RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 4 sourcesThe Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the few surviving structures after the detonation. Irina WS/Shutterstock
Eighty-one years after the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the city has transformed.
The bombing immediately killed 80,000 people and destroyed 70% of the city's buildings.
Today, Hiroshima is a bustling manufacturing hub with a population of 1.1 million people.
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in military combat on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The Allied forces dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki three days later. Less than a week later, Japan surrendered.
The device that exploded over Hiroshima destroyed about two-thirds of the city’s structures in a blinding flash of light.
At the time, Hiroshima’s population was about 300,000, the Atomic Heritage Foundation reported. The bomb immediately killed 80,000 and injured 35,000 more, and by the end of 1945, 60,000 more people had died as a result of the blast, per History.com .
Today, as other nations grow their nuclear arsenals , Hiroshima is a prosperous manufacturing hub with a population of over 1.1 million.
Here’s what the city looks like today and how the local population commemorates the lingering effects of the bombing.
On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" flattened the city of Hiroshima.
A view of "ground zero" in Hiroshima, Japan, after the US atomic bombing of August 6, 1945. Stanley Troutman/Associated Press
The explosion from the 10-foot-long uranium bomb wiped out 5 square miles of the city. Almost 70% of buildings in Hiroshima were demolished in the blast, as reported on AtomicArchive.com .
The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a multifunctional building created in 1915 that was used for research and design consultation, was one of the few buildings left standing after the blast. It became a symbol of the devastation.
Haunting shadows were left all over the city after the blast.
The heat from the atomic bomb dropped at Hiroshima left a 'Shadow Effect.' Keystone/Getty Images
The heat from the atomic blast burned lasting shadows onto walls and pavements in the shapes of the objects in its path. The most haunting Hiroshima shadows were the outlines of victims who were going about their daily lives when the bomb was dropped.
Today, some shadows are displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum , like one of a hand holding onto a gas tank and one of a man sitting outside a bank waiting for it to open.
Today, the Atomic Bomb Dome stands as a reminder of the city's painful history.
The Memorial Dome stands as aprt of Hiroshima's Peace memorial Park picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, which includes the remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall — now called the Atomic Bomb Dome or the Genbaku Dome — is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a center for peace activism events, especially on the anniversary of the dropping of the bomb.
In 2005, Greenpeace members launched inflatable doves in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome on the day before the Hiroshima anniversary.
In the years since the blast, the city has expanded the number of peace monuments near the Dome.
DATE IMPORTED:May 27, 2016U.S. President Barack Obama and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a ceremony at the Atomic Bomb Dome at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan May 27, 2016. Carlos Barria/Associated Press
In 1952, a memorial cenotaph, or empty grave, commemorating the lives lost after the bomb was built in what is now known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The park was built around the hypocenter of the "Little Boy" explosion, in what was once the city's busy downtown district.
Also in the memorial park is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall, the Children's Peace Monument, the Peace Flame, the Gates of Peace, and the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, where the cremated remains of 70,000 unidentified explosion victims rest.
In 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to travel to Hiroshima. He laid a wreath during a ceremony at Peace Memorial Park with Japan's then-prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and greeted Hiroshima bombing survivors .
The site's popularity has continued to grow among visitors. Ahead of the end of its fiscal year in March 2025, the Peace Memorial Museum exceeded 2 million annual visitors for the first time, The Japan Times reported. Of these visitors, nearly a third were foreigners.
Hiroshima is now a bustling city that's home to industry giants and robust transportation links.
Vehicles travel through downtown near Hondori on May 26, 2016 in Hiroshima, Japan. Jean Chung/Getty Images
The routines of daily life in Hiroshima are much like those of any other large city in Japan.
The city, connected to Tokyo and other cities across the country by a network of high-speed bullet trains, is an industrial hub with over a million residents. The automobile manufacturer Mazda is headquartered in the city.
Hoping to keep growing and innovating, the city has launched a forward-looking planning process called Hiroshima 2045: City of Peace and Creativity, focused on designing a modern, distinctive urban landscape.
Aside from its history, Hiroshima offers visitors a distinctive food and drink scene.
Richard A. Brooks / AFP
Visitors can enjoy okonomiyaki, a savory pancake often called “Hiroshima’s soul food,” while exploring the city’s lively nightlife.
Other culinary offerings of the region highlight oysters, maple-leaf-shaped red bean cakes, and red pepper cold noodles, as reported by Japan-Guide.com .
Sports fans often flock to the city for games.
J.LEAGUE/J.LEAGUE via Getty Images
In 2024, the city of Hiroshima welcomed the Edion Peace Wing , a soccer stadium with a capacity for over 28,000 spectators and...
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