Do you think President Obama is right in saying that he will not apologize for Hiroshima bombing?

He has nothing to apologize for. Was he even alive at that time?

It’s enough that he’s visiting the site.

No. That’s like saying I should apologize because my ancestors kept slaves.
Obama had nothing to do with the decision to bomb Hiroshima.

Why would anyone want to apologise for the 2 only instances of nuclear terrorism and mass murder in history?

Well, when you put it that way, I agree with raging, sans sarcasm.

From what I understand, Japan was not expecting, or asking for, an apology.

“I think that the U.S. and Japan have an extremely strong, very warm friendship. And I think what’s the most interesting thing that we can tell from this event is if we look at the Japanese handling of this event, the Japanese have been extremely obliging, extremely mature in their acceptance of the way that the White House is trying to frame this. So in other words, the White House is saying this is not an apology to Japan. This is an expression of shared respect and shared commitment to peace.”
“And the Japanese say, yes, absolutely, this is the case. And just think about what they might have said. They might have said, no, you should be apologizing to us. You dropped atomic weapons on us. So the fact that they are as obliging and cooperative in this as they have been really suggests this is a very committed, very strong partnership that we have.”

Source

He is absolutely right in not apologizing for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It was during a war. They killed our people, we killed their people. When they surrendered and stopped, we stopped.

Yes. Japan started it by sneak attacking pearl harbor. I would wait for that apology.

Was it the Only way available to end the war? I really suspect. Killing lacks of innocent people who may / may not have anything to do with the war. Those were civilians and not soldiers who were killed fighting a war. You need not be aplplogitic but can be at least sympathetic towards them.

Check out this link which details out why atomic bombing wasn’t necessary -
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v16/v16n3p-4_weber.html

He has nothing to apologize for. What was, was.

@ragingloli: can you please link to an accurate translation of Merkel’s apology for the atrocities committed by the Third Reich? I would be interested in seeing how such things are worded. Thank you.

No. Apology. Necessary.

No apologies. Those two bombs likely saved lives.

Let’s say somebody walks up to you, kicks you in the balls and breaks your left arm and you beat shit out of them with a crowbar so they’ll never do it again. Would you apologize to them afterward? I say fuck no. That motherfucker would be lucky to be alive.

Let’s say, because of the injuries, I lost my job and the medical bills he incurred damn near caused me to lose my house and car. It took me years to recoup the losses. And every time the weather turned, that goddamned arm would act up and I’d be reminded of that motherfucker all over again. And the whole thing freaked my wife out to no end.

If my son apologized to that sonuvabitch’s son seventy-five years later, I’d climb out of the grave and slap him up side the head.

“Let’s say somebody walks up to you, kicks you in the balls and breaks your left arm and you beat shit out of them with a crowbar so they’ll never do it again. Would you apologize to them afterward? I say fuck no. That motherfucker would be lucky to be alive.”
Or to take @Espiritus_Corvus’ analogy a step further, would you expect your grandchildren to apologize to their grandchildren?

ITT: colonials rationalising their crimes against humanity.

@canidmajor
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=merkel+holocaust

He is saying he won’t apologize to Japan for Hiroshima. (I think he will) It is in his DNA. He has profusely apologized for this country for seven and one half years. I do not believe Japan has an apology coming for Hiroshima. They knew exactly why. They knew then and they know now.

Actually, more people were killed in carpet bombing of Dresden and other places in Germany. Japan was an active war foe. If the US stated apologising for deaths for declared and undeclared acts of War, there would be little time left for running the country.

Not apologize, but acknowledge.

I think that is the point in visiting Hiroshima, @Pachy. To allow both sides to acknowledge the complicated event that happen there.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to believe he’s the first US president to do so.

Should the current Japanese emperor apologize to the Japanese people because his ancestor did not surrender after the Hiroshima bombing?

@Pachy So right. Acknowledge is the proper thing to do for all around!

as @ibstubro says, I think it is enough that both sides have acknowledged that something terrible and complicated happened. There is such a strong relationship between the two countries that to even expect, much less demand an apology from either side is moot.

I think the same is true for the relationship between the US and Vietnam.

@Yetanotheruser Vietnam was a much different thing altogether. I know you’re a vet of that war and I highly respect that, but I do believe that if we’re talking apologies here, an apology from our government to their people is in order.

@Espiritus_Corvus I’m also a Vietnam War vet and I agree with your position on that war.