Hiroshima Day Commemoration 2022
By John Enefer
Friday 6 August will see the annual Hiroshima Day commemoration in Hastings. This year the event will have added relevance because of fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into nuclear conflict. To date the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 remain the only occasions when nuclear weapons have been used in war. An estimated 185,000 people died because of the bombs dropped by the US air-force on the Japanese cities.
The official justification for the bombings has always been that they were essential to defeat Japan and bring World War Two to a close. As early as 1946 this view was disputed in an exhaustive study which the US Government itself had launched. The Strategic Bombing Survey concluded “It is the survey’s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and, in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.”
Each year those killed in 1945 are remembered in ceremonies around the world as people affirm such nuclear attacks should never be repeated.
The international movement to ban nuclear weapons received a huge boost when a majority of nations adopted a UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons in 2017. The treaty entered into force in January last year, making nuclear weapons illegal under international law.
In past years the ceremony in Hastings has involved launching traditional Japanese floating lanterns on the main lake in Alexandra Park but increased restrictions since the pandemic began have meant that, over the last 2 years, the lanterns have been placed round the edge of the water, becoming more conspicuous after sunset.
This year the organisers of the event, Hastings Against War (HAW), are encouraging those attending to bring their own lanterns. Instructions of how to do so are available on the HAW website, hastingsagainstwar.org. For those who can’t bring lanterns there will be spare ones available on the night.
• The event will begin at 8.30 on Saturday 6 August at the lake nearest the war memorial at the south end of Alexandra Park. All are welcome.
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