Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japanese nationalists gathered in front of the American embassy in Tokyo on August 6, the day the United States dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima 78 years ago, to demand an apology from the Americans.

Using loudspeakers outside the embassy, the activists accused the United States of war and genocide, and taking the world towards a third world war.

“The United States justified the dropping of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki by claiming it ended the war quickly and thus saved lives. Using the same logic as America, Russia could be excused for using nuclear weapons against Ukraine on the basis that it would end the war quickly,” protester SAWATARI Seiji, a member of the Dai Nippon Shin-min Jukugroup, told Arab News Japan. 

“The U.S. government says it is opposed to changing the status quo, but unless it changes the current status quo, real world peace cannot be achieved. To achieve true world peace, the U.S. government should apologize to Japan.”

Protestors held banners that said, “Atomic bombings, air raids, genocide of civilians, America, apologize for your many war crimes.” 

Activists took turns shouting from the loudspeakers to demand that the United States admit it committed a massacre against Japan. They said the Japanese have not forgotten that.

Protesters also denounced Japan’s prime ministers for not asking the United States to apologize “for slaughtering innocent people in Japan like guinea pigs and later justifying the atomic bombing and the Tokyo air raid that killed more than 1 million people.” 

“If you apologize, we wouldn’t have to come to the embassy to raise our voices and protest after all these years,” one protester said. “The United States should apologize for dropping the atomic bomb!”