Posts Tagged ‘Hiroshima’
August 26, 2011
Daily International News
August 26, 2011
Northeast Asia
Biden Leaves Asia Offering a No-Apology Message to U.S. Audience [Bloomberg]
Japan
Kan bows out, says he did best he could [Japan Times]
Analysis: Prime Minister’s Departure Underscores Japan’s Search for Leadership [NYT]
DPJ leadership hopefuls must tackle foreign diplomacy, long-neglected after disasters [Mainichi]
Japan nuke plant radiation leak exceeds Hiroshima [AP]
Koreas
Kim renews push for resuming NKorean nuclear talks [AP]
Judge rejects motions to dismiss North Korea leak case [POLITICO]
N. Korean leader tours industrial facilities in China [Yonhap]
Doors to dialogue open for North Korea: U.S. diplomat [Yonhap]
China/Taiwan
China issues protest over US report on military [AP]
China law change would allow secret detentions [AP]
New Tibet boss does not mention Dalai Lama [AP]
China charges 3 in death of Buddhist monk [AP]
Taiwan ex-president Chen Shui-bian gets extra jail term [BBC]
China bars some Lady Gaga hits from download sites [AP]
China Foreign Ministry increases news conferences [AP]
China, France agree to discuss yuan flexibility [AP]
Southeast Asia/Pacific
Burmese Wary of ‘Democracy,’ After Decades of Oppression [NYT]
6 killed, 1 wounded in Thailand’s violent south [AP]
South/Central Asia
Son of assassinated Pakistani governor kidnapped [Reuters]
India’s parliament set for corruption debate [Al Jazeera]
Police: Bomb explodes at outdoor mosque in Afghanistan, kills 4 [AP]
Middle East
Syrian forces fire at Friday prayers protests [Reuters]
Israel, Gaza militants agree to halt fire [Reuters]
Israel to OK thousands of Egyptian troops in Sinai – report [Reuters]
Africa
Libyan rebels storm Gaddafi stronghold [Al Jazeera]
AP sources: White House wants NATO to hunt for WMD in Libya [AP]
U.S. May Buy Looted Libyan Missiles Sold in Mali’s Black Market [Bloomberg]
Rebels send in special forces to hunt for Gaddafi [Reuters]
7 killed in bombing on UN building in Nigeria [AP]
African Union pledges drought aid [Al Jazeera]
Europe
Breakaway Georgian region elects president [AP]
Home Secretary in social media talks after riots [AFP]
Nick Clegg: I will refuse to let human rights laws be weakened [Guardian]
Greece battles huge forest fire near Turkish border [Reuters]
Rhino Horns Put Europe’s Museums on Thieves’ Must-Visit List [NYT]
Americas
Mexico casino attack leaves at least 53 dead [WaPo]
U.S. Widens Role in Mexican Fight [NYT]
Tens of thousands in the streets confirm support for Chile’s two-day strike [MercoPress]
Domestic
Irene targets U.S. coast, many evacuate, cities brace [Reuters]
Stocks slide ahead of Bernanke speech [AP]
Second-Quarter G.D.P. Revised Down to 1% [NYT]
Free-Trade Agreements Stuck in Obama-Republican Impasse [NYT]
Biden thanks servicemen and women in Hawaii [AP]
“Centrist” Jon Huntsman Isn’t Really All That Moderate After All [TPM]
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has a challenger — from the left [LAT]
In memoir, Cheney defends decisions, Bush as president [WaPo]
Strauss-Kahn gets passport back after US case dropped [BBC]
