The Hiroshima city government continues to advocate the abolition of nuclear weapons. It writes a letter of protest every time a nuclear weapon is detonated anywhere in the world. It has also strongly advocated world peace.
On August 8, 1945, leaflets addressed to the Japanese people were dropped, saying:
'America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet. We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2,000 of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate. We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city.'
It is a pamphlet that continues to stand testimony to the evil that men can do.
Photograph: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images
Also See: China-Japan row
External link: The Age: The world learned nothing from Hiroshima