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By the end of 1945, 60,000 more people had died due to radiation poisoning, bringing the total killed in Hiroshima in that year to 140,000. Since then, thousands more have died of radiation-related causes. According to figures released on August 6, 2004, the death toll was 237,062. To date, there are around 270,000 hibakusha -- a term that literally means 'bomb affected people' -- still living in Japan.
After the attack, Hiroshima was rebuilt. New buildings arose. In 1949, it was proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament. The closest surviving building to the location of the detonation was designated the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. In 1994, Hiroshima hosted the Asian Games. Four years later, the Hiroshima Peace Institute was established.
The face of the city has, for all practical purposes, changed completely. What lies beneath, however, continues to shape the modern consciousness of Japan and her people around the world.
Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images
Also See: Russia resloves not to forget history
External link: The Baltimore Sun: The Hiroshima cover-up
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