President Barack Obama laid a wreath in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Friday. Obama is the first American president in office to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb that killed 140,000 people. The bombing there and in the Japanese city of Nagasaki brought a swift end to World War II. Thousands at the ceremony watched as the U.S. president stood next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Peace Memorial Park. Obama then bowed briefly and placed the wreath at the arch memorial built to remember the dead and injured. "Death fell from the sky and the world was changed," Obama said. The president then met briefly with two survivors attending the ceremony. He held the hand of 91-year-old survivor Sunao Tsuboi and hugged an emotional Shigeaki Mori. Obama talked about the horrors of war and the need to work toward a world without nuclear weapons. “Technological progress without an equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us,” he said. Revolutions, or great leaps forward, in technology “requires a moral revolution as well.” “This tragedy must not be repeated again,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his speech at Hiroshima. “We are determined to realize a world free of nuclear weapons,” he said. Some Americans objected to Obama's visit to Hiroshima. They saw his visit as disrespectful to U.S. veterans who fought in the war. For many older Americans, the visit is a painful reminder of conflict and lost lives. In Japan, the national broadcaster, NHK, found that 70 percent of Japanese wanted Obama to visit Hiroshima. Only 2 percent of Japanese polled said they opposed the trip. The United States dropped a powerful atomic bomb on Hiroshima and a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki in August 1945. Japan was at war with the U.S., Britain, France, China and other nations, which formed a group called the Allies. The Allies fought against Japan, Germany and Italy, which were known as the Axis powers. The atomic bombs did two things: First, they killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and another 70,000 others in Nagasaki. Many people died later of burns and the effects of radiation. The bombs also leveled both cities, leaving few structures standing. Secondly, the bombings brought an end to World War II. They stopped Japan from its march to control East Asia. Less than two weeks after the attacks, Japan announced its surrender. Japan said it surrendered because of the power of “a new and most cruel bomb,” according to History.com. Since then, Japan has rebuilt and become a modern, rich nation with the United States' help. “I was very pleased that he decided to go. I think just showing up is important symbolic act that many Japanese have wanted for a long time," Chris Appy of the University of Massachusetts told VOA prior to the president's visit. Appy said he was disappointed that Obama "appears not willing to apologize …” Apology and forgiveness are important in Japan. U.S. officials said before the trip that the president would not apologize. "As a Japanese national, I want to give a sincere welcome to president Barack Obama. I think we don't need his apology," wrote Kiyohisa Miki from Japan on VOAnews.com. "As president Obama said, Japan and America got over past divides. ... And now we are important friends for each other. This is enough right?" I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Cindy Saine wrote this story for VOA News. Kathleen Struck and Jim Dresbach adapted her story for Learning English. Hai Do and George Grow were the editors. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story wreath – n. a mix of leaves and flowers in the shape of a circle that is placed on a marker as a sign of honor swift – adj. happening or done quickly; moving very fast bow – v. to bend one’s head or body hug – v. to put one’s arms around someone veteran – n. someone who fought in a war as a soldier or sailor reminder - n. to make someone think about something again polled – v. questioned symbolic – adj. serving as sign; representing We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
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