Eugene community observes United States’ World War II nuclear bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki
Community members gathered Saturday evening in Alton Baker Park to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the United States’ World War II nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The gathering, which took place near a persimmon tree grown from the seed of a persimmon that survived the Hiroshima bombing, offered an opportunity for locals to reflect and make a call to action against nuclear war.
“It is not only in memory of ancestors, but it is a memory of things that should never happen again,” said former Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy in a speech at the event. “It’s something that we kind of take a responsibility to carry with us through time.”
The U.S. bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 and Nagasaki, on Aug. 9, 1945, killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed the two cities.
In a letter to the Eugene event, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui wrote of his desires for a world free of nuclear weapons.
“The road to abolition will not be smooth, but if each of us in civil societies sustain an unshakeable conviction that nuclear weapons are totally unacceptable and share that conviction persuasively with people around the world, we can compel world leaders to turn away from nuclear deterrents,” community member Mike Takahashi read from the letter.
“The city of Hiroshima will never stop preserving the facts of the bombing, disseminating them beyond our borders and conveying them to the future, together with the city of Nagasaki and other mayors for peace member cities around the world.”
Rev. Mark Unno spoke of his family’s experiences with radiation sickness following the Hiroshima bombing and offered a poem of hope for attendees. He also spoke of the current events surrounding war and conflict and his hopes for peace.
“We are in a critical moment in history in which there is so much terrible tragedy occurring in Ukraine and elsewhere,” he said.
The violence in Ukraine was also of concern to Bob Watada, one of the event’s organizers. He has been protesting and campaigning against wars for his whole life, 83-year-old Watada said, and became involved in the commemoration as a way of educating people.
“If enough of us can keep doing this we can try to turn it around,” he said. “I think to me the most important thing is, it has to keep reminding us that violence is not the solution.”
Aimee Yogi, co-president of the Japanese American Association of Lane County, said she feels the commemoration offers community members a chance to come together and reflect on the bombings in the context of world events.
“It’s so fulfilling to us the support we get from the community, she said.
The Japanese American Association of Lane County, along with the Asian American Council of Oregon and the Community Alliance of Lane County were sponsors of the event.
The crowd of roughly 75 listened to speeches, a performance by Eugene Taiko and danced alongside performers before dusk fell.
Slowly, the crowd formed a procession behind a group of Taiko drummers and walked toward the ponds at Alton Baker Park. Attendees made their way to the water’s edge and slowly released paper lanterns across the water.
“We could’ve had peace and we should have peace," Watada said. “That’s what keeps me going to every year to get these people together.”
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene observes WWII bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki Japan
