German President Joachim Gauck has wrapped up his diplomatic trip to Japan by laying a wreath to honor nuclear blast victims in Nagasaki. The 1945 tragedy was 'unnecessary' and serves as a warning for our time, he said.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
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Gauck met with the survivors of the nuclear blast and visited the Nagasaki Peace Park on Friday, the fifth and final day of his Japanese visit.
"On a day like that, we are confronted by a whole world of suffering and terror and abuse," said the German president. However, the suffering continues to this day, he added.
"In other countries, people are still burning as they once did right here, and human dignity is trampled on," Gauck added.
Destruction as warning
The atomic bombing of Nagasaki at the closing of the World War II killed 70,000 people immediately, with radiation claiming at least 100,000 in the aftermath. The US forces attacked the coastal city only three days after an even more devastating attack on Hiroshima.
According to the German president, the blast in Nagasaki was "completely unnecessary." The president added that the brutal atomic destruction presents a warning for people today.
"Even a democracy is capable of such things," he said.
Gauck, who is set to turn 77 next January, also visited a monument to the 26 Christian martyrs who were crucified in 16th century Nagasaki. During previous days, the statesman met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito.
The trip was Gauck's first and likely last state visit to Japan, as he is expected to retire early next year.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The US attacks on two Japanese cities in 1945 are the only instances nuclear weapons have been used in war. People around the world remember the consequences of the bombings that ended the war.
Image: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images
The first bomb
On August 6th, 1945, the US bomber "Enola Gay" drops the first atomic bomb ever used in a war on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The device bears the harmless-sounding name "Little Boy." About 20 percent of the city's 350,000 inhabitants are killed just seconds after the blast. A giant shock wave flattens the city center.
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The "Enola Gay"
The attack on Hiroshima is set to take place on August 1st, 1945, but it is postponed due to a typhoon. The "Enola Gay" takes off five days later with 13 crew members on board. They only find out they are about to drop an atomic bomb after the bomber is airborne.
Image: gemeinfrei
The second bomb
Three days after Hiroshima, the Americans drop a second bomb over the city of Nagasaki. The target is originally Kyoto, but the US Department of Defense objects and so Nagasaki is chosen. The bomb bears the name "Fat Man" and has the explosive power of 22,000 tons of TNT. An estimated 70,000 people die over the next four months.
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A strategic target
In 1945, the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works are located in Nagasaki. The company does not only run large shipyards at the port, but is also responsible for the construction of the torpedoes used in the attack against the US Pacific fleet based at Pearl Harbor. Only a few Japanese soldiers are stationed in Nagasaki. Poor visibility conditions render a direct assault on the shipyards impossible.
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The victims
Tens of thousands of people die months later from the consequences of the explosions. By the end of 1945, a further 60,000 people die in Hiroshima alone, as a result of radiation exposure, burns and other severe injuries. Five years later, casualty figures are estimated at 230,000.
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War crimes?
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki many Japanese fear a third US attack on the capital, Tokyo. Japan decides to capitulate, thus ending World War II. US President Harry Truman had ordered the bombings, convinced it was the only way to end the war swiftly. However, many historians regard the attacks as war crimes.
Image: AP
Reconstruction
Hiroshima's devastated city center is fully rebuilt, except for an island on the river Ota, which is preserved as a peace memorial park. Today, there are an array of memorial sites here: the Peace Museum, the Children's Peace Monument, the ruins of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as a flame which will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed.
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A culture of remembrance
In Nagasaki, the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Peace Park have been remembering the victims and aftermath of the bombings since 1955. The remembrance of the victims plays an important part in Japanese culture and national identity. Hiroshima and Nagasaki have become global symbols for the horrors of nuclear war.
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A moment of silence
Every year a large memorial ceremony is held in Hiroshima. Survivors, relatives, citizens and politicians get together to hold a minute of silence. Many Japanese are committed to nuclear disarmament.
