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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb? | The Tylt
Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb?
President Obama will be the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, the city where the US dropped the first atomic bomb in 1945. The White House has emphasized Obama will not be making a formal apology for the United States' past actions in Japan: "He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II," White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.
Obama will, however, speak about the pursuit of peace through nuclear disarmament. The president's critics are characterizing the visit as an "apology tour," claiming his speech will disrespect the memory of US World War II veterans and their sacrifices. Others want him to go further and formally apologize for using nuclear weapons against the people of Japan.
The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima. A second bomb killed up to 80,000 people in Nagasaki three days later.
Should Obama apologize?
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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb?
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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb?
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Plenty of the presidents detractors saw his visit as an apology and an affront to veterans.
others saw the visit as a stance against future nuclear attacks.
Especially because of the high number of civilian casualties in Hiroshima, supporters of Obama's visit felt his gesture was warranted.
Supporters of the visit noted that bombing Hiroshima was different than any act of war that had ever come before it.
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Many commenters still argue that dropping the bomb was the right decision and should not be apologized for.
A visit did not go far enough for those who consider the bombings war crimes.
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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb?
