Kerry visits Hiroshima Memorial and without mentions apology

SecretaryofStateJohnKerryattendedamemorialceremonyinHiroshimaonMondayforvictimsoftheU.S.atomicbombing71yearsago,becomingthehighest-rankingU.S.administrationofficialtovisitthesiteofoneofthemostdestructiveactsofWorldWarII.

ThevisitislikelytointensifyspeculationaboutwhetherPresidentBarackObamawillgotoHiroshimaduringaplannedtriptoJapannextmonth.ObamawouldbethefirstsittingU.S.presidenttovisitthecity,adecisionthatwouldresonatedeeplyinJapanbutwouldbecontroversialathome.

“EveryoneshouldvisitHiroshima,andeveryonemeanseveryone,”KerrysaidatanewsconferenceMondayinresponsetoaquestionaboutwhetherObamawouldgo.HesaidthatthepresidenthadbeeninvitedbyJapaneseofficialsandthathewouldliketovisitsomeday,butKerryadded:“Whetherornothecancomeaspresident,Idon’tknow.”

KerryspokeafterheandotherleadingdiplomatsfromtheGroupof7industrializedcountriestouredHiroshima’satomicbombmuseum,laidflowersatacenotaphinitsPeaceMemorialParkandexaminedtheformerexhibitionhallthatstooddirectlyundertheatomicblastandhasbeenpreservedasaskeletalmonument.Hecalledtheexperience“stunning”and“gut-wrenching.”

KerryandtheotherofficialswereinthecityfortalksaheadoftheannualG-7summitmeetingnextmonth,tobehostedbyJapan.

ThequestionofhowtoacknowledgethenuclearattackonHiroshima,andanotheronthecityofNagasakithreedayslater,haslongtroubledU.S.diplomats.Thebombingsultimatelykilledmorethan200,000people,mostofthemcivilians,inacountrythatafterthewarwastransformedfromanenemyoftheUnitedStatesintooneofitsclosestallies.

ButamajorityofAmericanshavelongbelievedthatthebombingswerenecessarytoforceJapan’ssurrenderandtospareAmericanlives.AnyhintthattheUnitedStateswasapologizingcouldprovehighlydamagingpolitically.Fordecades,U.S.ambassadorstoJapanavoidedthesomberannualceremoniescommemoratingthebombingseachAugust.

JapanhasneverdemandedthattheUnitedStatesapologizeforthebombings,andKerrydidnotdosoMonday.Still,theJapaneseforeignminister,FumioKishida,whoisfromHiroshima,calledthevisitbyKerryandotherG-7officials“ahistoricday.”

“IwanttodeliverastrongandclearmessageofpeacefromHiroshimatotheworld,”Kishidasaid.

Kerry’sparticipationintheceremonythreatenedtoovershadowthetwo-dayG-7meeting,attendedbyforeignministersfromBritain,Canada,France,GermanyandItalyaswellastheUnitedStatesandJapan.Theydiscussedterrorism,therefugeecrisisinEurope,NorthKorea’snuclearprogramandmaritimesecuritythreatsinAsia,amongotherissues.

SimilarlanguagehasappearedinthecommuniquésissuedbyWesternofficialsbefore,butithasdonelittletostopChinafrommoveslikebuildingartificialislandsindisputedwatersanddispatchingitscoastguardintoareasclaimedbyitsneighbors.

PlansforKerry’svisittoHiroshimahadalreadycausedspeculationthatObamacouldmakehistorynextmonthbygoingtothecityduringthesummitmeetinginIse-Shima,about250milestotheeast.

FormerPresidentJimmyCartertouredtheatombombmemorialin1984,fouryearsafterheleftoffice,andNancyPelosivisitedin2008whenshewasspeakeroftheHouseofRepresentatives.ButnoservingadministrationofficialofCabinetrankorhigherhasvisited.

In2009,ObamaopenedhispresidencywithanidealisticspeechinPraguedeclaringhiscommitmenttocreating“aworldwithoutnuclearweapons.”Puttingthatsentimentintopracticehasproveddifficult,however,andsomeseeavisittoHiroshima,inhislastyearinoffice,asawayofbreathingfreshlifeintotheeffort.

ObamahasalreadychangedtheUnitedStates’approachtorecognizingitsWorldWarIInuclearattacksonJapan.In2010,JohnV.Roos,theambassadoratthetime,attendedtheAugustcommemorationinHiroshima,becomingthefirstU.S.ambassadortodoso.Hissuccessor,CarolineKennedy,hasalsoattended.

MostJapanesewouldrespondwarmlytoapresidentialvisittoHiroshima,evenifitdidnotincludeanapology,saidTsuneoWatanabe,aseniorfellowattheTokyoFoundation,aresearchgroup.

AlthoughsomeJapanesewouldliketheUnitedStatestosaysorry,fewexpectittodoso,hesaid.ConservativestendtofavorclosepoliticalandmilitarytiesbetweenTokyoandWashingtonandwouldnotwanttojeopardizetherelationshipbypressingforanapology,hesaid.LiberalswouldbesatisfiedifObamausedavisittoHiroshimatostrengthenhisbroaderanti-nuclearmessage,evenifhestoppedshortofapologizing.

“UnliketheapologypoliticsbetweenJapanandotherAsiancountries,mostJapaneseunderstandthatit’saveryhighhurdleforanAmericanleadertoapologize,”Watanabesaid,referringtodisputesoverwartimehistorybetweenJapanandthevictimsofitsearly20th-centuryimperialexpansionism,notablyChinaandSouthKorea.

OnSunday,themayorofNagasaki,TomihisaTaue,whowasattendingthemeetingoftheG-7foreignministers,toldtheJapanesenewsmediathathehaddeliveredalettertoKennedyurgingObamatovisitoneofthebombingsiteswhileinJapanforthesummitmeeting.

“Thisisn’taboutquestioningAmerica’sresponsibilityforusingnuclearweapons,”Tauewasquotedassaying.“It’simportanttothinkabouthowtoridnuclearweaponsfromtheworld.”

(NEW YORK TIMES)