The Japanese city of Hiroshima plans to knock down two buildings that survived the 1945 atomic bomb - but some locals want them preserved as landmarks.The two blocks - built in 1913 - were first used as a military clothing factory, and later as university student accommodation. They were also used as a makeshift hospital after the bomb itself.
The attack flattened most of the city, and - as of last year - only 85 buildings built before the bomb remained within five kilometres of "ground zero". The blocks survived, at least partly because they were made from reinforced concrete. Some bomb damage to the metal windows and doors is still visible. In 2017, authorities found the structures - now publicly-owned - were highly likely to collapse in a strong earthquake. And - as the buildings are not in use, and are not open to the public - the local government decided they should be demolished by 2022.
"Considering the historical significance of telling the tragedy to the future generation, we can no way accept the demolition," he(Iwao Nakanishi) told the Mainichi newspaper. "We strongly oppose it.” Hiroshima's most famous ruin from the bomb is the dome in the city's Peace Memorial Park. A Unesco World Heritage site, it has undergone reinforcement work to make it more earthquake resistant.
