It is almost 71 years since the atomic bomb "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima, causing the deaths of roughly 140,000 people, with some 80,000 killed instantly from the intense heat and radiation.
The nuclear bomb was dropped by American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, flown by Colonel Paul Tibbets and was justified by former US president Harry S. Truman, who used the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour along with the murder of American prisoners as reason for the attacks. According to reports, around 70% of the buildings in the city were destroyed and another 7% severely damaged.
The hands of Sunao Tsuboi, an anti-nuclear war activist and survivor of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombJohannes Eisele/ AFP
US President Barack Obama is set to become the first sitting US president to visit one of the bomb sites on 27 May. He will be accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. Obama has said that he will not apologise or address the debate on whether the 6 August 1945 bombing of Hiroshima was justified, but will honour all those who lost their lives in World War Two.
Many atomic bomb survivors have said that they would welcome an apology from the US president but for others, the priority is ridding the world of nuclear arms, a goal that seems as elusive as ever.
Getty Images photographer Johannes Eisele travelled to Hiroshima, and captured the faces of some of the survivors from the world's first atomic bomb attack.
Sunao Tsuboi, anti-nuclear war activist was a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPThe hands of Park Nam-Joo, 83, an ethnic Korean survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who suffered from breast and skin cancer after being heavily exposed to radiation following the bombing in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPPark Nam-Joo, 83, an ethnic Korean survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who suffered from breast and skin cancer after being heavily exposed to radiation following the bombing in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPThe hands of Emiko Okada, 79, a survivor of the atomic bombing of HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFPEmiko Okada, 79, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, posing for a picture at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFPMisako Katani, 86, who was exposed to radiation in Hiroshima and NagasakiJohannes Eisele/ AFPThe hands of Hiroshima bombing survivor Misako Katani, 86Johannes Eisele/ AFPKeiko Ogura, 78, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPThe hands of Keiko Ogura, 78, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPKeiko Ogura, 78, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945Johannes Eisele/ AFPShigeaki Mori, historian and survivor of the atomic bombing of HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFPThe hands of Shigeaki Mori, historian and survivor of the atomic bombing of HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFPShigeaki Mori, historian and survivor of the atomic bombing of HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFPFrom left: Keiko Ogura, Park Nam-Joo, Sunao Tsuboi, and (bottom row L to R) Shigeaki Mori, Misako Katani and Emiko Okada in HiroshimaJohannes Eisele/ AFP
