Hibakusha groups concerned by Manhattan Project national park planned in U.S.
Groups of hibakusha expressed concerns Saturday about a U.S. plan to establish a national park on the site of the Manhattan Project, in which scientists developed the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in August 1945.
Such a park “would be meaningful if its purpose is to pass on the negative legacy” of the A-bombings to future generations, said Kazuo Okoshi, 74, secretary-general of the Hiroshima Federation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. “But if that is not the case, it would be regrettable.”
The plan to designate facilities related to the Manhattan Project as a U.S. national historical park is included in a defense spending bill passed by the Senate on Friday.
The city of Hiroshima will consider how to respond. One possible measure could be to send a written appeal to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy.
In March last year, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui sent a similar letter to then-U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos, warning that such a park could communicate an erroneous message to future generations.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/12/13/national/politics-diplomacy/hibakusha-groups-concerned-manhattan-project-national-park-planned-u-s/
