The Japanese government urged the Obama administration in 2009 not to apologize for the American nuclear attack on Hiroshima during World War II, according to a secret diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks last month.
Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka told American diplomats ahead of a presidential trip to Japan that an American apology would be a “non-starter” and that a simple visit to Hiroshima — “without fanfare” — would be sufficiently symbolic.
“The President enjoys an historic level of popularity among the Japanese people,” the cable explained. “(Yabunaka) underscored, however, that both governments must temper the public’s expectations.”
Obama had no plans to apologize for Hiroshima, a senior White House official told ABC News Wednesday.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States launched the world’s first nuclear attack on any country with “Little Boy,” an atomic weapon that is thought to have killed some 70,000 Japanese instantly in the blast. Another 70,000 later died from radiation exposure.
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