy They called it 'the little boy', a US B-29 bomber also known as the ‘Elona Gay’, dropped a 10 feet long and 4,400 kg bomb from a height of 31,000 feet. The bomb detonated in the air at 1,900 feet above Hiroshima. It released 15,000 tons of TNT; in an instant, 80,000 people were incinerated, some just leaving behind only their shadows. The US dropped another plutonium bomb at Nagasaki on August 9, which it claims was an attempt to finish the war swiftly. Why Hiroshima? This was not just about ending the war The United States have iterated again and again that the bomb was necessary to end the bloody invasion of Japan. August 6, 2025, will be the 80th anniversary of the dreadful incident of Hiroshima. Historians have long debated the rationale of the attack. "I had urged (the bomb not be used) because Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was not necessary,” said Ralph Bard, Under Secretary of the Navy, in a memo dated June 27, 1945. Japan was already weak; it had already lost the bloodiest clash of the Pacific War, the Battle of Okinawa. The US have captured the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. American forces were within striking distance of mainland Japan. Japan's navy and air force were virtually destroyed. The US had complete control of the sky. Japan had absorbed firebombs in 60 different cities, and Tokyo only had a death toll of 100,000. Japan's economy was crumbling, and there was a widespread shortage of food, fuel and raw materials. It was exploring a peace deal and wanted to preserve its Empire. It reached out to the USSR to mediate a peace deal even though the USSR had not declared war on Japan. The Soviet Union was about to enter the war; it officially declared war against Japan on August 8, 1945. Scholars and historians have debated the logic behind using the devastating weapon. Many, like Herbert Feis, have defended the use of the bomb. While others, like American Historian Martin Sherwin, said that the bombing had complex political motivations. Gar Alperovitz, a revisionist American historian and political economist who later challenged Herbert Feis in his book, Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam (1965), claiming that the US used the atomic bomb to gain geopolitical leverage over the USSR. The bomb was not necessary; it was a way to display US military might to the USSR, which was an ideological rival of the West, and send a message to Joseph Stalin, even if they were fighting against a common enemy, Nazi Germany. "The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender… dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary," said General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in 1963, recalling his memories. He served as the U.S. President in 1953, succeeding Harry S. Truman. “We knew we were beaten. We had no arms left with which to fight. The peace party was carrying on a very bitter struggle within the government to end the war,” said Prince Konoe Fumimaro, former Japanese Prime Minister, in post-war interrogation. Nonetheless, President Truman went on with his plan. His rationale was that a ground invasion of Japan would be a bloody affair. Japanese leaders were not ready for unconditional surrender as demanded by the Potsdam Declaration of the Allied forces and promptly denied the ultimatum of July 26. “The question is not whether Truman had to use the bomb to end the war quickly, but whether he believed that was the only way or the best way, given the wider context,” wrote J. Samuel Walker, a more balanced historian. Eighty years later, the debate still carries on, whether Hiroshima was the needed price for peace or the beginning of the Cold War.

Uncover the truth behind the US bombing of Hiroshima with ‘Little Boy’. Was it truly to end the War? Discover the untold motivation that led to the nuclear age.&nbsp;

The bomb that changed everything: Truth about Hiroshima's 'Little Boy'

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Blast from the past: 5 reasons why Hiroshima bombing aftermath is a stark reminder for today's trigger-happy world leaders on nuclear war dangers

Hiroshima 80 years on: Japan warns world edging closer to nuclear war

Hiroshima Day 2025: Check history, significance of WWII’s ‘catastrophic moment’

The bomb that changed everything: Truth about Hiroshima's 'Little Boy'