From a Public Opinion Survey on People's Awareness of the Atomic Bombings,Conducted in Hiroshima, All-Japan, and the United States
December 2005
Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, NHK conducted a public opinion survey on people's awareness of the atomic bombings and of nuclear weapons, targeting citizens of Hiroshima, all-Japan, and the United States. The report features new findings after comparing the outcome with past survey results and analyzing them by age group.
When asked about the exact date of the Hiroshima bombing, 74% of Hiroshima residents and 38% of all-Japan were able to answer correctly, which is August 6, 1945. That is, even in Hiroshima, one out of four people were not able to name the exact date. Chronological analysis of the answers to the same question shows ratios of Hiroshima citizens who knew the exact date is slowly declining, with 80% in 1990, 77% in 1995, and 74% in 2005. The result revealed the reality that people's memories are fading step by step with the 60-year passage of time.
Comparison between the results in Japan and in the United States clearly indicates a difference in public awareness of the atomic bombings and nuclear weapons. When asked whether the bombings were the right decision or not, 22% of the American respondents think “undoubtedly right,” while only 1% of the Japanese respondents think so. However, analysis of the responses by Americans by age group has detected a tendency that the younger the group becomes, the more people regards the act as “not right” and the more similar views they share with the Japanese. If such a tendency continues, the awareness gap between the Japanese and Americans will become smaller.
The questionnaire included questions on “nuclear war.” Regarding the chance of an outbreak of a nuclear war, more people answered “the chances are high” than 10 years ago, up from 27% to 48% in Japan and from 42% to 56% in the United States. When asked why they thought the chances were high, the largest portions of the respondents in both countries, 57% in Japan and 43% in the US, answered, “There remains a risk for nuclear weapons to be used as long as they exist.”