Americans overwhelmingly oppose any apology for dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War Two.
President Barack Obama will be the first US president in history to visit Hiroshima since the city was bombed in 1945. Some survivors of the bombing are hoping the president will apologize for America’s use of atomic weapons.
“We would definitely like an apology to people who lost their lives, those who lost loved ones, parents who lost their children,” Terumi Tanaka, head of the national organization of bombing survivors told a news conference.
John Kerry became the first sitting secretary of state to visit the Hiroshima memorial in April. According to a poll released May 20, the vast majority of Americans are against any form of apology for the use of the atomic bomb in WW2.
“More than 70 years on, almost half of Americans (45 percent) think the US was right to use the atomic bomb. Only one in four think it was wrong (May 11th, 2016, 2097 respondents),” said YouGov’s Milan Dinic.
1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings Credit: YouGov
“As details about Obama’s visit to Hiroshima emerged we asked should the president issue an apology. Only one in five said yes, with seven in ten opposing such a move (May 11th, 2016, 4382 respondents via First Verdict app).”
Americans on apologizing for the atom bomb attacks Credit: YouGov
But according to the pollster, this in no way means Americans today have any bad feeling toward Japan. In fact, Americans frequently name Japan as one of their country’s closest allies and have done so for many years.
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