Editorial: Trump's comparison of Iran attack to WWII atomic bombings irresponsible
U.S. President Donald Trump recently justified his country's attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran by likening them to the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945. His statement cannot be overlooked. He should face the reality of the atomic bombings and change his perception.
Trump made the remarks during a visit to the Netherlands, stating, "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war."
The atomic bombings by the U.S. military during World War II destroyed two cities and claimed the lives of over 200,000 people. Even today many people continue to suffer from the aftereffects of exposure to radiation from the bombings. Could President Trump not imagine how his words would hurt the feelings of A-bomb survivors? The atomic bombings are not past tragedies that the American president should reference lightly.
Trump has previously hailed the development of nuclear weapons as a "remarkable feat," stating that the Manhattan Project "helped end World War II." Forming the background to this stance is justification of the bombings grounded in the view they ended the war and saved many American soldiers' lives. Trump seems to share this view.
But the overwhelming support for the bombings at the time has waned, with public opinion divided and criticism growing. Trump's remarks put a damper on this shift in American sentiment.
Nuclear weapons are inhumane weapons of mass destruction. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, who called for "a world without nuclear weapons," acknowledged that the United States has a "moral responsibility" to act toward that goal.
If the U.S. is to mention the atomic bombings, it must be at a time when it is expressing its resolve to eliminate nuclear weapons. Instead, Trump's comments risk increasing the threat of nuclear proliferation.
It would not be surprising if some countries took Trump's comments as expressing the U.S. stance that it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons in order to bring an end to conflict.
This could lead to Iran not giving up on developing nuclear weapons, and North Korea accelerating its development of them. There is also a risk of escalating arms races involving Russia and China.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government's response is difficult to understand. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi avoided commenting directly, stating, "The evaluation of historical events should be discussed by experts."
The concept of "peace through strength" that Trump wields is dangerous because the use of nuclear weapons could become a concrete option.
Even if Japan is protected by the "U.S. nuclear umbrella," it must underscore the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and continue to urge the U.S. not to use them. That is its responsibility as a nation that has experienced atomic bombings in warfare.
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