Later this month, President Obama will be visiting the site of the atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima as part of a visit to Japan. He will go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on May 27, a place dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of people who died as a result of the atomic bomb dropped by the United States during World War II.
Believe it or not, President Obama will be the first U.S. president to ever visit the site of the attack while in office. Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon had previously visited Hiroshima, but not during their presidential terms. The trip to Hiroshima is something that Obama has been wanting to do since the start of his presidency, and he hopes his visit will help in banning nuclear weapons worldwide.
The White House made it clear that the purpose of Obama’s upcoming visit is not to apologize for the U.S.’ use of the atomic bomb back in August of 1945. “He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future.” Obama’s deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes wrote on Tuesday. “The President’s time in Hiroshima also will reaffirm America’s long standing commitment — and the President’s personal commitment — to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”
