A-bombed cities, Okinawa disappointed by Hatoyama-Obama talks

Saturday 14th November, 06:44 AM JST

TOKYO —

Supporters of people suffering from diseases related to the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and those opposed to U.S. bases in Okinawa expressed disappointment after the summit talks between Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama in Tokyo on Friday.

Hatoyama conveyed his hope that Obama will travel to Hiroshima and Nagasaki one day, but Obama only said at their joint press conference that such a visit in the future would be meaningful but he has no immediate travel plans.

‘‘I expected the president to commit himself to apologizing to ‘hibakusha’ by visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki,’’ said Koichi Kawano, 69, chairman of the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, or Gensuikin, referring to survivors of the 1945 bombings.

‘‘Although he came all the way to Japan, there were no comments that went further than his Prague speech’’ in April in which Obama set out his vision for a world free of nuclear weapons, Kawano said.

Nobuto Hirano, a 62-year-old son of a hibakusha in Nagasaki who is supporting hibakushas living in South Korea, said, ‘‘It is inconsistent in the first place for the United States as a nuclear weapons state to call for the elimination of nuclear arms without declaring it will abandon its own.’‘

In the Okinawa prefectural capital of Naha, Okinawa Gov Hirokazu Nakaima said he is disappointed that Hatoyama and Obama did not mention how to resolve the thorny issue of where to relocate a major U.S. airfield in Okinawa in their talks.

‘‘It was disappointing that no specific reference was made’’ to the issue of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station, Nakaima said in a statement as head of a prefecture that hosts the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan.

Under a bilateral accord struck in 2006, the heliport functions of the Futenma Air Station in downtown Ginowan are to be moved to the less densely populated city of Nago in northern Okinawa by 2014, but Hatoyama’s government, launched in September, has begun to review the realignment plan.

During the joint press conference after their talks, Hatoyama and Obama said they agreed that the two countries will seek to expeditiously reach a conclusion on the Futenma issue, stressing their talks were successful and meaningful.

‘‘I wonder if the wishes of many Okinawan residents for a relocation out of the prefecture have reached President Obama,’’ said Sakae Toyama, a 69-year-old peace activist in Ginowan.

‘‘It’s no easy task to convey the real voices of Okinawa to the U.S. president,’’ Toyama said, adding, ‘‘We will first call on the Japanese government to unify’’ its stance on the relocation matter, as some of Hatoyama’s cabinet members have floated different ideas about it.

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Latest 15 of 75 Total Comments Show All

bushlover at 02:55 AM JST - 15th November

richad smithinjapan: [I believe a US president is LONG overdue to visit the sites, but I don't expect him (or her) to apologize as though they committed the acts themself. The media would make a circus out of any US presidential visit, claiming it as the long awaited proof that Japan was the ultimate victim of WWII, should be pitied, etc. Again, I think the atomic bombings are to date among the worst atrocities committed by human beings on other human beings, and I think the government of the time should indeed have prostrated itself and apologized, but if Obama or another president (and if he won't do it it won't happen soon) goes to pay their respects and lament war and it's turned into a 60 year blame-fest, then forget it -- it's not in the proper spirit of the event.]

Funny how you are so much against him apologizing for something that happened 60 some years ago but just to get some korean booty you jung sing another tune when it comes to Japan apologizing to other countries.
isthistheend at 03:48 AM JST - 15th November

For the umpteenth time. It was a WORLD WAR, Japan was ALSO trying to develop the BOMB with Germany, and they surely would have used it had they gotten their hands on it. S.F, Cal was a first candidate target. The race was ON, underway. Japan lost the race. The war went to the Allies. Don't obscrue the facts and say, but, but, but. This is a debate that will NEVER be solved, because WAR is not that kind of thing. We did this but we meant that. We didn't do as you said, but we intended to do as we didn't say. We educated the people of Asia with our higher standards, we didn't just rape and pillage and murder as you say. To both sides, there are different sides of the story.......
Triple888 at 04:31 AM JST - 15th November

Wonder what today's world would be like had Japan developed the A-bomb first.
TheQuestion at 05:35 AM JST - 15th November

How many times has this damned discussion come up?

