After the atomic blast

After the atomic blast

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The Atomic Bomb Dome preserves one of the only structures left standing in Hiroshima after the world's first nuclear attack 70 years ago. It’s now a World Heritage Site.

The shadow of the bomb still looms large in modern-day Hiroshima, a thriving, bustling city crisscrossed by six rivers.

Before & After

Before
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Toshio Kawamoto/Yoshio Kawamoto
After
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: A Czech architect designed The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall about 30 years before the bomb fell.
After: Today’s structure has been preserved exactly as it was 70 years ago. The city’s Peace Memorial Park surrounds the building, also known as the Genbaku Dome.

The peace park covers a large portion of the town centre and includes a cenotaph with the inscription: "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil".

Japan has a long-standing policy of not possessing or producing nuclear arms and not letting others bring them into the country.

Before & After

Before
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Shigeo Hayashi/Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: Local residents stand on Aioi Bridge after the bombing of Hiroshima.
After: Children cycle on the modern-day bridge.

The U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, carrying 12 crew members, dropped the atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Three days later, the United States released an atomic bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.

Before & After

Before
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Shigeo Hayashi/Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: Residents and destroyed buildings are seen from Aioi Bridge in Hiroshima.
After: Today’s bridge includes a tramline.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ordered by U.S. President Harry Truman, remains the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

On Aug. 15, 1945, following the attack on Nagasaki, Japan surrendered, bringing World War Two to an end.

Before & After

Before
Nagasaki, JAPAN. Reuters/Torahiko Ogawa/Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
After
. Nagasaki, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: The Nagasaki Medical College was destroyed.
After: Nagasaki University Hospital stands on the same site.

Before & After

Before
Nagasaki, JAPAN. Reuters/Shigeo Hayashi/Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
After
. Nagasaki, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: The destroyed Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, which took 30 years to build after a ban against Christianity was lifted in 1873.
After: The modern-day church is also known as St Mary’s Cathedral.

Before & After

Before
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/U.S. Army/Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After
. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/Issei Kato

Before: A passerby’s shadow, caused by heat rays from the atomic bomb, is imprinted on the surface of Yorozuyo Bridge in Hiroshima.
After: A pedestrian casts a shadow on today’s Yorozuyo Bridge.

With their ranks dwindling, some survivors - called hibakusha in Japan - are determined to pass on their experiences to younger generations.

There are now about 180,000 survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. This year their average age topped 80 for the first time.

. Hiroshima, JAPAN. Reuters/U.S. Army/Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

An atomic cloud billows above Hiroshima.