Asian Studies

Regarded as the Land of the Rising Sun, the country of Japan is known all over, not only for its beautiful landscape and magnificent sceneries but also for its rich history and promising future. Japan today, is considered as one of the most developed nations in the world with very high standards of living. In fact, it boasts as the second largest economy by nominal Gross Domestic Product. It also holds the fourth place in terms of product exports as well as the sixth position for product import (Kyoko and Selden 1-257).
    Indeed, this nation possesses all the capabilities to further develop and succeed in the future. Some sixty years ago however, Japan was not as prosperous. In fact, the Land of the Rising Sun was a complete waste land on the aftermath of the Second World War. The atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima devastated the entire country and left the two mentioned regions to ground zero. Apart from this, more than 200,000 civilians died because of the bombing itself, burns, trauma, compounded illness, radiation sickness, and malnutrition among many others. This unimaginable catastrophe was captured in a variety of pictures that speaks about death, grief, and utter hopelessness.
    This horrifying tragedy has indeed, crippled and left a deep scar in the countrys history. The remarkable things however, was how Japan managed not only to stand up and pick up the pieces but also to rise to the very top and be one of the worlds economic powers. In less than 50 years, the waste land has transformed into something that is bigger and stronger.
     This research paper aims to discuss the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through various archive photos. It will particularly analyze how the mentioned events captured in photos changed the Japanese history, its people, and its plans for the future. Similarly, this research study will also discuss how Japans darkest hour pushed its people to rebuild and recreate a cemetery back into the glory days where the sun gracefully rises.
    On August 1945, a black and white photograph was taken showing a huge explosion that hovers over the Japanese region of Hiroshima. The caption talks about how the atomic bomb called little boy was detonated 1,968 feet above the city and how its powerful explosion caused a big mushroom cloud that is visible from miles away (World War II Hiroshima 2).
    This picture shows the atomic bombing that happens in Hiroshima during the later part of the Second World War. Before the bombing itself, President Harry Truman of the United States issued the Potsdam Declaration which states the terms for Japans surrender. The warning further mentioned that if Japan fails to surrender, the allies would attack the country which will result to a complete destruction of both the Japanese Armed Forces as well as their homeland. Although the declaration reached the newspaper, the Japanese government chose to ignore it. This forced Truman to once again reexamine the decision to use the bomb. In the end however, the US president decided to use the atomic bomb as this has sufficient strength to make the Japanese army to surrender and eventually end the war (Kyoko and Selden 1-257).
    At that time, Hiroshima was known for its military significance as numerous camps and military headquarters were located in this city. This area also holds various industrial buildings situated at the center and at the outskirts of the region. Apart from this, Hiroshima was one of the very few Japanese cities which were deliberately untouched by the American army because of its beautiful and preserved environment. These qualities made the city as one of the choice targets for the bombing. The regions lush and pristine surrounding would allow the Japanese government to measure the damage caused by bomb.
    By August 6, the US military aircraft called Enola Gay was piloted for a six hour flight to Japan. It arrived over the target and it started to release the gravity bomb which detonated about 600 meter above the city. The blast itself was equivalent to about 13 kilotons of TNT which destroyed about 4.7 square miles of the entire city. The bomb also caused over 80,000 individuals to die immediately while 70,000 remained injured. There were also no doctors and nurses to attend to the casualty and injuries as 90 percent of all the medical practitioners in Hiroshima were also killed by the bombing (Kyoko and Selden 1-257).
    After the bombing, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation noticed that the Hiroshima signal has gone off air. Staff members tried o re-establish the connection but all to no avail. Likewise, military bases also tried to connect to the Army station in Hiroshima but the complete silence in the city puzzled the main headquarters. A young staff officer was then ordered to fly to the region to check on its condition. After flying for more than three hours, the staff and the pilot circled the city in disbelief. The only thing left in the city was a heavy smoke with parts of the city still burning.
    Two days after the bombing, newspapers all over Japan described the gravity of the blast by saying that all living creatures in Hiroshima was practically seared to death. The unimaginable disaster was also evident in a photo which shows an aerial view of the wiped out city. It was taken by George Silk with the caption Hiroshima, a wasteland (World War II Hiroshima 2).