Posted in Daily News | Tagged afghanistan, al-jazeera, AP, arson, asia, AU, BBC, bernanke, biden, bloomberg, Burma, Bush, cameron, casino, chen shuibian, cheney, Chile, china, dalai lama, DPJ, DPRK, DSK, egypt, forest fire, france, FTA, fukushima, Gadhafi, Gaza, GDP, georgia, giffords, GOP, greece, guardian, GW bush, hawaii, HHDL, HI, Hiroshima, huntsman, hurricane, india, irene, israel, Japan, japan times, jibril, jon huntsman, kim jong-il, KJI, korea, LA Times, lady gaga, LAT, libdem, libya, mainichi, mali, mexico, mongolia, mosque, myanmar, naoto kan, NATO, new york times, nick clegg, nigeria, nkorea, North Korea, NTC, nuclear, NYT, Obama, one-child policy, Pakistan, politico, potus, PRC, Qaddafi, Qadhafi, radiation, republican, reuters, rhino horn, riots, roc, ROK, sinai, skorea, social media, south korea, strauss-kahn, syria, taiwan, talking points memo, taseer, thailand, tibet, TNC, tory, TPM, turkey, UK, UN, veep, VPOTUS, WaPo, Washington Post, WH, white house, WMD, yonhap, yuan | Leave a Comment »
August 5, 2011
Daily International News
August 5, 2011
Hiroshima Anniversary
From Hiroshima to Fukushima [WSJ]
New A-bomb exhibits to highlight Hiroshima peace ceremony [Xinhua]
In a switch, Japan’s A-bomb survivors turn against nuclear energy [WaPo]
Revisiting Hiroshima, Nagasaki [Korea Times]
Countdown to Hiroshima 66 Years Ago: Was the Bomb Necessary? [HuffPo Blog]
Kucinich to speak at Commemoration of Hiroshima [Kitsap Sun]
Northeast Asia
Japan
Japan Detains Two China Ship Captains, May Rekindle Tensions [Bloomberg]
Japan, China shut ports in path of powerful typhoon [Reuters]
Nuke safety group OKs report saying chances of another Fukushima plant explosion are slim [Mainichi]
Koreas
North Korea: 30 dead, thousands homeless in flood [AP]
N. Korean vice foreign minister Kim leaves Beijing for home [Kyodo]
Insight – North Korea leans on China to make economic zones work [Reuters]
China
China may test run aircraft carrier on Sat.: Hong Kong report [Kyodo]
Joe Biden to visit China, Japan, Mongolia [Reuters]
China opposes Japan’s latest defense white paper [Xinhua]
China relaxes birth restrictions for victim families of mudslide-hit county [Xinhua]
Chinese Officials Seized and Sold Babies, Parents Say [NYT]
Southeast Asia/Pacific
Yingluck Shinawatra Is Elected Thai Prime Minister by Parliament [NYT]
Philippine President Benigno Aquino meets Muslim rebels [BBC]
Myanmar insurgents shoot 7 dead near Chinese-built power plants [Kyodo]
Sri Lankan power-sharing talks near collapse [AP]
South/Central Asia
Four Afghans killed as anti-NATO demonstration turns violent [Reuters]
Middle East
Protest marches across Syria on first Ramadan Friday [Reuters]
Second night of Israeli strikes on Gaza after rocket fire [BBC]
Iran gives key oil role to a Revolutionary Guard on sanctions list [LAT]
Africa
Libya denies report Gaddafi’s son Khamis killed by NATO [Reuters]
Sudan ‘threatened to shoot UN helicopter’ in Abyei [BBC]
Gunfire said to kill 7 as aid is looted in Somalia [AP]
Shell faces $410M payout over Nigeria oil spills [CNN]
Europe
Madrid ‘indignant’ protesters clash with riot police [BBC]
Italy demands NATO probe regarding immigrants [AP]
Ukraine’s ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko ‘taken into custody’ [BBC]
