'Obama should clarify Japan's war responsibility'

Shin Dong-ik

By Kim Hyo-jin

U.S. President Barack Obama needs to clarify Japan’s responsibility for World War II if he visits Hiroshima, according to Shin Dong-ik, president of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS).

Shin said in a contribution article for a magazine published by the institute: “Obama’s possible visit to Hiroshima is important for Washington to note Japan’s responsibility in World War II so that it won’t forget history.”

There has been speculation that Obama may visit Hiroshima after attending the G7 summit, scheduled to be held in Ise-Shima next month.

The possible visit has symbolic links with Obama’s agenda of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, observers say.

Supporters of the visit say it should not be framed as the U.S. expressing remorse or apology for dropping the atomic bomb on the city, but sending the world a message of the U.S.’s commitment to non-proliferation and assurance of nuclear peace.

But opponents worry that it will help Japan’s move to dilute wartime history and rekindle memories of its militaristic past.

Shin also expressed concern, noting a series of Japan’s moves to highlight the horrific impact of the atomic bomb on thousands of civilians with little mention of the causes of the war. He pointed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, which lacks such descriptions.

“Questions are raised whether Japan is doing costume play as a victim while shunning its responsibility,” he said.

Mentioning the over 20,000 Koreans who were among the victims of the bombing, Shin said, “If Obama visits Hiroshima, he shouldn’t forget to pay tribute to the foreign victims including Koreans as well.”

He added Obama could take as reference Ban Ki-moon’s visit to the Nagasaki memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims in 2010.

The Korean government has kept mum about Obama’s possible visit to Hiroshima, saying that it is inappropriate to make a stance on the schedule of a leader of a foreign country.