Rep. Mark Takano to President Obama: Lead the World to Hiroshima
Washington DC –Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) sent an open letter to President Obama today encouraging him to become the first sitting American president to visit Hiroshima, Japan. It comes a week after Secretary of State John Kerry urged all world leaders to visit the site to remind themselves of the complexities and consequences of war.
Rep. Takano visited Hiroshima for the first time in 2002, accompanied by a relative who survived the atomic bomb. After that experience, he writes, “the atomic bomb in Hiroshima ceased to be a distant, abstract fact of history – I had a concrete and personal connection to it. Every leader who has the capacity to order the use of atomic weapons should have that same experience and feel that same connection.”
The letter also notes the message President Obama’s visit would send to the world, and the effect it could have on other world leaders who would be compelled to visit themselves.
“A tour of Hiroshima is not an apology on America’s behalf. Instead, it is a signal that the Commander in Chief of the largest military in the world – and the commander of the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons – recognizes the awesomeness of their destructive power. It also sets a precedent for other world leaders to follow in your footsteps,” the letter says.
“One of America’s greatest strengths is the power to lead by example. I hope you use that power to lead the world to Hiroshima, and away from nuclear weapons.”
In a floor speech this morning, Rep. Takano reiterated his support for a presidential visit to Hiroshima when President Obama travels to Japan next month for the G-7 Summit.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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