The United States detonated the first atomic bomb used in war over the Japanese city 78 years ago, and the horrific traces of the Genbaku Dome in Hiroshima are still exactly the same.
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in the early morning of August 6, 1945, killed thousands immediately, some of whom evaporated in temperatures ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 degrees Celsius.
At the epicenter of the atomic bomb, only the former Hiroshima City Industrial Promotion Agency (formerly the Hiroshima City Industrial Promotion Agency), which had exploded halfway, remained, and Hiroshima was razed to the ground.
To this day, it is a reminder to all those who are alive and have visited the devastating effects of war.
While the city's backdrop may symbolically serve as a reminder of the atrocities of war, visitors and delegates to the G7 summit on May 19-21 will find the modern city teeming with shops, parks and businesses.
From 2015 to 2019, Hiroshima welcomed more than 1 million foreign visitors annually, and in 2019 the city received 1.8 million overseas visitors. After the pandemic, the number of tourists is rising rapidly as tourists return to Japan.
At the same time, Hiroshima has earned the title of Japan's "manufacturing capital," offering everything from cars and ships to motors and parts.
Indeed, Hiroshima is home to a population of 1 million and exemplifies resilience to overcome difficulties. However, some locals say that while the city preaches peace, it must also be mindful of its complex relationship with history.
"When overseas tourists come to Hiroshima, they tell me they are going to the Peace Museum and Park. They believe that Hiroshima is a city of peace. Still, I want them to realize that the city's initial development was also as a military center," Ishida, a third-generation atomic bomb survivor of Hiroshima and a bar owner, said in an interview.
Hiroshima was one of several large castle towns during the Edo period (1603-1867).
Japan experienced a period of modernization during the Meiji Restoration, and in 1888, the city became the base of the headquarters of the Fifth Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. The following year, when a railway connected to Ujina, on the southern coast of Hiroshima, the city became a strategic base for sending troops outward.
As the conflicts intensified during the Second War of Aggression against China (1937–1945) and the Pacific War (1941–1945), Hiroshima's role as a military capital expanded, and important military installations were established in the city.
According to the Okinawa prefectural government, the concentration of military installations and their "size and layout" made it a test target for atomic bombs. Prior to this, Hiroshima, unlike other major Japanese cities, escaped American incendiary bombs in the final stages of World War II.
According to the Hiroshima Global Peace website, this is partly because the United States wants to use Hiroshima to demonstrate "the full potential of the atomic bomb." The U.S. military detonated the first atomic bomb at 8:15 a.m. local time in Japan, losing about 40 percent of Hiroshima's population and about 300,000 people in the city at the time.
A new exhibit at Hiroshima Gate Park called "Pride of Hiroshima" highlights how quickly the city's businesses are getting involved in recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of a disaster.
For example, just a day after the atomic bombing, the Central Japan Electric Power Company began work to restore power supply, repairing damaged substations in the eastern part of Hiroshima so that power could be restored to the port area. By August 20, 1945, the company had restored power to 30% of the uncollapsed houses, and by the end of November, power had been restored throughout the city.
Three days after the atomic bombing, the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company, which lost 185 employees, reopened part of a tram line and steadily restored the city's transportation network.
In December 1945, just four months after the end of World War II, automaker Mazda resumed production of tricycles and made it a priority to transport them to Hiroshima to help people transport the necessities needed for daily life.
But the road to recovery has not been easy.
In August 1949, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Act was promulgated, allowing the national government to provide special financial support to Hiroshima, and comprehensive reconstruction began.
As a third-generation atomic bomb survivor and bar owner, Ishida grew up as a child with elderly people with burn marks on their hands and faces, and heard stories of the devastating aftermath of atomic bombs.
He said he and his friends thanked their parents and grandparents for their efforts to rebuild Hiroshima into the metropolis it is today. Still, they can't help but grieve over the lost history.
Terao Okihiro, 82, a stained glass artist and first-generation atomic bomb survivor, feels the same way whenever he has time, and visits Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to tell visitors about his World War II experiences.
"When people say that the Peace Memorial Park is beautiful, I can't help but feel a little sad because I know that before the atomic bombing, it was the largest commercial area in Hiroshima," Okihiro said. "Now, instead of grieving about it, I explain to them this deeper history."
Near the Atomic Bomb Dome, Sofia Tromlerova and Dušan Brejka are visiting Hiroshima in Slovakia as part of a six-day trip to Japan. They recently helped Ukrainian friends escape the war and said the dome made them reflect on the dangers of history repeating itself.
"It makes me think about what will happen in Ukraine, maybe in 70 or 80 years we will visit a place in Ukraine and see something similar - the ruins of old buildings that used to be there," she said.
"It's impressive how the Japanese rebuilt the city from scratch – building a beautiful city full of green spaces. This gives me a very calm feeling. However, in the middle of it, it reminds people of what happened, and I think it perfectly shows the terrible past and the beautiful present. ”