HIROSHIMA DAY
1. Context
Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to mark the horrific bombing of the Japanese city. Let’s see how the horrors of world’s first atomic bombing underline the significance of striving for global peace and disarmament.
2. Background for Hiroshima Day
- During World War II, humanity witnessed the unprecedented use of radioactive elements' fission properties to develop a weapon of mass destruction. On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped a uranium-based gun-type atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, the U.S. deployed a second atomic bomb, "Fat Man," over Nagasaki.
- This marked a grim conclusion to the conflict ignited by Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939. World War II was characterized by a clash of ideologies and personalities.
- The dictatorial regimes of Adolf Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italy, Gen. Hideki Tojo in Japan, Antonio Salazar in Portugal, Juan Peron in Argentina, and Francisco Franco in Spain opposed the Allied nations, which included Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
- The Axis powers embodied totalitarian ideologies and absolute control, while the Allied Powers advocated for self-determination, democratic governance, and anti-racism. Despite Germany’s surrender in May 1945 and Italy’s earlier defeat in September 1943, the rationale behind the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan remains a topic of inquiry
3. Attack on Pearl Harbour
- Following the surrender of Italy and Germany, the focus of the war shifted to the Pacific, where conflict ensued between the United States, stationed in the Hawaiian Islands, and the persistent Japanese forces in the Western Pacific.
- A major crisis erupted when 353 Japanese Imperial Air Force planes launched an attack on the US base, resulting in the deaths of 2,404 military personnel and civilians.
- The first half of 1945 saw intense battles between the Japanese and US forces. The timeline alone does not fully clarify the decision to use atomic bombs. In February 1945, the US invaded and captured the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, incurring 30,000 casualties.
- In April 1945, the US also invaded Okinawa, suffering around 50,000 casualties. During this period, Japan experienced significant losses to its Air Force and Navy due to US retaliatory attacks. These events unfolded alongside ongoing developments in the Manhattan Project
4. What is the Manhattan Project?
- On the morning of July 16, 1945, at the White Sands Missile Range in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Robert Oppenheimer, often regarded as the 'father of the atomic bomb,' famously quoted the Gita, saying, “Now I have become death,” following the successful detonation of the plutonium device known as ‘Gadget.’ This moment was documented by Project General L.R. Groves in a report submitted to the War Secretariat.
- The successful test provided the US military with a significant new asset. Diplomatic discussions among the Allies began regarding the use of this new weapon.
- On July 26, the leaders of the US, Britain, and the Soviet Union, known as the Big Three, convened at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, Germany, and issued an ultimatum to Japan demanding unconditional surrender.
- According to US military records, various alternatives to the use of atomic bombs were considered, including a demonstration of the bomb off Tokyo’s coast with minimal impact or a planned full-scale invasion of the Japanese island, codenamed Olympia, in October 1945. Additionally, the decision was influenced by the personal experience of former US President Harry Truman
5. Postdam declaration and Japan's response
- Japan's response to the Potsdam Declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, was one of cautious rejection. The declaration, which demanded Japan's unconditional surrender and outlined the terms for ending World War II, was initially met with a firm stance from the Japanese government.
- Japanese leaders, including Emperor Hirohito, were reluctant to accept the terms, as they feared the loss of national sovereignty and the preservation of their imperial institution.
- On August 1, 1945, Japan formally rejected the Potsdam Declaration, leading to continued hostilities. This rejection played a significant role in the decision to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945.
- The devastating effects of these bombings, coupled with the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan on August 8, ultimately compelled Japan to reconsider its position.
- On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, effectively ending World War II. This decision was influenced by the overwhelming destruction wrought by the atomic bombs and the realization that further resistance was futile
6.Nuclear disarmament and India
- According to United Nations data, approximately 13,400 nuclear weapons are still in existence globally, with over 2,000 tests having been conducted. The initial effort toward nuclear disarmament began in 1946, when the United Nations General Assembly established a Commission to address issues related to atomic energy and its peaceful applications. Since then, various nuclear disarmament agreements and forums have emerged.
- These include the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, CTBT), signed in 1963 but not yet in force, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
- India participates in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and is committed to achieving global, non-discriminatory, and verifiable nuclear disarmament. India also advocates for an internationally verified Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
- India's stance on the NPT, CTBT, and TPNW reflects its strategic policy. The NPT, established in 1968, recognizes only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, Russia, the UK, France, and China) as nuclear powers and allows other countries to join only as non-nuclear weapon states. India views this arrangement as a threat to its security and sovereign right to self-defence.
- India has pledged to maintain a voluntary and unilateral moratorium on further nuclear testing. It remains the only nuclear-armed state to assert that its security would be strengthened, not weakened, in a world without nuclear weapons
7. Hiroshima peace memorial
- The ruins of the Genbaku Dome serve as a poignant reminder of the consequences of nuclear warfare. The industrial promotion center in Hiroshima bore the brunt of the atomic blast directly overhead. While nearly the entire city was reduced to rubble, the industrial complex remained largely intact.
- Now known as the ‘Hiroshima Peace Memorial,’ the term "Genbaku" in Japanese translates to "atom bomb." The historical significance of the site was underscored when former US President Barack Obama visited the Genbaku Dome on May 27, 2016, and met with a Hibakusha, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.
- The introduction of new atomic terminology into the Japanese language and the presence of radiation effects in the genes of many Japanese people stand as enduring testaments to the history of human conflict.
|
For Prelims: Current events of national and international importance
For Mains: GS I - World History
|
Source: Indianexpress
