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                 Obama's Visit to Hiroshima Sparks Moral Debate

   by Cindy Saine

   During what may be his last tour of Asia, President Barack Obama will
   make history as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima,
   the site where the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb in wartime.

   Even before the president sets foot on what many consider hallowed
   ground, the announcement has sparked new debate on the decision to drop
   the bomb, and whether the United States should apologize or if a U.S.
   president should even visit.  Obama is expected to make a statement
   from Hiroshima, and will likely have to navigate a symbolic minefield.

   Nearly 71 years ago

   It was a moment that literally changed the world nearly 71 years ago
   when a mushroom shaped cloud lit up the sky over Hiroshima, and three
   days later over Nagasaki.  Some 140,000 people in the two cities died
   within the year, and survivors and their children have faced untold
   suffering due to radiation poisoning.  The U.S. rationale for the
   decision was to bring years of Japanese aggression to a quick end,
   potentially saving many more lives than would have been lost in a U.S.
   invasion.  But many Japanese see it differently, saying innocent men,
   women and children were unnecessarily incinerated and poisoned.

   Secretary of State John Kerry visited Hiroshima last month.  He said he
   was deeply moved and that "every human being" should visit the site.
   Some experts think that should include the U.S. president, among them
   Chris Appy of the University of Massachusetts.  He told VOA: "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."

   ''

   But Appy says he thinks the United States should also apologize for the
   atomic bomb attacks, "I am disappointed that the president appears not
   willing to apologize.  After all I think in our personal lives, we
   consider it the height of maturity when an adult is willing to take
   responsibility and accountability for actions.  Particularly actions
   that lead to the suffering of the innocent victims."

   Others strongly disagree, including Brian Harding of the Center for
   American Progress, who told VOA, "The president will not be issuing an
   apology and the Japanese government is not asking for one either."

   'Special Responsibility' for atomic bomb use

   White House officials have made clear that the president will not
   apologize.  White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, "What I
   think the president does appreciate is that President [Harry] Truman
   made this decision for the right reason."

   But Earnest said the United States does have a "special responsibility"
   as the only country to have ever used an atomic bomb to work tirelessly
   for nuclear non-proliferation.

   McCain opposes visit

   Others, including many older Americans and war veterans oppose Obama's
   visit.

   Republican Senator John McCain is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who
   ran against Obama in 2008 for the presidency.  He told VOA he simply
   does not see the point of the trip, "I'm not in the business of telling
   the President of the United States where to go.  But where, what is the
   purpose of it?  In some ways, you dredge up very unpleasant memories,
   but if the President wants to go somewhere he can."

   It is not yet clear whether the president will meet with any of the few
   remaining survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

   The president will be accompanied in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park by
   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  They will lay a wreath, and Obama
   will make a statement.

   The White House says the leaders will highlight the horrors of war and
   the need to work towards a world without nuclear weapons.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-visit-to-hiroshima-sparks-moral
   -debate/3341757.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-visit-to-hiroshima-sparks-moral-debate/3341757.html