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(Takei) In my endless quest to learn all things tech,
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I've come to a modern city devoted to peace.
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I'm George Takei and this is Takei's Take: Hiroshima.
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On August 6th, 1945,
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the United States dropped the first atomic bomb
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on the Japanese port city of Hiroshima,
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killing tens of thousands of men, women, and children instantly.
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No single bomb has ever caused such mass destruction.
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It is man's worst use of technology.
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At the time, I was eight years old, living in an internment camp
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in Tule Lake, California.
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I would not know the fate of our family living in Hiroshima
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until the war had ended.
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I have come to Hiroshima many times to visit family
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and revisit history.
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It's always compelling, haunting, beautiful, and unspeakably sad.
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It is also a place fervently committed to peace.
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(Takei) That was ground zero.
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A strong concrete building that was able to withstand
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the atomic bombing.
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The people of Hiroshima wanted to keep that as a reminder
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of both the power and horror of the atomic bomb.
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This island here that we're on
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was a district that was dense and vibrant with life.
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Shops, restaurants, movie theaters...
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and it was flattened.
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(Takei) Brad and I go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
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to get a tour from its Deputy Director, Noriyuki Masuda,
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Mr. Masuda has a mission.
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...to show future generations that these weapons
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should definitely be eradicated from our society.
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(speaking Japanese)
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(Takei) The man who was sitting there cast a shadow
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- and he probaby burned to death.
- Hmm.
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And you can see the outline there
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and the other part over here looked much lighter.
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(speaking Japanese)
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That explosion took place 600 meters above the ground,
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and you see it right over ground zero.
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And the impact was 280 meters on the ground.
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My grandmother's house was right about there.
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My aunt [Tahikiko's] home is over there.
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(Takei) This museum memorializes the tragedy,
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its victims and its aftermath,
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which includes the city's ongoing devotion to peace,
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not just here, but throughout the world.
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Since 1968, all Hiroshima mayors have written protest letters
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to countries possessing nuclear arms.
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From 1968 to now, over 660 protests were sent.
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Of course, this wall is not large enough to display all the letters.
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We have some more on the other side and more in the back
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so you can see all of them in one glance.
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(Takei) Hiroshima's commitment to peace is inspiring.
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Aside from this museum, the Peace Memorial Park
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runs through the city's center.
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Hiroshima is among the few places on earth,
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outside of the United States,
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that celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.
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I marched with Dr. King,
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and his words resonate here.
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We have learned to fly the air like birds,
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and swim the sea like fish,
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but we have not learned the simple art of living together
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as brothers.
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Every year, on August 6th, the world remembers
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a terrible act of war.
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Every year, on August 6th, the people of Hiroshima
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recommit themselves to peace.
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And they invite all of us to join them.
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To hear more personal stories about survivors,
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learn more about the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
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and explore the Peace Database, visit:
www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp.