By The Numbers: The atomic bombing of Hiroshima

[yuiyoshida]

Thursday marked the 70th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later. The U.S. has said the bombings hastened Japan’s surrender and eliminated the need for a U.S. invasion that would have cost many more lives. The toll on the two Japanese cities was heavy. Here’s a look, by the numbers, at that day 70 years ago:

350,000: Population of Hiroshima before the bombing, of which 40,000 were military personnel.

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140,000: Estimated death toll, including those who died from radiation-related injuries and illness through Dec. 31, 1945.

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300,000: Total death toll to date, including those who have died from radiation-related cancers.

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1.2 million: Population of Hiroshima today.

more....http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/by-the-numbers-the-atomic-bombing-of-hiroshima

Japan marks 70th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing
more... http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-to-mark-70th-anniversary-of-hiroshima-atomic-bombing

For sake of peace, world leaders should visit Hiroshima in person
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002338427

[FBaggins]

1. The 300,000 figure is a stretch

Last edited Thu Aug 6, 2015, 11:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Or rather... it's a stretch to hint that those are all deaths related to the bombing.

Hiroshima occurred 70 years ago. The implication that one in seven are still alive today is actually a testament to the healthy lifestyles of so many in Japan. The 300k figure no doubt includes many radiation-related cancers... but it also includes a huge number who survived the attack and lived full lives.

The error reminds me of a frequent one that we see coming out of Japan in recent years. Fukushima didn't release much Strontium, but that stuff is difficult to detect, so it isn't often found/reported. What is reported frequently is "total Beta" (which includes Strontium, but also the far more common Cesium and FAR more common natural beta emitters). It's remarkable how often "Total Beta" gets reported as "Total Beta - which includes Strontium" and then that morphs into a claim that it was just a reading of the amount of Strontium.