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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb? | The Tylt
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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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Plenty of the presidents detractors saw his visit as an apology and an affront to veterans.
@WhiteHouse @POTUS So he can apologize on Memorial Day weekend. What a disgrace he is.
— Warren Barnes (@warbarnes) May 10, 2016
others saw the visit as a stance against future nuclear attacks.
.@WSJ It's really a great step forward that could make people familiar with realistic abominable, scary nature and consequence of N-arms.
— baogon-在中国 (@baogonc) May 10, 2016
Especially because of the high number of civilian casualties in Hiroshima, supporters of Obama's visit felt his gesture was warranted.
@nytimes
— Billy Secret (@BillySecret) May 10, 2016
There were many innocent victims of that Bomb.
Supporters of the visit noted that bombing Hiroshima was different than any act of war that had ever come before it.
@HuffPostPol #Hiroshima & #Nagasaki places of shame for the USA where crimes against humanity were committed @BarackObama
— Maurice A. Phillips. (@MoorTalk46) May 10, 2016
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Many commenters still argue that dropping the bomb was the right decision and should not be apologized for.
@washingtonpost Thank God a Democrat President decided to use the atomic bomb; Truman saved millions of American and Japanese lives
— Tony Schroeder (@schroedertony) May 10, 2016
A visit did not go far enough for those who consider the bombings war crimes.
@guardian what kind of a PR stunt is this?Is he going to condemn throwing a nuclear device on civilians?Thats what should happen.Its a crime
— Eddie Sullivan (@EddieStudy) May 10, 2016
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Obama plans historic visit to Hiroshima: should he apologize for US dropping the atomic bomb?
