Lectures in Hiroshima and Others
“Nuclear Power Only for Energy Use”
"Now is the time to learn how my grandfather thought about nuclear weapons."
Charles Oppenheimer, the grandson of American physicist Robert Oppenheimer (1904?1967), known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb," visited Japan, which suffered the atomic bomb attacks, to warn about the arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
'Father of the Atomic Bomb' Robert Oppenheimer (1904?1967) grandson Charles Oppenheimer (49) is holding a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Japan on the 3rd. [Photo by AFP]
On the 4th, Yonhap News, citing the Yomiuri Shimbun, reported that Charles Oppenheimer (49), the grandson of Robert Oppenheimer, held a lecture on "Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy" in downtown Tokyo the previous day, followed by a press conference.
At the event, Charles Oppenheimer emphasized, "Through interviews with atomic bomb survivors, I was able to directly understand the impact of the atomic bomb," and added, "Humanity must not use not only atomic bombs but all kinds of bombs."
He then referred to the movie Oppenheimer, saying, "Watching the film, I felt it was my duty to convey the message that 'nuclear proliferation must be deterred,'" and stated, "Humanity is now facing an existential crisis."
He continued, "If there had not been a massive arms race, we would not be facing the current crisis," and said, "Now is the time to listen to Robert Oppenheimer's words, and especially nuclear powers such as the United States, Russia, and China must ease tensions through communication and cooperation." He also said, "Considering the history of the atomic bombings, Japan is the most suitable country to urge cooperation among great powers."
The Trinity nuclear test conducted on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico, USA. [Photo by Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA]
Charles Oppenheimer visited Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, and gave a lecture at Hitotsubashi University. On the 1st, during a meeting with survivors in Hiroshima, one of the bombed sites, he expressed his view: "I was able to personally feel the impact of the atomic bomb. Humanity must not use any kind of bomb, not limited to nuclear weapons." He currently runs a nonprofit organization called the "Oppenheimer Project," advocating for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Charles Oppenheimer’s grandfather, Robert Oppenheimer, led the United States' nuclear bomb development project during World War II. He was praised in the U.S. for successfully conducting the world's first nuclear test, the "Trinity Test," in July 1945, which helped hasten the end of the war. However, after learning about the devastation caused by the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he fell into deep anguish. It is known that when he visited Japan in 1960, he said he did not regret his involvement in the development of the atomic bomb.
Opposing the development of the hydrogen bomb due to concerns about accelerating the postwar nuclear arms race, he was expelled from public office in 1954 on charges of communist sympathies. He died at age 62 in 1967, and it was only in 2022, more than 50 years later, that he was cleared of those charges.
Earlier, the film Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, won seven awards at this year’s Academy Awards in the U.S., including Best Picture, the top honor. In Japan, the country directly affected by the atomic bomb, the film’s release was controversial, and it was finally screened eight months after its initial release, in March.
In the film, Robert Oppenheimer leaves a monologue: "I am now death, the destroyer of worlds."
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