Art News

United States Decision to Attend Hiroshima Memorial Hailed

HIROSHIMA (AP).- The site of the world’s first atomic attack swarmed with tens of thousands of people Thursday as Hiroshima prepared for a memorial that will for the first time have representatives from the United States and other major nuclear powers. Washington’s decision to attend the 65th anniversary event on Friday has been welcomed by Japan’s government, but has generated complex feelings among some Japanese who see the bombing as unjustified and want the United States to apologize. “Americans think that the bombing was reasonable because it speeded up the end of the war. They try to see it in a positive way,” Naomi Sawa, a 69-year-old former teacher, said after paying her respects to the dead. “But we were devastated.” About 140,000 people were killed or died within months when an American B-29 bombed Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Three days later, about 80,000 people died after the United States attacked Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II. Concerns