The story of Hiroshima’s atomic bombing

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The story of Hiroshima’s atomic bombing

On August 5, 1945, Hiroshima resident Shinoe Shoda heard from an acquaintance that beans were different from usual, which they took to be an auspicious sign that Japan would win the war.

She wrote a tanka poem that went to this effect, How pathetic The day before the A-bomb dropped on us We believed the rumor that we would win the war. In the Aug. 6 bombing, Shoda suffered a shoulder injury. She arrived at an evacuation center and saw rows of injured people, including those who appeared beyond help.

She remembered one of them this way: A dear, sweet student about to die But when I called her name she answered yes. Another grisly sight was what remains of people who were alive only a short time before: These are not lumps of coal These are charred remains of human beings Piled high A truck rumbles past. These were images of hell that Shoda, who later became known as Genbaku Kajin A-bomb tanka poet, would never forget.

After escaping censorship at the General Headquarters, her collection of poems titled Sange was secretly published. The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers GHQ Shoda was prepared to take any risk to publish the work. She must have been driven by her desire to mourn the dead, but perhaps was motivated more intensely by her fury over the A-bomb attack.

Today is the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

How many times have people called for nuclear disarmament over the years, only to have their hopes shattered?

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his message to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and that it should never be unleashed.

Putin, were you the very person who threatened the use of nuclear weapons?

It is feared that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may lead to a nuclear war race, not global nuclear disarmament. Some politicians in Japan have called for nuclear sharing. Like never before, it is important to be truly afraid of, and outraged by the presence of nuclear weapons in the world.

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that covers a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. The column is written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers and provides useful insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.