Amnesty warns Georgia over refugee evictions [Reuters]
Americas
Brazil Defence Minister Nelson Jobim resigns [BBC]
Mexico town’s police force resigns over drug attacks [BBC]
Chile marks year since mine collapse [BBC]
Domestic
The top 8 foreign policy issues stuck in Congress [FP]
Leon Panetta: No more defense cuts [POLITICO]
Glamour Goes on the Road With Hillary [Glamour]
U.S. Posts Stronger Job Gains Amid Fear [NYT]
U.S. Stock Futures Rebound on Payrolls Data, Treasuries Fall [Bloomberg]
Republicans Set Sights on Balanced Budget Amendment [NYT]
Romney signs marriage pledge [POLITICO]
If Rick Perry gets in, will Karl Rove be out? [POLITICO]
Greens not friendless among House GOP [POLITICO]
Shell Gets Tentative Approval to Drill in Arctic [NYT]
For NASA, Return Trip to Jupiter in Search of Clues to Solar System’s Origins [NYT]
Posted in Daily News | Tagged abyei, afghanistan, aircraft carrier, AP, aquino, arctic, atomic bomb, BBC, beijing, biden, bloomberg, brazil, Burma, Chile, china, CNN, Congress, DOD, DPRK, famine, foreign policy, fukushima, gay marriage, Gaza, georgia, glamour, GOP, greens, hama, Hiroshima, huffington post, huffpo, iran, IRGC, islam, israel, italy, Japan, jobim, jobless, joe biden, jupiter, karl rove, khamis, kim kye-gwan, kitsap sun, korea, korea times, kucinich, kyodo, LA Times, LAT, leon panetta, libya, madrid, mainichi, marriage pledge, mexico, mongolia, myanmar, Nagasaki, NASA, NATO, new york times, nigeria, nkorea, North Korea, NYT, one-child policy, panetta, philippines, politico, PRC, Qaddafi, ramadan, republican, reuters, rick perry, ROK, romney, russia, same-sex marriage, shell, shinawatra, skorea, somalia, south korea, spain, sri lanka, stock market, sudan, syria, thailand, tymoshenko, typhoon, ukraine, UN, unemployment, VPOTUS, wall street journal, WaPo, Washington Post, WSJ, WWII, xinhua | Leave a Comment »
June 13, 2011
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abdalla mohammed fazul, abyei, afghanistan, al-jazeera, anthony weiner, AP, ash, Aung San Suu Kyi, australia, bangladesh, bashir, BBC, berlusconi, bloomberg, book of mormon, Burma, china, christchurch, dalai lama, deutsche welle, DPRK, e coli, egypt, ehud barak, erdogan, financial times, FL, florida, FT, fujimori, fukushima, gates, germany, gibbs, gingrich, GOP, GOP 2012, han kyoreh, HHDL, high speed train, Hiroshima, humala, IMF, india, internet censhorship, israel, italy, Japan, jharkhand, kazakhstan, kiir, kim jong-il, korea, latino, lebanon, libya, M/V Light, malaysia, maoist, miami herald, missile, morocco, mugabe, myanmar, NATO, netanyahu, new hampshire, new york times, NH, nkorea, North Korea, nuclear, nuclear warhead, NYT, Obama, olympics, Pakistan, palestine, peru, PLA, poland, potus, PR, PRC, puetro rico, Qaddafi, radiation, refugees, republican, republican debate, reuters, ROK, russia, secdef, sexting, skorea, SMH, south china sea, south korea, sudan, suu kyi, sydney morning herald, syria, taxes, thailand, TNC, tony awards, turkey, UN, united nations, USAF, vietnam, vietnam war, volcano, war horse, warhead, weiner, xinhua, yemen, yongbyon, zimbabwe | Leave a Comment »
October 29, 2010
Happy (almost) Halloween!
