Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma has resigned over the remark that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States at the end of World War II "could not be helped." His comments on Saturday had offended Japanese people, the world's first victims of nuclear weapons.
The Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima killed some 140,000 people, and the Nagasaki bombing three days later, some 70,000 people. Many survivors still suffer from illnesses related to radiation exposure, including cancer. Mr. Kyuma's remarks not only made light of these people's sufferings but also could undermine Japan's and other parties' efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
In a speech at a university in Chiba Prefecture, Mr. Kyuma said that although the U.S. knew Japan's surrender was imminent, it dropped the atomic bombs to prevent the Soviet Union from entering the war against Japan: "Hokkaido could have been taken by the Soviet Union. . . . My conclusion is that (the atomic bombing of Nagasaki) ended the war and that (the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) could not be helped."