Timeless amnesia: Japan is trying to forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the role of the United States in the strikes

The Japanese authorities are keeping silent about the role of the United States in the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolai Nozdryov told Izvestia. In particular, the archival materials of the Soviet military on the consequences of the strikes, transmitted by the Russian side, have not yet been made public. This topic has not received much attention in education, the media, and literature. At the same time, representatives of the Russian Federation were invited to commemorative ceremonies for the first time since 2022. After 80 years, the echoes of nuclear attacks are almost not felt, which allows the Japanese authorities to mask the historical truth in favor of an alliance with the United States. However, the contradictions between the countries are growing, especially because of the trade war and the American military bases, experts say. About what awaits relations between Japan and the United States in the future — in the Izvestia article.

Japanese authorities hide the role of the United States in nuclear strikes

August 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the United States nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, the Japanese authorities erase almost any mention of the American "authorship" of these attacks from official rhetoric, educational literature and media publications, Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev told Izvestia.

— Sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity: it sounds as if the bombs themselves fell on Japanese cities. At one time, as a gesture of goodwill on our part, archival materials documented by Soviet military experts on the effects of the explosions were handed over to the Japanese authorities, but they have not yet been made public," the diplomat said.

At the same time, representatives of Russia were invited to commemorative events for the first time since 2022. On August 9, Ambassador Nikolai Nozdryov took part in a ceremony dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki.

The Japanese authorities pay special attention to the "correct" teaching of the role of the United States in history. According to a British study of school textbooks, Japanese students are poorly informed about the history of relations between Tokyo and Washington, as well as directly about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At the same time, the textbooks pay special attention to criticism of the denunciation of the USSR non-aggression pact with Japan in 1945.

"There is a gap between what the evidence known to historians represents and the data presented to students," the researchers concluded.

In another study, the authors analyzed textbooks from the United States and Japan and found that in the manuals of the latter, the fact of nuclear strikes is reflected in just a couple of lines, while in the American ones, entire paragraphs are devoted to this event.

Japan remembers its history well, including the tragic events associated with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The silence in public statements of some Japanese figures of the United States, as a country that dropped atomic bombs, is related to the political situation. It is conditioned by the close allied relations between the United States and Japan, including in security matters. Tokyo is learning from the past and believes that it is necessary to perceive the events of 1945 as a warning that nuclear weapons are a threat to all mankind, so they must be abandoned, Oleg Kazakov, senior researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

— The United States believes that the atomic bombing of Japan led to a faster end to the war, thereby justifying its actions, which had terrible consequences for people. But the Japanese are focused on the future and perceive the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an experience that should not happen again, Kazakov draws attention.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki does not occupy the most important place in literary works, despite its enormous importance. Even if they are mentioned, they do not focus on the historical situation and the role of the United States. Most often, the plots of such stories tell about the struggle with the consequences of blows. For example, many works are dedicated to Sadako Sasaki, a girl who tried to collect 1,000 paper cranes, but died from the effects of the attack on Hiroshima. She became one of the "hibakusha" victims of the nuclear bombing.

In their annual speeches on the atomic bombings, Japanese prime ministers traditionally remember the victims of the tragedy, but do not name the country that struck. By the way, representatives of international organizations do the same. For example, at the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres did not mention that the United States had carried out the strike in 1945.

It is also much easier for the Japanese authorities to hush up the story because the consequences of those attacks are not being felt now. The radiation background in Hiroshima and Nagasaki does not exceed a safe level and is at values close to the minimum along the border. There is an active life in the affected cities, diplomatic representatives of foreign countries and members of the Japanese government have been gathering for commemorative ceremonies for many years, and the Emperor of Japan and his family members visit memorial sites, Dmitry Mileev, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

— The aerial detonation of atomic bombs, the physics of the process and the prevailing natural and climatic conditions after the bombing led to the fact that the population in Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered severe consequences from radiation as a factor in the destruction of a nuclear explosion, but later the area became habitable. In modern Japan, the danger of radiation contamination is relevant in the area associated with the consequences of the nuclear power plant accident in 2011 in Fukushima Prefecture, almost 1,000 km from Hiroshima, the expert noted.

Will Japan and the United States remain allies

Tokyo calls the comprehensive strengthening of the alliance with the United States the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Without exaggeration, all national mechanisms are devoted to this task. Media structures are also actively involved in this work, imposing on the population the thesis that there is no alternative to serving Washington's interests, the Russian ambassador to Japan told Izvestia.

— Given the policy of retouching "inconvenient pages of history" that has been carried out here for decades, it is obviously not necessary to talk about anti-American sentiments among the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If they do occur, they usually do not enter the public field," Nikolai Nozdryov concluded.

Back in 1951, Tokyo and Washington signed a security treaty, which was replaced by a new expanded agreement in 1960. The United States has received confirmation from Japan of the right to have its own armed forces and bases on its territory. The document was actually concluded for an indefinite period, it did not require a formal extension. During the Joe Biden administration, the United States and Japan updated the treaty, strengthening the coordination of their armed forces. Washington is now actively attracting the land of the rising sun to cooperate with AUKUS (which also includes Australia and the United Kingdom) and protect Taiwan.

The United States is perceived by the Japanese as the closest and strongest ally that ensures the security, economic well-being and integration of their country into the international community. This attitude of the Japanese population is the result of a planned US policy carried out during the occupation period from 1945 to 1951. The complex of measures taken under the auspices of the American authorities has reformatted almost all aspects of life in Japan in accordance with the interests of the United States, Dmitry Mileev emphasized.

However, the alliance between the United States and Japan is facing new challenges. Saori Qatada, Professor of international Relations and director of the Center for International Studies at the University of Southern California, noted in a commentary to Izvestia that 80 years have passed since the atomic bombing, and it does not pose a serious problem in relations between the two countries. However, these are still historical scars, and now new tensions may reignite Japan's displeasure — the ongoing tariff negotiations and the selfish attitude of the United States towards its important ally.

Recall that Donald Trump imposed a 25% duty on Japanese goods from August 1. Tokyo did not respond in kind, but began negotiations on a deal. In early August, the parties, according to media reports, agreed on a tariff agreement, which caused the rise of the Japanese stock market.

In addition, the Japanese are dissatisfied with the growing activity of the United States in the country. As of 2023, there were 54 American military installations in Japan, including Kadena Base, the largest U.S. base in the Asia-Pacific region, and Futenma base, which is considered the most dangerous in the world. Every year, several plane crashes occur at Futenma, which is located in the city center. The Japanese authorities finally decided to move the base to a more suitable location, however, according to them, the construction will be completed only in 2033.