The Hiroshima Visit
and the history behind it
What Happened?
Recently, President Obama visited a momorial in Hiroshima, Japan. He's been the first U.S. president to visit since the Hiroshima bombings. This has caused much controversy. Some people have takwn this as an apology. They say that Obama shouldn't apologize for the bombings, as Japan Bombed pearl Harbor. However, others say that he should apologize because of the massive number of casualties the atomic bomb created.
The History Behind it
On August 6th, 1945 a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan. Thousands were killed instantly, and many died from radiation. The city was decimated, and was filled with harmful radiation from after the explosion. After the weapon of mass destruction was unleashed, Japan surrendered immediately. The U.S. was victorious, but they killed civilians to get there. Everyone questioned the morality of dropping the bomb on the city, but the U.S. never apologized.
This visit might be the only way to smooth things out among the two countries, even though obama insists it was only to honor those who died in the explosion. I personally think we should apologize, but that's just my opinion.