Daily International News
October 29, 2010
International
UN summit poised to seal pact on biodiversity [AFP]
POTUS Asia Trip
Obama to talk up jobs on India trip [FT]
What Obama can accomplish in India [WaPo]
Obama in India: A high-tech trade agreement could change the playing field [Asia Sentinel]
Obama not visiting Hiroshima, Nagasaki during Japan trip: official [Mainichi]
Northeast Asia
Koreas
North Korea troops ‘fire into South Korea’ [BBC]
DPRK accuses South Korea of rejecting dialogue, contact [Xinhua]
From 10/27 Activist Tells of Torture in North Korea Prison [NYT]
High-Ranking North Korean Military Official to Arrive in Cuba on Thursday [Cuba News Agency]
WH: North Korean leadership transition in early stages [Reuters]
Japan/China
Japanese ship intercepts ballistic missile in test [AP]
Japan and China island row flares at ASEAN summit [BBC] and Japanese statements violate China’s sovereignty, territorial integrity [Xinhua]
China says no to Kan, Wen bilateral [Reuters]
ASEAN to bring in US as counterbalance to China [AP]
Upcoming G20 summit an unprecedented test of China’s diplomatic stance [Mainichi]
Chinese court denounces awarding of Nobel prize [AP]
Amid disputes, US seeks common ground with China [AP]
Clinton Presses, Courts Beijing [WSJ]
Southeast Asia/Pacific
Burma court hears Suu Kyi appeal [BBC]
Clinton: US will push for UN commission on Myanmar [AP]
Singapore Tightens Trading Rules With Iran, North Korea [WSJ]
Government considers relocations after Indonesian tsunami [CNN]
Hobbit legislation passed in New Zealand [BBC]
South/Central Asia
Wikipedia to open first office outside the US in India [BBC]
Pakistan flood food running out, warns UN [BBC]
Russia, US collaborate in Afghan drug raid [AP]
Middle East
Iran ready for nuclear talks after November 10 [Reuters]
Egypt’s FM: No breakthrough in Mideast talks [AP]
Hezbollah calls for boycott of UN Hariri tribunal [AP]
Turkish presidential reception challenges headscarf ban [BBC]
Africa
Botched Sudan referendum could reignite war: report [Reuters]
Somali Islamists Kill Two Girls Branded Spies [NYT]
Obama urges ‘peaceful and transparent’ Ivory Coast vote [AFP]
Europe
Eurozone jobless total rises above 10% [FT]
David Cameron claims EU budget success [BBC]
Minister: French troops may withdraw from Afghanistan in 2011 [CNN]
France firm on burqa ban despite bin Laden threat [AP]
Reports: Russia’s Bulava test-fire a success [AP]
Americas
Canada cuts ties with North Korea [AFP]
9 policemen killed in ambush in western Mexico [AP]
Cholera’s spread raises calls to stall the election [Miami Herald]
Domestic
Halliburton Spill Liability May Rise on BP Well Report [Bloomberg]
Jobless Likely to Shun Election That Is Focused on Their Plight [Bloomberg]
US economic growth rate quickens [BBC]
Newt Gingrich: Out of the wilderness and into the mix for 2012 [WaPo]
Michelle Rhee outspoken to the end of her tenure as D.C. schools chancellor [WaPo]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abyei, afghanistan, AFP, AP, ASEAN, ashton, asia sentinel, ballistic missile, BBC, bin laden, biodiversity, bloomberg, BP, Britain, bulava, Burma, burqa, cameron, canada, china, cholera, clinton, CNN, cuba, dc, DMZ, DPRK, drug, egypt, EU, europe, eurozone, financial times, flood, france, FT, G20, gingrich, gulf spill, haiti, halliburton, hariri, headscarf, hezbollah, high-tech, hillary clinton, Hiroshima, hobbit, india, indonesia, iran, ivory coast, Japan, jobless, jobs, kan, kim jong-il, kim jong-un, korea, lebanon, lord of the rings, LOTR, mainichi, mexico, miami herald, michelle rhee, mideast, midterm elections, midterms, myanmar, Nagasaki, new york times, new zealand, newt gingrich, niqab, nkorea, nobel, nobel prize, North Korea, NYT, Obama, oil spill, P5+1, Pakistan, poppy, potus, PRC, President, referendum, reuters, rhee, Robert Park, ROK, russia, sanctions, singapore, skorea, somalia, south korea, sovereignty, state department, succession, sudan, suu kyi, syria, tsunami, turkey, UK, UN, unemployment, wall street journal, WaPo, Washington Post, well, wen, wen jiabao, white house, wikipedia, WSJ, xinhua | Leave a Comment »
