Obama to Japan: Late Apology?

(Baonghean.vn) - Later this month, Brack Obama will become the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima - the city that suffered the world's first nuclear bombing.

President Obama boards his private plane. Photo: dpa.

It has been 71 years since a sitting US president has visited Hiroshima. The White House has insisted there will be no apology from the world's number one superpower. Instead, they insist the trip is to visit memorial sites for the victims of the bombing.

In any case, it was just a formality, nothing more, nothing less. The US President did not come to Japan just to visit Hiroshima, he came to this East Asian country to attend the G7 leaders' summit.

Mr Obama's trip was described by the White House as emphasizing "the United States' commitment to the pursuit of peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons".

The event followed Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Hiroshima in April – the first time a US secretary of state had visited the city’s peace memorials. And there was no apology from Mr Kerry.

Basis for reconciliation

DW analyst Alexander Freund commented on Obama's visit to Japan, comparing it to Germany's admission of its crimes after World War II, and emphasizing that admitting mistakes is the first step to apologizing, and only that way can help heal the pain of the past.

Alexander Freund also said that no one expected Mr. Obama to kneel down and apologize and make amends to the victims of the atomic bomb attack. Obviously, the crimes of the nuclear bombing cannot be compared to the crimes of the Nazis. But even so, the US President should still apologize to those who suffered the consequences of the bombing when he visited the city of Hiroshima.

US Secretary of State visits the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during his recent visit to Japan. Photo: Internet.

Why? DW explains that using nuclear weapons is an unquestionable crime. It cannot be argued that if atomic bombs had not been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the war in the Pacific would have continued and caused more innocent civilian deaths.

Even if that argument was correct, everyone knew it was a mistake right after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. However, when the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the US was actually testing a new weapon, demonstrating its power to Japan and especially to Russia.

It was the first time the American superpower unleashed its nuclear power and began an arms race with Russia whose consequences are still evident today. Although Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe want to join hands to fight for peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons, in the end it was the US that issued the nuclear “curse” 71 years ago.

Japan also need to apologize?

Obama needs to face up to his historic mistake at Hiroshima. Analyst Freund expressed his thoughts that near the end of his term, the Nobel Peace Prize winner has nothing to lose. Instead, he can gain admiration because apologizing is also a sign of strength.

Similarly, this is also true when considering Prime Minister Abe, who has never apologized to neighboring countries for the war crimes of Japanese fascism. DW commented that without admitting mistakes, true reconciliation with neighbors like South Korea and China will be an impossible task for the land of the rising sun.

Thao Linh

(According to DW)