Tag: Japan

The Concrete Possibility of Total Nihilism: Günther Anders and the Atomic Bomb

In the atomic age, the traditional political distinction between “friends” and “enemies” utterly failed, not because we all became “friends” but because the very notion of “enemy” is now meaningless. The only real enemy threatening us is atomic annihilation; the only real totalitarianism is the atomic condition, which transforms the whole planet into a borderless… Read More The Concrete Possibility of Total Nihilism: Günther Anders and the Atomic Bomb

Dilip

The Satanic Nature of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

NB: Today is the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The USA and Israel are celebrating it with the continuing genocide of the Palestinian people. DS “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens loved to paint… But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried,… Read More The Satanic Nature of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Dilip

U.S. leaders knew we didn’t have to drop atomic bombs on Japan to win the war. We did it anyway (2020)

NB: As the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki approaches (August 6 and 9, 1945); readers might like to read this article by two accomplished scholars of twentieth century history. DS ‘the overwhelming historical evidence from American and Japanese archives indicates that Japan would have surrendered that August, even if atomic… Read More U.S. leaders knew we didn’t have to drop atomic bombs on Japan to win the war. We did it anyway (2020)

Dilip

‘You don’t brag about wiping out 60‑70,000 people’: the men who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

This summer will mark 80 years since the attacks stunned the world. Today, every one of the crew members who carried out the bombings is dead. Here, one of the last writers to interview them reopens his files. He suddenly stopped. “It was devastation,” he said finally. “I can’t go back there. I don’t dwell… Read More ‘You don’t brag about wiping out 60‑70,000 people’: the men who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Dilip

Japanese Protest Art in the 1950’s: the forgotten reportage painters

Linda Hoaglund NB: The artwork here has an ominous, surreal beauty; and it touches the soul. To me, it reflects what is happening in Gaza today, where ordinary people are burnt like grass and the world looks away. Hiroshi is now 92 years old, and was 12 when the firebombing destroyed Hamamatsu, his native town.… Read More Japanese Protest Art in the 1950’s: the forgotten reportage painters

Dilip

Janet Farrell Brodie: Secrecy & Censorship in the Wake of the Atomic Bombings

First posted August 07, 2015 The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 70 years ago, is one of the most studied events in modern history. And yet significant aspects of that bombing are still not well known. I recently published a social history of US censorship in the aftermath of the bombings, which this piece is based… Read More Janet Farrell Brodie: Secrecy & Censorship in the Wake of the Atomic Bombings

Dilip

‘Education of hatred’: Killing of Japanese boy sparks soul searching in China over rising nationalism

A rare statement issued last week by dozens of Chinese people living in Japan condemned the assault and called for reflections on the “underlying causes.” “The extreme nationalist hate education against Japan has been prevalent in China for a long time. It has obscured some Chinese people’s understanding of Japan, and even indulged ignorance and evil,” the statement… Read More ‘Education of hatred’: Killing of Japanese boy sparks soul searching in China over rising nationalism

Dilip

A Proclamation regarding the Anniversary of the First Nuclear War Crimes

H. Patricia Hynes Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – As I write, five of nine governments with arsenals of nuclear weapons – capable of destroying life on our planet many times over – are engaged in war: the United States (in multiple wars and stoking one with China), Israel, Russia, and NATO members… Read More A Proclamation regarding the Anniversary of the First Nuclear War Crimes

Dilip

Japan’s 450°C solution to tackle the rising challenges of plastic waste

With the use of its cutting-edge HICOP (High-efficiency Oil Production) technology, Japanese firm Environment Energy hopes to process 20,000 tons of plastic per year and turn plastic trash into crude oil. The enormous environmental hazards associated with the accumulation of plastic wastes is no longer unknown to the public. Globally, as much as one million… Read More Japan’s 450°C solution to tackle the rising challenges of plastic waste

Dilip