The craziness of Japanese militarists during WWII is one of the major causes that the two cities vaporized in the mushroom clouds. Even facing a certain failure, Japanese militarists rejected the Potsdam Proclamation in 1945, because in their eyes the lives of civilians were irrelevant comparing to their ambitions.
The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the heinous crimes the Japanese armies committed in other countries, are the horrid examples of what frenzied militarism can cost us.
In fact, Japanese militarism is not only a danger to Japan's neighbors and regional stability, but also an alarming threat to the Japanese citizens.
As a result, the tendency of militarism resurgence in Abe's government -- pushing new security bills, holding an ambiguous attitude toward the country's war past and the covert attempts to whitewash its war criminals -- is particularly worrying.
It is obvious that many Japanese people do not like where Abe's ultra-rightist government is heading, either.
When Abe addressed the crowd Thursday in Hiroshima, shouts of protest rang out from the audience and around the park. "Retract the war bills," shouted the protesters, holding banners. In Nagasaki, similar protests took place when Abe addressed the crowd.
It is high time for Abe and his cabinet to realize that the best way to commemorate those who perished in the atomic bombings is to sincerely reflect upon its war past, because those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.