Why is the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Contested?
For a prolonged period, a contentious debate had escalated over whether or not the United States of America was morally right to issue two atomic bombs on Japan in the concluding weeks of World War II. The first bomb, descended on the city of Hiroshima, during the 6th of August 1945, resulting in a death toll of approximately 135,000. The second hit Nagasaki on the 9th of August 1945 and produced an estimated death toll of around 50,000 people.
The discharge of the atomic bombs in August 1945 resulted in a horrific amount of casualties. The long-term consequences of radiation exposure also heightened cancer rates in the survivors. But public observation of the rates of cancer and birth-defects amid survivors and their children is greatly magnified when contrasted to the reality exposed by extensive follow-up studies. Approximately 200,000 perished in the bombings and their immediate aftermath, primarily from the explosive detonation, the firestorm it sparked, and from acute radiation poisoning. Around half of the those who survived consequently took part in studies regarding their health over their complete lifespan. These studies began in 1947 and are now conducted by a dedicated agency, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), with funding from the Japanese and U.S. governments. The project has accompanied approximately 100,000 survivors, 77,000 of their children, plus 20,000 people who were not exposed to the radiation.