There was a war, the bombs dropped, the war ended. Putting moral justification (one way or another aside) it was fast, effective, and efficient.
Youjinbou at 05:40 AM JST - 15th November

Japan already had, or was very close, but since they were developing/testing in Korea, it got blitzkrieg-ed by Russia. Not to mention it wouldn't have done much at that point anyways.
medievaltimes at 05:55 AM JST - 15th November

How is the atomic bombing to be justified?

Thats a question that still gets debated today. I suggest you check out this link for starters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DebateovertheatomicbombingsofHiroshimaandNagasaki

This is a pretty much fair balanced look at the issues involved. I would urge people from both sides of the fence to read it.
UnagiDon at 05:56 AM JST - 15th November

Japan already had, or was very close, but since they were developing/testing in Korea,

Nonsense and one of the lamer conspiracies I read on this site.
fleetwood77 at 07:12 AM JST - 15th November

The essence of war is violence - moderation in war is imbecilic.

The atomic bombings were the fault of the Japanese - who by surrendering unconditionally as they had been warned to do ,could have ended the war instantly.
UnagiDon at 08:13 AM JST - 15th November

The atomic bombings were the fault of the Japanese

Because the US had no choice, it had no other alternatives but to drop two bombs on cities, right? Hands tied and all that?

Presumably you also believe that Pearl Harbor was the fault of the US, because Japan had no other choice but to attack the US in order to defend its supply lines, especially in the face of a US embargo? Right?
isthistheend at 12:42 PM JST - 15th November

Unagidon you eat too much unagi don. Have a steak and a beer some day or soba noodles and natto if you prefer, it might wake up your senses. Your Because.....and presumably sentences above don't make any sense. I wonder what on earth you're trying to say. Is it that the US had other choices (though they too were tired of troops getting killed, and a public that longed for a quick end of the war) , and Japan had no other choice (especially deluded as they were by their military leaders that they could pull victory out of the hat by subduing a navy based in Hawaii?
presto345 at 03:01 PM JST - 15th November

For the umpteenth time. It was a WORLD WAR, Japan was ALSO trying to develop the BOMB with Germany, and they surely would have used it had they gotten their hands on it. S.F, Cal was a first candidate target. The race was ON, underway. Japan lost the race. The war went to the Allies. Don't obscrue the facts and say, but, but, but. This is a debate that will NEVER be solved, because WAR is not that kind of thing. We did this but we meant that. We didn't do as you said, but we intended to do as we didn't say. We educated the people of Asia with our higher standards, we didn't just rape and pillage and murder as you say. To both sides, there are different sides of the story.......

My god, another of these "would have done/if had done. How about saving your breath.
isthistheend at 07:41 PM JST - 15th November

presto345 why don't you save YOURS! This is an open forum. We sure as xxx don't need your monitoring on top of the other.
MrUSA at 11:49 PM JST - 15th November

Why do so many Japanese naively worship Obama? He's just a man, and he doesn't care about Japan as much as the Japanese care about him.
isthistheend at 03:37 PM JST - 16th November

They don't worship Obama. They admire a man who beat the odds. He talks differently than someone like a professional politician like Bush, and he appears to have an objective desire to help human relations in this world. He's a refreshing face in the world political scene. And the Japanese, who obviously have close ties with the US, even though its not always smooth sailing, respect him for his efforts. For all the Rush Limbaughs in waiting out there, there's nothing to stop them/you from picking the man apart one-by-one. But for those of us who think he's a refreshing change from status quo politicians, we think he's got class. Now how about the Emperor? He's just a man too, right?
Belesarius at 11:16 AM JST - 19th November

The Japanese have as much to appologise for as any nation maybe more.

We (The US) dont want an apology for the attacks in WW2 just for the japanese to stop acting like victims.

How many americans and others were murdered, raped, tortured and imprisoned in WW2?

I feel sorry for those people but japan is far from blameless