Dhaka University’s (DU) Department of Japanese Studies held a webinar on Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the tragedies of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing of World War II.
Speakers shared their insights and lesser known facts concerning the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing at the webinar titled “Manhattan Project to Hiroshima-Nagasaki: Least Talked About Facts,” according to a media statement.
The webinar was chaired by prominent economist Dr Abul Barkat, professor and founder chairman of the Department of Japanese Studies, while Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun, assistant professor and current chairperson of the Department of Japanese Studies delivered the keynote speech.
Prof Abdullah-Al-Mamun said the University of Göttingen played a pivotal underlying role in the Manhattan Project, a research and development project led by the United States of America to build nuclear bombs.
In his speech, Prof Abdullah-Al-Mamun emphasized how the Manhattan Project destroyed humanity.
He said: “Given the state of the world war at that time, bombing Japan was not necessary and it was only done to showcase the supremacy of the world powers.”
Prof Abul Barkat, in his speech, comprehensively elaborated how all the wars around the world have always been influenced by economic goals of specific nations.
He further discussed the inter-generational damage done to the people of Japan by the Manhattan Project and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing and how lamentable this act of bombing was.
Dr Md Jahangir Alam, Dr Lopamudra Malek, and Nashia Zaman, all assistant professors of the Department of Japanese Studies, lecturers Shiblee Noman and Md Saifullah Akon, and students of the department also joined the webinar.
The entire webinar was moderated by Dr Dilruba Sharmin, assistant professor of the Department of Japanese Studies.
