Over the past few days Japan has been remembering the tragic aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. And although 70 years have now passed since those dark days, for the Japanese people have not resigned the lessons learned back then to history.
The stories that have emerged have emphasized peace and pacifism, with many seniors reminding the younger generations that war should be avoided at all costs. This is a timely reminder given the constitutional changes that appear to be on the horizon for Japan.
Yahoo! Japan netizens highlighted one story in particular that touched their hearts. Hiroshima’s baseball team, the Hiroshima Carps, and its main sponsor, Chugoku Broadcasting, went all out to remember what happened on August 6, 1945, and to ensure that future generations continue to learn from the past.
From WithNews:
“Tell of August 6 To Future Generations”: The Heart That Hiroshima TV Station Put Into Its Radio And TV Listings On August 6
A Message In The TV Listings On August 6
On the evening of August 6, which marked 70 years since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Carps pro-baseball team were battling against Hanshin in the Matsuda Stadium. The match was sponsored by the team and the local TV station, Chugoku Broadcasting (RCC). If you look closely in the newspaper TV listings, the passion of the both the team and the TV station are hidden inside.
Last Year : “We’re Thankful For Peace So We Can Support The Carps”
The TV and radio listing columns of the Hiroshima edition of the Asahi Shimbun. If you read the line of characters on the left-hand side of the RCC listings from 7:50pm vertically, the message “Tell of August 6 To Future Generations” appears.
Played The Match With “PEACE” Emblazoned On Their Chests
On August 5, the match against Hanshin was termed the “peacenighter” and RCC were boosting morale in the TV and radio listings with the message “The Carps: Hiroshima’s Strength and Hope”.
And although the Carps sadly lost to the Hanshin Tigers, at the end of the fifth innings, John Lennon’s “Imagine” was played, and those spectators sitting near the upper seating on the second level, which is virtually the same height as the top of Hiroshima’s Genbaku Dome, took part in a performance where they held up red papers to make a “peace line”.
In the August 6 match, the Carps played with uniforms that had the word “PEACE” across the chest, and on the back they had“HIROSHIMA” instead of the players individual names. In that way, the players pledge to carry on the memory of Hiroshima.
Comments from Yahoo! Japan:
mobam＠s:
It looks like it’s going to be a hot one today too. To everyone participating in the ceremony, please take care not to get heatstroke!
うめとカツオ@複アカチキンが一番ウケる:
My grandfather and grandmother are hibakusha [victims of the atomic bomb]. They never really spoke much about the atomic bomb, but I think that their suffering back then was substantial. At 8:15, think I’ll observe a silence too. Because the only reason we have Hiroshima as it is today is thanks to those people.
bul*****:
I’m thankful to the Carps…because peace means a lot in sport. And it’s so important that we convey these messages to the next generation.
ホネホネロック:
The shamelessness of the 86 bazookas knows no bounds.
sak*****:
One scientist said that for 70 years the trees in Hiroshima would bear no leaves.
And now that 70 years have passed the grass and the trees are green, and Hiroshima is full of people smiling as they go about their lives.
Doesn’t this mean that “peace” has won out against “war”?
cou*****:
That’s right…last year the message was “We’re thankful for peace so we can support the Carps”.
I guess this will become something they do every year.
Popo:
I don’t get the newspaper, but I like this kind of thing!
uch*****:
I think it’s great.
yyg*****:
But they still didn’t beat Hanshin.
gwg*****:
It’s because of the past that we have the present.
And because we have a present, we have a future.
oka*****:
The Hiroshima Carps are the hope of the people of Hiroshima.
kao*****:
It’s precisely because of the sacrifices made during the war and through the atomic bomb that now we can play and watch baseball in a peaceful society.
I hope that we never ever forget that.
gen*****:
Recently the 8.6 second bazookas [a comedy duo who are suspected of being anti-Japanese because their name has been taken to refer to the atomic bomb being dropped for a second time] haven’t been on TV much, are they still in business?
Today they ‘re probably doing some material down at the Hiroshima Memorial Museum.
They need to give a clear explanation of the doubts on everyone’s minds.
まさまさ:
Go Carps!
xaa*****
I visited once in October, and boy was Hiroshima hot then.
At this time of year it must be even hotter.