    The devastating effect of the explosion did not end there. Survivors of the attack suffered from severe burns, injuries, as well as other radiation related illnesses. Several photos show children crying because of burns as their mothers who were injured themselves also tried to comfort them. One of the photos also shows a man whose back were filled wounds from the burn. Buildings that survived the blasts were also used as makeshift hospitals to treat victims of the explosion (Fallout After a Nuclear Attack 12). The lack immediate medical treatment also caused hundreds of individuals to suffer and eventually die.
    Although the bombing in Hiroshima devastated the area, the Japanese government continued to ignore the Potsdam Declaration. This caused the United States to plan another attack in Nagasaki. At that time, Nagasaki was regarded as one of the largest sea ports in Japan. This area is also noted for its industrial activity primarily the production of military facilities, equipment and other war materials.
    On August 9, 1945 just three days after the Hiroshima bombing, another US aircraft was sent over Nagasaki to droop another nuclear bomb with the code name of Fat Man. Similar to the Hiroshima mission, the bomb was dropped over the city.  At the height of about 469 meters above the city, the bomb exploded which was equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT. This blast also produced a sweltering heat of 3,900 degrees Celsius which burned everything in sight (Kyoko and Selden 1-257). In fact, a picture shows how the intense heat of the nuclear bomb etched the shadows of the objects that were exposed to the light. Another picture shows the back of a person whose clothes were burned because of the explosion. The printed part of his clothe were also etched unto the skin of the man (Fallout After a Nuclear Attack 20).
    Much like with what happened to Hiroshima, Nagasaki was also left in rubbles because of the explosions. An estimated 75,000 deaths were immediately reported. These figures continued to rise to 80,000 by the end of the year. Thousands of individuals also suffered from injuries which includes severe or third degree burns, wounds, radiation related sickness, as well as malnutrition. Numerous survivors also died due to cancer which was the effect of the strong radiation emitted by the nuclear bomb (Kyoko and Selden 1-257). 
The casualties that happened over Nagasaki were evident in the photos that reveal survivors with severe burns and deformed body parts because of the radiation. Other photographs show the region of Nagasaki as a complete wasteland. The only things visible in the city were ruins, skeleton trees, and people wearing masks as their means of combating the stench of death in the city.  Some photos also showed hundreds of children who were left homeless because of the bombing (World War II Hiroshima 12).
After the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States government was planning on having another nuclear bomb attack as their way of pressuring the Japanese administration to surrender. On August 12, the Emperor of Japan decided to surrender in order to control the situation. In his statement, the Emperor said that continuing to fight would not only cause millions of innocent lives but also the complete obliteration and extinction of the human civilization. This moment of surrender was captured on photo as Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu together with General Douglas Mac Arthur formally signs the surrender documents (World War II Hiroshima 17).
The iconic picture of the Japanese Minister signing the surrender document not only represented the surrender of the Japanese Forces but it also prompted the end of the Second World War. From then on, the country of Japan has focused on not only transforming itself but also its decisions for the future.
The photographs which showed the devastation that happened during the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing does not only show the rich yet dark history of Japan, but it also presents Japans modern history. Because of the horrifying destruction that this country has confronted during World War II, it has then made a conscious effort to end abolish all nuclear weapons in the world. It has made loud protests by producing the firmest non-nuclear policies and legislations. The government particularly adopted the Three Non-Nuclear Principles which prevents the country from using or possessing nuclear weapons. Likewise, the nation has also officially denounced its right to declare any act of war.
The Japanese government and citizens also created peace memorials in Nagasaki and Hiroshima as a reminder of the horrors of the war. Similarly, it also stands as a reminder for the citizens to uphold the lessons that they have learned because of the bombings.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings also pushed the Japanese government to strive even harder for development, Instead of creating bombs and other warfare devices, the Japanese are now focusing on technological tools and equipments that promote human and economic development. In fact, most of the inventions and discoveries that come from this country feature high tech gadgets and even robots as well as medicines and cures that are especially designed to alleviate human and work conditions.