Abolition and Disarmament of Nuclear Weapons

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Story of the Hiroshima Bombing

Lesson Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Understand the context, occurance and consequences of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima by the United States in August 1945. Understand the nature and use of nuclear weapons, and to understand their impact on history and their legacies.

When the United States entered World War II in 1942, large budget outlays and labor pools were available to Manhattan Project leaders.

The Manhattan Project invented and built the first nuclear reactors to manufacture plutonium, and the process of uranium enrichment for use in nuclear weapons and producing nuclear fuel.

The nuclear attack killed between 80,000 – 100,000 people on 6 August. It injured over 100,00 more. By the end of 1945 more than 140,000 people had died from the nuclear attack.

The detonation destroyed most buildings out to 2km of the hypocenter. Temperatures at the hypocenter reached 3,000-4,000 Celsius.

The effects of nuclear weapons are: Blast Heat Prompt Radiation Residual Radiation (radioactive fallout)

During her illness she folded hundreds of paper cranes as a wish for survival. Today, children all over the world learn the story of Sadako, and to fold paper cranes for peace.

The city of Hiroshima rebuilt to become a beautiful, modern city within a decade of the attack.

The Japanese government has created a legal definition for hibakusha, and those designated as hibakusha have enhanced medical care and social support.

A-Bombed Buildings and Survivor Trees

A number of buildings and trees that survived the atomic bombing still exist in Hiroshima today, and they are preserved by the city government or local organizations.

These buildings and trees are a way for Hiroshima to preserve its historical memory even after the hibakusha are gone.

Let's learn more about A-Bombed Buildings and Survivor Trees

Why were the survivor trees meaningful for the hibakusha (A-bomb survivors)?

Local NGO: Green Legacy Hiroshima

Green Legacy Hiroshima sends seeds and saplings of Hiroshima’s survivor trees all around the world, in order to teach communities about the atomic bombing.

Local NGO - Green Legacy Hiroshima (GLH)

Peace Memorial Park

This lesson will introduce you to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The park lies in the center of the City of Hiroshima and commemorates the lives lost in the atomic bombing.

By visiting Peace Memorial Park’s monuments, you can learn how people suffered from the bombing, as well as feel Hiroshima’s peace culture that developed after the war.

Peace Memorial Park

Let's visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park virtually! There are many monuments commemorating the A-bomb victims in the Hiroshima Memorial park. Try to find each monument and learn the meanings and hopes behind them. Seventeen letters are placed in the tour over the mail letter icons. Collect all letters to spell out a three-word phrase. Let's visit!

Who was Sadako Sasaki?

Around 30,000 of the individuals killed in the atomic bombing were ethnically Korean.