Remaking Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Local Commemorations of Atomic Bombings in the United States

ABSTRACT In the United States, the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are often considered necessary to have ended its war against Japan. On the other hand, there are also American people who commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings. This article examines how and why people in the United States commemorate the A-bomb victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After explaining the official US narratives, this article explores as case studies three local commemorations in the United States: the vigil for Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Ashland, Oregon; the annual interfaith ceremony for A-bomb victims in New York City; and the lantern ceremony in the San Francisco Bay Area. While they are different in many ways, they share a common feature: “localization” of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki experience to disseminate it in the United States. Through looking into the local commemorative events, this article elucidates their efforts and the dilemma of making the Hiroshima-Nagasaki experience of suffering more familiar to people in the United States