Even now, when polls find 70 per cent of the Japanese support Mr. Obama’s decision to come to Hiroshima, Mr. Obama’s visit is fraught. There are blast survivors who want Mr. Obama to listen to their stories, to see their scars physical and otherwise. Mr. Obama also sought to look forward to the day when there was less danger of nuclear war. “We stand here in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell ... we listen to a silent cry.” Mr. Obama said. Bomb survivor Kinuyo Ikegami, 82, paid her own respects at the cenotaph on Friday morning, well before Mr. Obama arrived, lighting incense and chanting a prayer.

Source: The Hindu May 27, 2016 02:51 UTC