Obama has a had a pretty good last few months in office. It feels like every decision he’s made has been spot-on but, of course, nothing is ever perfect. Many people were obsessing over his soon-to-be visit to Hiroshima, the historic site of the world’s first atomic bomb drop. Many people, especially the Japanese, expected an apology from the U.S., but Obama has said he didn’t plan on it. Well, when he arrived to Japan today, it was clear that he was a man of his word.
Dilson Hernandez: Facebook | Instagram
About 140,000 were killed in Hiroshima and about 70,000 in Nagasaki. Since then, no nuclear weapons have been used, thankfully, due to a number of peace-advocating opponents of the bomb; Obama being one of them
“We come to Hiroshima to ponder the terrible forces unleashed in the not so distant past. We come to mourn the dead.”
This was the sight at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park today, when given a speech by Obama. This was a great move by President Obama considering he was the first active U.S. president to visit the Hiroshima memorial. Reasons like these (like the decreasing of Cuba-U.S. tensions) are why Obama is loved globally. Check out Obama honoring those who lost their lives at the bombing:
But there has been some criticism. Many people think he should not only visit but also be the firs president to officially apologize on behalf of the U.S. government. This would’ve been great for the wishes of some Americans and Japanese but other people, especially WWII veterans, think this is not a great move, because the bomb was necessary.
It has been reported though, through a poll, that not many Japanese people care for an apology, they just want him to show up. Matt Steckling, a Chicago native who lives in Hiroshima said:
“It’s going to mean a lot for people here to see him come and lay flowers and pay his respects. No one expects him to apologize — the gesture, the visit alone, is enough.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is true, honestly. But even if you feel like he should apologize or not, you got to respect the fact that he was the only sitting president who visited; and did so with talks of promoting peace.
“Our visit to Hiroshima will honor all those who were lost in World War II and reaffirm our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons.”
Check out Obama’s speech at the memorial:
