Remembering Hiroshima

‘We must always pray for the lost souls, always remember and always commit to peace and an end to nuclear weapons – I pray, I remember, I commit.’ – Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop’s message in the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall book of remembrance

Seventy years ago today, an American B29 Superfortress bomber called Enola Gay dropped the world’s first atomic bomb – with the innocent sounding name of ‘Little Boy’ -on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

This was followed three days later by the dropping of another nuclear bomb – ‘Fat Man’ – on Nagasaki. The bombs caused devastation on an unimaginable scale: at the epicemtre, five square miles of Hiroshima simply ceased to exist, flattened. Up to 120,000 people were killed in the attacks and many more suffered horrific injuries, disabilities and long, lingering deaths through radiation sickness. The nuclear bombs brought World War Two to a swift conclusion – but their unleashing changed the world we live in forever.

Today, the world will remember those cataclysmic events.

Events planned in Edinburgh include:

Today, 12 noon:  Floating paper lanterns on the pond outside the Scottish Parliament. Organised by Edinbugh CND. Contact  edinburghCND@yahoo.com

This evening, 6-7 pm: Vigil at the Mound/Princes Street. Organised by Edinbugh CND. Contact  edinburghCND@yahoo.com

This evening, 6 pm: Launch of WMD Awareness Project exhibition, “Nuclear weapons in Popular Culture” Gayfield venue, Gayfield Square, with Bill Kidd MSP.

Saturday 8 August,  1-5pm: Support for an international Hiroshima-Nagasaki fast with singing from 1-2 pm.

The Scottish Government today reaffirmed its stance against nuclear weapons.

The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop made the comments as the first of 22 events across Scotland to mark the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs begins today following her visit to Japan last month.

During her visit, The Cabinet Secretary visited the Nagasaki Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Museum and the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall, to pay respect to the tens of thousands who died in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At midday, Ms Hyslop will join others to scatter flower petals on the pond outside of the Scottish Parliament to mark the commemorations.

Ms Hyslop said: “Just over a month ago, I stood at the hypocentre of the explosion in Nagasaki. Even standing beside the physical scars, it is impossible to imagine the destructive power of a nuclear bomb. The shadows of men, women and even children marked the city, memories of ordinary innocent lives burnt into rock. Why anyone would consider this to be an appropriate response today is equally hard to imagine.

“My thoughts today are with the generations of Japanese people who have had to come to terms with the horrific effects of nuclear weapons. I admire greatly the compassion they have shown in moving forward. My visit to Nagasaki left me profoundly saddened and in no doubt about the horror of nuclear weapons.

“Scotland stands with Japan on the issue of nuclear disarmament. We oppose the continuation and the proposed renewal of the UK’s Trident nuclear weapon system, and the Scottish Government is firmly committed to worldwide disarmament. We strongly believe that the way forward is to create the conditions for peace through dialogue as well as action.

“The successor Trident system is estimated to cost a staggering £100 billion over its lifetime – money that could be far better spent on initiatives to support our people and our economy. As a nation, Scotland opposes nuclear weapons. Both the Scottish Parliament and the overwhelming majority of Scottish MPs are opposed to its replacement, it’s time the UK Government listened to what the people are saying.”

While in Nagasaki, Ms Hyslop spoke about Scotland’s stance on nuclear weapons to Susumu Satomi, Deputy Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture and Mr Taue Tomihisa, Mayor of Nagasaki. The Scottish Government has a shared vision with the national and regional governments’ of Japan for a world free of nuclear weapons.

The Scottish Government has made repeated calls for the UK Government to reconsider renewing the trident nuclear weapon system and is strongly opposed to the possession of nuclear weapon by any nation or nuclear weapons being stored in Scotland.