The atomic bomb is understood to be a weapon of such violent power, that to use it would cause immense destruction. Yet, this knowledge comes from the bomb's use, only twice, and both times in Japan. To people all over the world, the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary to end the war. I wondered if those who were affected by the bomb directly felt the same, and how the bomb dropping is viewed by Japanese people themselves. My neighbor, Hikaru Yamaguchi, is from Hiroshima, and her family has lived there for generations, meaning her relatives survived the atomic bombing there. I asked her opinions on the event and how her family feels about the necessity of the bombing.
On August 9th, 1945, the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, instantly killing near 80,000 citizens. "My grandfather was there, and he was lucky, he escaped. His friend was behind him and was caught in the bomb," Hikaru told me. Her grandfather had been living near where the bomb was dropped, where the A-Bomb dome currently stands. Her grandmother lived farther away, not being directly affected by the explosion, but she was still able to hear when it hit the ground.