October 13, 2010
Posted in Daily News | Tagged abbas, abyei, afghanistan, AFP, ahmadinejad, AIDS, ancestry.com, AP, Assad, atomic bomb, Aung San Suu Kyi, BBC, blacklist, bloomberg, Britain, Burma, Bush, CA, california, cameron, Chile, china, clegg, CNN, communism, DADT, darfur, dawn, dc, deepwater drilling, discrimination, Don't Ask Don't Tell, DPRK, drilling, egypt, EPA, EU, flood, free speech, ft. hood, governor, hezbollah, Hiroshima, HIV, house arrest, hwang, iran, iraq, israel, Japan, jordan, kim jong-il, kim jong-un, korea, kyoto, kyoto protocol, kyrgyzstan, laureate, lebanon, limbaugh, liu xia, liu xiaobo, liverpool, mainichi, maliki, mexico, michelle rhee, miliband, miners, myanmar, Nagasaki, NATO, netanyahu, new york times, nigeria, nkorea, nobel, nobel peace prize, nobel prize, North Korea, norway, NYT, Obama, Pakistan, palestine, palin, phoenix, potus, PRC, reuters, rhee, ROK, royal mail, RSA, russia, safrica, seoul, six-party talks, skorea, south africa, south korea, subcritical, sudan, suu kyi, taliban, terrorism, thailand, tsvangirai, UK, UN, WaPo, Washington, Washington Post, white house, whitman, yonhap, zimbabwe | Leave a Comment »
August 6, 2010
Daily International News
August 6, 2010
Northeast Asia
Japan
Japanese tanker damaged by terrorist attack, says UAE coast guard [The National]
Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Attacks Call for Nuclear-Free World [ABC]
US attends first Hiroshima atomic bomb anniversary [BBC]
Witness – My Japanese grandparents’ silence over the A-bomb [Reuters]
China/Taiwan
Kadeer Editorial: China’s Uighur Oppression Continues [WSJ]
Chinese mainland and Taiwan agree to resume suspended flights [Xinhua]
China flood fears along North Korea border [BBC]
China Foxconn factory confirms another worker death [BBC]
Koreas
N.Korean leader’s son to join party leadership [AFP]
Editorial: Terror list conundrum over North Korea [Asia Times]
SKorea: Afghan guards faked attack on SKorean base [AP]
SE Asia/Pacific
Cambodia to sign deal with Iran [Straits Times]
Indonesia volcano spews lava, gas; 4 feared dead [AP]
Philippines airport bomb kills two, wounds governor [BBC]
South/Central Asia
Flood relief flights grounded in Pakistan [AP]
Flash floods kill 103 in Indian-held Kashmir [AP]
Anger at Zardari Grows as Pakistan Battles Floods [NYT]
‘Coalition forces deeply regret civilian loss of life’ [The International News]
India hints at Pakistan role in Kashmir unrest [Reuters]
Middle East
Saddam Hussein deputy Tariq Aziz calls for US forces to stay in Iraq [Guardian]
Iranian Lawyer, Seeking Asylum, Surfaces in Turkey [WSJ]
Saudi Arabia begins Blackberry ban, users say [BBC]
Africa
Rwanda: South Africa Recalls Ambassador [All Africa]
Naomi Campbell’s “dirty” diamonds given to South Africa police [Reuters]
Europe
Poland’s new pro-European president is sworn in [AP]
Lockerbie Release Flawed [WSJ]
Russia, Crippled by Drought, Bans Grain Exports [NYT]
Planes diverted, offices close as Moscow chokes [Reuters]
Italy PM to seek Sept confidence vote, resign if loses [Reuters]
UK
David Cameron and Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari show united front on terrorism [Guardian]
70 peers back David Miliband for Labour leadership [Guardian]
Watchdog asked to investigate claims Nick Clegg misled parliament [Guardian]
Sinn Féin to hold talks with political wing of Real IRA [Guardian]
Americas
Wyclef Jean says he will run for president of Haiti [CNN]
Cuba demands removal from U.S. terror list [McClatchy]
