REBUILDING HIROSHIMA

Eighty years after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, the resurrection of one of its cities remains remarkable

- Jonathan Gordon

Walking around Hiroshima today, you will find a modern, bustling metropolis. Its wide main streets and high-rise buildings are evidence of a city of industry and commercial success. In some places, it's hard to believe that 80 years ago it was decimated by an atomic explosion. But Hiroshima holds tight to this legacy and, from the first days after the detonation, the city has charted a new path. It set its sights on a new future while openly wearing some of its scars as a vivid reminder of the destruction humanity can inflict upon itself.

The Bomb

At 8:15am on 6 August 1945 an atomic bomb, dubbed Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima by a United States Air Force B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber named the Enola Gay. It detonated at 580 metres above the city, instantly killing between 60,000 and 80,000 people, with a final death toll of 135,000 from injuries, radiation sickness and other effects (about one-third of the 420,000 population). A few days later on 9 August, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Hiroshima was chosen as the Allies' primary bombing target because it was the home of the Japanese Second Army and therefore considered a major military asset. Its history dates back to the construction of Hiroshima Castle (1589) and the town that was built up around it. It wasn't until modernisation during the Meiji Restoration, from 1868, that investment in the area saw the town grow into a city. It was then made an administrative hub and garrison for the Japanese Army. Its port also made it an important location for the country's navy, while a trainline direct to Tokyo made it useful for troop deployment. The city even acted as the capital of the nation during the First China-Japan War (1894-95).