Barack Obama becomes the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, calling for “a world without nuclear weapons” while addressing atomic bomb survivors at the Peace Memorial Park on Friday morning.
Together with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, Obama placed a wreath at the memorial before beginning his speech. As Obama began, he acknowledged a “shared responsibility” for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Then, he called for a greater emphasis on courage and peace, in hopes that another atomic weapon will never be used.
After his speech, Obama met with surviving victims, among them 79-year-old Shigeaki Mori and 91-year-old Sunao Tsuboi. President Obama was met with tears and a warm embrace by both Mori and Tsuboi who never believed they’d see the day the President came to Hiroshima.
Of course, it wasn’t easy getting Obama to Hisoshima. In fact, it took upwards of six years to plan this meeting. Despite concerns from historians and veterans alike that visiting Hiroshima would cast doubt on America’s actions during the Second World War, Obama believed it was necessary to do so in order to mourn the 100,000 deaths caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and to raise awareness to his nuclear disarmament agenda.