State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid on Saturday said Japan is the biggest development partner of Bangladesh.
"Japan has played an important role in our economic development since our independence by contributing to the infrastructure development of Bangladesh. Japan, the land of the rising sun, the land of peace, the unyielding nation, has always stood by us," he said.
The State Minister spoke at an event marking the historic Hiroshima Day Saturday night. Theater group Swapnadal organized the event at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA)'s Experimental Theatre Hall.
"At the end of World War II, the atomic bombs explosion on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) by the imperialist United States was the most brutal and atrocious killing in the history of the world. As a result of dropping the atomic bomb, 80,000 people died instantly in the city of Hiroshima," the State Minister said.
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki joined the event as the special guest, and lauded the initiative of Swapnadal and thanked the State Minister as well as Bangladeshi people for their compassion to the Hiroshima tragedy.
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"During my stay in Bangladesh since October, 2019, I was impressed by the fact that so many Bangladeshis are familiar with the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The compassion shown today by Bangladeshis is really significant to us, thus the `Hiroshima Day’ will strengthen mutual understanding and amicable relationship between Japan and Bangladesh."
The event included a panel discussion, an exhibition of video and installation art, anti-war photography, and more.
An exclusive exhibition of anti-war photography, film, and installation art was also launched at the Experimental Theatre Hall premise.
Additionally, the group showcased the 117th show of its anti-war drama 'Tringsha Shatabdi' at Experimental Theatre Hall.
“For the past 21 years, Swapnadal has organized events to commemorate Hiroshima Day. As a theater group, we believe it is our duty to educate the public about the danger of nuclear weapons pose to the human race,” Swapnadal founder Zahid Repon said adding, "We demand a nuclear-weapons-free planet.”
The first city to be struck by a nuclear weapon was Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, Little Boy, an atomic bomb, was dropped on Hiroshima by the United States Army Air Forces.
On August 9, 1945, the Fat Man nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Between 129,000 and 226,000 persons were murdered in the two bombings, the majority of them were civilians.