Hiroshima and Obama

On August 6, 2010, the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima was marked.

For the first time, a U.S. envoy attended.

From The Independent:

Washington will for the first time send an official envoy to Hiroshima to mark today's anniversary of the city's destruction by a US atomic bomb in 1945, in a move hailed by campaigners as a milestone in the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons.

The decision, which experts say is prompted partly by Barack Obama's personal commitment to disarmament as well as growing regional concerns about nuclear proliferation, was welcomed by A-bomb survivors.

But US ambassador to Japan John Roos and UK deputy ambassador David Fitton, who is also attending, will shrug off demands for an apology and questions about the controversial bombing, which killed more than 140,000 people, mostly civilians.

From CNSNews:

The Kyodo news agency said the head of a Hiroshima victims organization, Kazushi Kaneko, called for a U.S. apology.

“I want the U.S. representative to feel the realities of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and correct the U.S. perception that the bombing was the right choice,” the 84-year-old was quoted as saying.

Ahead of a trip by Obama to Japan last November, invitations to the president from the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki prompted speculation that he might offer an apology for the bombings.

Obama did not visit the two cities, citing time constraints, but said he would like to do so during his presidency. He plans to visit Japan again later this year, for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Has Japan apologized for its attack on Pearl Harbor and drawing the U.S. into war?

Has Japan apologized to the people of Nagasaki for its responsibility in not sparing them the same fate as the people of Hiroshima?

Should we talk about the Bataan Death March and other atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II?

Bring on the apologies.

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