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http://www.independent.co.uk After the bombs dropped: Hiroshima and Nagasaki An exhibition documenting the impact of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II opens in London today. Stopped clocks, flattened clothing, the charred contents of a tin lunchbox and a mangled glass bottle are among artefacts recovered from the wreckage of the two Japanese cities and brought to the UK for the first time to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the attacks. The exhibition brings together first hand accounts of what took place on the 6th and 9th of August 1945 with objects representing the 340,000 people killed when the United States dropped two atomic bombs- events which led to Japan’s surrender from the war only days later. A series of talks will be held to accompany the exhibit, including the testimony of 77-year-old Hiroshima survivor Shoso Kawamoto, who was 12 when the bomb was detonated. "We are particularly honoured to have Hiroshima survivor Shoso Kawamoto opening the exhibition and speaking at several events. It won't be many years until there are no survivors left and hearing their testimony - of lives turned upside down in an instant - is always a deeply moving experience,” Kate Hudson, chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said. "With Britain considering spending in excess of £76bn of taxpayers' money on a replacement for the Trident nuclear weapons system, we hope a visit to this exhibition will help people appreciate the immense human as well as financial cost represented by nuclear weapons." The exhibition was curated by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and the collection includes 18 artefacts. |
