Why Does the Narrative of the First Use of Atomic Bombs Tend to Focus on Hiroshima and Ignore Nagasaki?

Abstract

More than seven decades after the end of World War II the public's fascination with the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki shows no signs of diminishing. Although the basic elements of the story have now permeated mankind's collective consciousness, the drama and historical significance of the events surrounding the first use of atomic weapons continues to captivate and perplex subsequent generations. In the summer of 1945, the U.S. military dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The shared experience of being victims of atomic bombings led both cities to become the center of attention in terms of the atomic bomb-related subjects. Likewise, the pain and suffering that people endured in both cities from exposure to radiation was virtually identical, and several memoirs written by hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) reflect this shared agony. Indeed, many of these memoirs reveal that the nature and level of suffering between residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was virtually indistinguishable. Residents of both cities describe the brutal nature of the destruction wrought by the bombs and the pain of parting with friends and family members who lost their lives. Although the level of human suffering caused by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings was equally horrific, over the past seven decades the bombings of Hiroshima has come to dominate the narrative surrounding the decision to develop and deploy atomic bombs in World War II. There are examples that reveal a preference for focusing on Hiroshima at the expense of Nagasaki. For instance, on May 27, 2016, U.S. President Barak Obama made a historic trip to Hiroshima. During the visit President Obama gave a memorial address to the victims of WWII emphasizing the need to establish "a world without nuclear weapons." But why did President Obama ignore Nagasaki? Likewise the bulk of books and articles published about the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombs focus on Hiroshima but tend to dismiss Nagasaki. There are many other examples in which Hiroshima overshadows Nagasaki. Indeed, japanese philosopher Shinji Takahashi refers to Nagasaki as a rettō hibaku-chi (an "inferior bombed city") when discussing the disparity between Hiroshima and Nagasaki.