Q&A on the News
Q: I was reading in the AJC the other day about President Barack Obama visiting Hiroshima. The article mentioned that U.S. POWs possibly were killed by the atomic bomb there. If true, how many POWs died and where was the POW camp in relation to where the bomb was dropped?
—Thomas Brayton, Sharpsburg
A: At least 12 American POWs were being held in Hiroshima when an atomic bomb was dropped on the city on Aug. 6, 1944.
Shigeaki Mori, a Hiroshima survivor, helped track down information on the POWs, who were identified as survivors of U.S. planes shot down over Japan in the weeks leading up to the atomic blast.
Mori, who was 8 years old when the bomb was dropped, attended a school next to the police headquarters, where he has said the POWs were being held.
The buildings were about 400-500 yards from ground zero, CNN.com reported.
Mori survived when the blast threw him into a shallow river, which he has said protected him from burns.
He spent years tracking down the families of the American POWs, according to media reports.
“I made calls for three years before I found anyone,” he told The New York Times.
Japanese and U.S. documents, which were declassified in the 1970s, confirmed his suspicions, the Times reported.
The names of the American POWs have been added to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
Mori met and hugged President Obama on his visit to Hiroshima in May.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