Domestic
Economy sputters as companies add only 71,000 jobs in July [WaPo]
Kagan to Be Sworn in as 112th Court Justice Tomorrow [Bloomberg]
Romer Resigns in Second Exit for Obama Economy Team [Bloomberg]
Military ordered to stay off WikiLeaks [WashTimes]
Unanimous Senate OKs $600M for border [WashTimes]
AP Exclusive: CIA whisked detainees from Gitmo [AP]
AP Exclusive: New al-Qaida leader knows US well [AP]
Obama Fed Pick Diamond Referred Back to White House by Senate [Bloomberg]
US envoy: Climate talks slipping backward [AP]
Opponents of same-sex marriage to file appeal in California case [CNN]
Posted in Daily News | Tagged a-bomb, ABC, afghanistan, AFP, al qaeda, al-qaida, all africa, AP, asia times, atomic bomb, BBC, berlusconi, blackberry, bloomberg, cambodia, china, CIA, climate, CNN, cuba, david cameron, david miliband, diamond, DPRK, elena kagan, enola gay, floods, foxconn, gitmo, grain exports, guantanamo, guardian, haiti, Hiroshima, hussein, india, indonesia, international news, IRA, iran, iraq, italy, Japan, john roos, kadeer, kagan, kashmir, kim jong-un, komorowski, Labour, liberia, lockerbie, mcclatchy, mexico, moscow, Nagasaki, naomi campbell, new york times, nick clegg, nkorea, North Korea, NYT, Obama, Pakistan, philippines, poland, potus, PRC, preval, Real IRA, rebiya, reuters, roc, ROK, romer, RSA, russia, rwanda, saddam, saudi arabia, SCOTUS, senate, sinn fein, skorea, smog, south africa, straits times, suicide, supreme court, taiwan, tanker, tariq aziz, taylor, terrorism, the national, turkey, UAE, uighur, uyghur, volcano, wall street journal, white house, Wikileaks, WSJ, wyclef jean, xinhua, zardari | Leave a Comment »
August 5, 2010
Posted in Daily News | Tagged 1-2-3, afghanistan, afpak, al qaeda, al-jazeera, AP, arab, assassination, bashir, BBC, bloomberg, BP, CA, california, canada, castro, chechen, china, civil nuclear deal, cuba, dalian, democrat, dong feng, Dong Feng 21D, DPRK, dubai, egypt, espionage, fidel castro, flooding, Gaddafi, gay marriage, geithner, google, greece, guld news, gulf spill, hanoi, hezbollah, Hiroshima, holocaust, illinois, IMF, iran, israel, karzai, kenya, korea, LA Times, LAT, lebanon, liberia, libya, liquor, medvedev, missile, Nagasaki, naomi campbell, NATO, new york times, North Korea, nuclear disarmament, NYT, Obama, oil spill, pacific, Pakistan, panama, petraeus, potus, PRC, prop 8, proposition 8, Qadhafi, republican, reuters, ROK, russia, rwanda, serial killer, south korea, static kill, sudan, suicide bomber, taiwan, tax cuts, taylor, thailand, UN, verizon, vietnam, wall street journal, WaPo, warship, Washington Post, WSJ, yonhap | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2010
Posted in Daily News | Tagged 9/11, ADL, afghanistan, ahmadinejad, anti-defamation league, AP, asia, australia, BBC, blackberry, bloomberg, brazil, breitbart, Britain, cameron, castro, censorship, chechen, china, CNN, cuba, DPRK, dutch, egypt, flotilla, Gaza, geely, GOP, ground zero, guardian, hamas, Hiroshima, india, iran, iraq, islam, israel, Japan, jordan, kabul, kashmir, korea, LA Times, LAT, latin america, liverpool, lula, maliki, mao, mao zedong, MIT, mosque, mubarak, naomi campbell, NATO, nauru, netherlands, niger, nkorea, nobel, nobel peace prize, nuclear, nuke, Obama, Pakistan, palestine, petraeus, pirate, PLO, potus, PRC, reuters, RNC, russia, sanctions, shi'ite, shia, silk road, somalia, sunni, taylor, telegraph, the national, tibet, tractor, turkey, twitter, uighur, UK, uyghur, volvo, wall street journal, WaPo, Washington Post, Wikileaks, WSJ, xinjiang, XUAR, yonhap | Leave a Comment »
September 2, 2009
Last night I watched a very interesting documentary on the eagerness of one nation’s race to achieve a nuclear program, for the sole and (later) express purpose of delivering a viable nuclear weapon.
