Photo/Illutration The first meeting of the drafting committee for Nagasaki's peace declaration, which will be read by the mayor on Aug. 9, is held at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki on May 3. (Hideshi Nishimoto)

NAGASAKI--Several committee members who are drafting Nagasaki's annual peace declaration are pushing for including the Academy Award-winning film "Oppenheimer" as part of the message this year.  

"It depicts the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. There are increasing calls for the abolishment of nuclear weapons also in the United States," said Masao Tomonaga, 80, a hibakusha and doctor, during a meeting on May 3 where he suggested mentioning the film.

The biopic, depicting the torment of "the father of the atomic bomb," was released in Japan in March.

The declaration will be read by the Nagasaki mayor during a ceremony on Aug. 9 to mark the 79th anniversary of the city's 1945 atomic bombing.

The committee consists of 15 members including atomic bomb survivors and academic experts.

One member at the meeting pointed out the controversy after social media posts about the movie made light of the nuclear holocaust.

"The world has yet to fully accept the realities of the atomic bombing we have been publicizing," the member said. "It is desirable for a peace declaration to put a period to ideas that make light of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons."

Another added: "I saw the movie and felt that the United States had a choice of not using the nuclear bomb after becoming a nuclear nation."

The film follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the U.S. physicist who led the Manhattan Project to develop the world's first atomic bomb during World War II.

Although the project was successful, Oppenheimer struggled with political persecution after he opposed the development of hydrogen bombs for their enormous destructive power.

The film won seven awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture, at the 96th Academy Awards in March.

The committee members will hold two more meetings by summer, based on whose opinions the city government will compile the declaration.

"It is a film that portrays the torment of a scientist who developed nuclear weapons and was tormented by how they can bring about inhumane outcomes," Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said after the May 3 meeting. "I also heard it inspired U.S. citizens to think about the abolishment of nuclear weapons. I want to cherish such a significance."

Related News