Latest news with #Hiroshima
NHK
7 hours ago
- General
- NHK
Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima to be designated 'Special Historic Site'
The Japanese government will designate the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, western Japan, as a Special Historic Site that has especially high value for preservation. It would be the first such designation for a structure built since the Meiji Period, which started in the latter 19th century. A panel at Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency recommended the designation on Friday. The brick building was erected in 1915 and served as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall. It partially survived the 1945 atomic bombing of the city. Also called Genbaku Dome, the structure is already designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The building was only about 160 meters from ground zero, but the shell of the dome miraculously survived the bombing while inner parts of the building burned down. The panel said it regards the structure as having extremely high value as a symbol of disaster from the first-ever atomic bombing in history, which is preserved in the same state as immediately after the explosion. The most recent monument designated a Special Historic Site to date is Goryokaku, a western-style fort in Hokkaido, which was completed in the late Edo Period in the 19th Century.
NHK
10 hours ago
- General
- NHK
Japan's Emperor and Empress visit 2014 Hiroshima mudslide disaster site
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have visited an area in the city of Hiroshima that was devastated by a rain-triggered disaster 11 years ago. Localized downpours in August 2014 caused mudslides and landslides at a total of 166 locations in the city. Currents of mud and debris struck residential communities at the foot of the hills, resulting in 77 fatalities, including those who died later due to related causes. The couple visited the Yagi district in Asaminami Ward on Friday. The area suffered great losses of life from the disaster. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visited the district as reigning emperor and empress in 2014, four months after the catastrophe. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were briefed by land ministry officials on the sand-control dam built at the site where houses had been swept away. The couple bowed in the direction of where 23 lives were lost. They went on to visit the Hiroshima City Torrential Rain Disaster Memorial Center, which exhibits the testimonies of survivors and documents rebuilding efforts based on the lessons learned from the disaster. The center was built in 2023. The Empress asked the director of the facility, who is a survivor himself, if his house had been completely destroyed. The Emperor asked how the survivors' accounts were collected. The couple also met with people who were affected by the disaster. The Emperor offered encouraging words to a survivor who lost his mother and his house in a mudslide.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
The Israel-Iran war has reintroduced nuclear disaster into the global conversation
In less than two months, the world will mark 80 years since the atom bomb was used in warfare for the first – and hopefully last – time. The American devices that were detonated above the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused incalculable human suffering, cutting short more than 200,000 lives. That demonstration of catastrophic power revealed the risks inherent in nuclear technology. As the war between Israel and Iran continues to escalate, it is deeply worrying to see how talk of radiation leaks and lasting environmental damage has re-entered the global conversation. Although Israel's unilateral strikes have done considerable damage to Iran's nuclear facilities, there are no confirmed reports of radioactive material escaping confinement. Nevertheless, it is not alarmist to argue that one reckless strike has the potential to endanger many lives. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, said as much on Monday, stating that military escalation 'increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment'. Several Middle East countries are already taking action, with Iraq's National Nuclear, Radiological, Chemical and Biological Regulatory Authority leading discussions this week about establishing a joint operations room to respond to potential radiation leaks from Iranian nuclear facilities. As alarming as these developments are, the global community has been here before and has shown that there are ways to prevent warring parties from making a dangerous nuclear misstep. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which was damaged in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, is currently under Russian military control but is inspected by the IAEA, which acts as a vital intermediary in assessing the plant's safety. This is a complex and often difficult process but one that shows the indispensability of international involvement in establishing nuclear safety, even in war zones. Such guardrails appear to be absent in the Israel-Iran crisis. As missiles rain down on Israeli and Iranian cities, the risk to civilian lives and health from a misjudged strike on a nuclear facility is profound. Iran's people are particularly vulnerable, given Tehran's underinvestment in civilian shelters and warning systems. International bodies such as the UN and its Security Council need to prove their relevance quickly. The price of inaction is too great to contemplate The stakes continue to rise. Israel on Thursday claimed to have targeted Iran's Arak nuclear reactor and hit what it said was a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has yet to rule out direct American involvement in the conflict, something that could conceivably result in 13,000kg bombs being dropped on fortified Iranian nuclear sites. Given the precariousness of the situation and the collective price people across this region and beyond could pay in the event of a leak, a meltdown or nuclear material falling into the wrong hands, the world needs to see a more effective response from its leading international institutions. Bodies such as the UN and its Security Council need to prove their relevance quickly; the price of inaction is too great to contemplate.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Japan's Royal Couple Mourn A-Bomb Victims Ahead of Hiroshima's 80th Anniversary
Japan's Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations. Naruhito and Masako also visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to observe exhibits, including those featuring Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots organization awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The couple met atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, and those born after the war and trained to tell the stories on behalf of those who can no longer do so. Naruhito is making his third trip to mourn the war dead this year. In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 US Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Earlier this month, Naruhito also visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese – half of them Okinawan civilians – and about 12,000 Americans killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Naruhito accompanied his daughter, Princess Aiko, underscoring his wish that she would learn the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Japan's royal couple mourn A-bomb victims ahead of Hiroshima's 80th anniversary
TOKYO — Japan's Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako , bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations. Naruhito and Masako were also to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to observe exhibits, including those featuring Nihon Hidankyo , a grassroots organization awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The couple were to meet atomic bombing survivors, or hibakusha, and those born after the war and trained to tell the stories on behalf of those who can no longer do so. Naruhito is making his third trip to mourn the war dead this year. In April, the couple visited Iwo Jima to pay tribute to about 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Earlier this month, Naruhito also visited Okinawa to mourn about 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians, and about 12,000 Americans, killed in the Battle of Okinawa . Naruhito accompanied his daughter, Princess Aiko , underscoring his wish that she would learn the hardships of the Okinawan people and share their stories with younger generations.