But this nation was not Iran or North Korea, or the former Soviet Union or India. It was the United States.
I realized, as I sifted through Netflix‘s “instant play” documentaries (the new not-so-guilty pleasure of my nights spent at home) that my knowledge and background concerning the experimentation and invention behind the first viable nuclear program – our own – was embarrassingly low.
The 50-minute program, from the History Channel’s Modern Marvels series, was surprisingly enlightening for such a short program. Beginning from the Nazi German scientists who first discovered uranium fission, continuing onto the newly arrived European scientists to America who assisted in the experimentation project, and even delving into the technical side of how fission occurs and why both plutonium and uranium were used and how, the documentary was extremely thorough. It also brought to light the immediate implications for the Project – socially, politically, and militarily.
J. Robert Oppenheimer, Professor. H. D. Smythe, General Nichols, and Glen Seaborg look at a snapshot of the atomic blast on Hiroshima in 1946. Oppenheimer was later stripped of his security clearance due to apparent "Communist sympathies."
The documentary spoke of the Project’s controversial legacy – as mankind’s self-created means to self-destruction, some saw it as the harbinger of nuclear winter and an embarrassment to the gentler side of the human spirit. Over 100 Manhattan Project scientists even signed a petition to require testing Little Boy before he was dropped on Hiroshima, an impossible demand considering they only had enough U-235 for one bomb. The documentary failed to mention that even after the bombs were dropped, another petition was issued that stated “We [the scientists of Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago] feel, however, that such attacks on Japan could not be justified.” But, there are those who ardently support the opposite. Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist and one of the Manhattan Project scientists who also helped engineer the Hydrogen Bomb, stated that he feels no regret over his part in the creation of the bombs. Citing America’s continued pursuit of peace and equality, he sees no other country better suited for the acquisition of such a responsibility.
But the implication of the Project and the two powerful destructive events it precipitated, unnamed in the documentary, and extremely salient after this weekend’s Japanese elections, is the continuing pacifist nature of Japanese political and ‘military’ affairs. Even though it was “no Obama moment,” this weekend’s landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan to Japan’s Lower House is important. Contrary to the increasingly militaristic (by their standards) half-a-century reign of the LDP in Japanese politics, the DPJ wants to back peddle on their military commitments in the region, especially those tied to the U.S. war machine. Some think this could complicate U.S. East Asian policy. But today, the DPJ President and PM-designate Yukio Hatoyama made clear that he does not wish to alienate the U.S., but wishes to create a more Asia-focused Japan policy that shies away from further ties to U.S. military commitments (see Futenma and Afghanistan refueling agreements).
The DPJ’s wish to renegotiate these agreements, however unlikely to happen, underscores the continued importance of the Manhattan Project and the nuclear arms race’s influences on Japanese society and politics. However much trouble it will or will not cause among the Japan and U.S. in coming months is unimportant compared to the DPJ sticking to its pacifist convictions and upholding a non-agressive stance that, I believe, will become the ideal for humanist, dignified states in the future.
Posted in U.S.-Asia Relations News | Tagged Article 9, bomb, DPJ, Edward Teller, Hiroshima, History Channel, Japan, Japanese elections, LDP, Manhattan Project, Nagasaki, nuclear | Leave a Comment »
