American President Going to Hiroshima Should Draw the Line

On May 27, U.S. President Obama will be making a trip to Hiroshima, Japan – the site where the United States dropped an atomic bomb during World War II. Obama will be the first U.S. president to make this visit. The White House stated that the purpose is not to apologize about the bombing, but to support the cause of nuclear disarmament. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only two cities on earth that suffered from nuclear devastation. Over 200,000 died, many Koreans included. It is understandable that the U.S. president is honoring the dead and seeking to pursue peace.

However, the tragedy of the atomic bomb is a result of the war atrocities caused by Japanese imperialism. The Pacific War stole the lives of over 20 million people, including hundreds of thousands of Koreans. Japan brought the atomic bomb upon itself by pushing the limits. Even after the detonation, the insane country called for a “fight to the finish.” Millions more would have been sacrificed if the war had continued.

Even so, Japan continues to avoid sustained and sincere apology for causing such a war. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even had the nerve to say that “assessment of wars may be different.” Japan is posing as a victim using Hiroshima to mask its offense. Seeing that the American president’s visit makes Japan’s pretense look successful, I wonder what Obama really thinks of the countless other Asian nations that are the true victims.

In fact, South Korea is particularly the biggest victim of the Japanese. We lost our country. It is my wish that, upon arrival at Hiroshima, the symbolic site of the Pacific War, President Obama would point a finger at Japan and clarify who the true “offender” and “victim” of the tragedy is.