Wristwatch displaying A-bombing time to be auctioned in U.S., ICAN criticizes “It should be returned to Hiroshima”
Feb. 22, 2024
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
On February 21, it was learned that a wristwatch displaying the time of 8:15 a.m., the moment the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, was being listed for sale as an atomic bombing-related artifact on an online auction hosted by a United States auction house. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO), sent a letter to the auction house written by Executive Director Melissa Parke, requesting that the auction be withdrawn due to concerns that individuals may profit from it.
The auction site explains that the wristwatch was originally picked up by a British soldier who was dispatched to Hiroshima to investigate the postwar reconstruction. It was subsequently auctioned off in the United Kingdom in 2015 and passed on to another individual. This auction item was prompted by the release of “Oppenheimer,” a biographical movie about the man who spearheaded the development of the A-bomb.
Bids will be accepted until February 22. As of 6 p.m. Japan time on February 21, the highest bid is 18,700 dollars (2.8 million yen). It is unclear what kind of appraisal was used to determine its authenticity as an atomic bombing-related artifact.
Ms. Parke’s letter was dated on February 20. Considering the approximately 140,000 people who died in Hiroshima by the end of 1945, she criticized that it was unacceptable for people who have no connection to Hiroshima or victims to claim ownership of objects found on bodies or in the ruins. She also said that the wristwatch should be returned to Hiroshima for display at the Peace Memorial Museum.
(Originally published on February 22, 2024)
On February 21, it was learned that a wristwatch displaying the time of 8:15 a.m., the moment the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, was being listed for sale as an atomic bombing-related artifact on an online auction hosted by a United States auction house. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO), sent a letter to the auction house written by Executive Director Melissa Parke, requesting that the auction be withdrawn due to concerns that individuals may profit from it.
The auction site explains that the wristwatch was originally picked up by a British soldier who was dispatched to Hiroshima to investigate the postwar reconstruction. It was subsequently auctioned off in the United Kingdom in 2015 and passed on to another individual. This auction item was prompted by the release of “Oppenheimer,” a biographical movie about the man who spearheaded the development of the A-bomb.
Bids will be accepted until February 22. As of 6 p.m. Japan time on February 21, the highest bid is 18,700 dollars (2.8 million yen). It is unclear what kind of appraisal was used to determine its authenticity as an atomic bombing-related artifact.
Ms. Parke’s letter was dated on February 20. Considering the approximately 140,000 people who died in Hiroshima by the end of 1945, she criticized that it was unacceptable for people who have no connection to Hiroshima or victims to claim ownership of objects found on bodies or in the ruins. She also said that the wristwatch should be returned to Hiroshima for display at the Peace Memorial Museum.
(Originally published on February 22, 2024)
