Hiroshima Residents Hope ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscars Draw Attention to A-Bomb Reality 

A report issued on the atomic bomb program before the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer and others in the program, is displayed at RR Auction House in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8, 2024. (AFP)
A report issued on the atomic bomb program before the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer and others in the program, is displayed at RR Auction House in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8, 2024. (AFP)
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Hiroshima Residents Hope ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscars Draw Attention to A-Bomb Reality 

A report issued on the atomic bomb program before the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer and others in the program, is displayed at RR Auction House in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8, 2024. (AFP)
A report issued on the atomic bomb program before the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, and signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer and others in the program, is displayed at RR Auction House in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8, 2024. (AFP)

Half a world away from Hollywood, citizens in Hiroshima, Japan, reacted to the best picture win for "Oppenheimer", the blockbuster that depicted the race to develop the atom bomb that devastated their city 78 years ago.

The biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer took in seven Oscars at Sunday night's Academy Awards after grossing $954 million worldwide. But the film has yet to screen in Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear bombing, with US strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War Two.

"I myself would definitely like to watch this movie," said Yasuhiro Akiyama, a 43-year-old teacher.

"I hope more people around the world who have seen the movie would want to visit Hiroshima and come to the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome," he added.

"Oppenheimer" will finally open in Japan on March 29, about eight months after its debut. The opening last summer came just weeks before memorials of the blasts that claimed more than 200,000 lives.

Controversies over the film's content, which some criticized as glossing over the human toll of the bombings, and marketing cast doubt on whether the film would get shown in Japan.

Many Japanese were offended by a fan-created "Barbenheimer" campaign online that linked the movie to "Barbie", another blockbuster that opened around the same time.

Teruko Yahata, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, last week told Reuters that she was eager see "Oppenheimer" and hoped it would reinvigorate debate over nuclear weapons.

That sentiment was echoed by several Hiroshima residents interviewed after the film reaped Oscar gold.

"I think it's important to have a peaceful world where people no longer fight each other, so I hope this movie will give everyone an opportunity to learn about peace," said Miyuki Hirano, a 44-year-old nurse.

Yoshito Ihara said he doubted nuclear-armed nations would ever let go of the weapons, but he hoped the movie could educate individuals and motivate them to press for change.

"I have not seen the movie, but I think it's a chance for ordinary Japanese people to learn (about the bombing)," said Iwata, a 63-year-old real estate agent. "I think it is an issue every single person in the world must continue to fight against."



Unreleased Beyonce Music Stolen From Car in Atlanta

FILE - Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
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Unreleased Beyonce Music Stolen From Car in Atlanta

FILE - Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Computer drives containing unreleased music by US superstar Beyonce and plans related to her concerts were stolen last week in Atlanta, police said Monday, with a suspect still at large.

The items were stolen from a rental car used by Beyonce's choreographer and a dancer on July 8, two days before the pop icon kicked off the Atlanta leg of her "Cowboy Carter" tour, a police incident report said, according to AFP.

Choreographer Christopher Grant, 37, told police that he returned to the car to find its rear-window smashed and their luggage stolen.

Inside were multiple jump drives that "contained water marked music, some un-released music, footage plans for the show, and past and future set list (sic)," the report said.

Also missing were an Apple MacBook, headphones and several items of luxury clothing.

Police investigated an area where the MacBook and headphones had pinged their location, but the report did not mention any items being recovered.

Atlanta Police said in an online statement that a warrant had been issued for an unnamed suspect's arrest, but that the suspect remained at large.

The "Cowboy Carter" tour kicked off in April after the global superstar took home her first "Album of the Year" Grammy for the 2024 album.

The sweeping country-themed work saw Beyonce stake out musical territory in a different genre from much of her previous discography.

The ambitious, historically rooted album also aimed to elevate and showcase the work of other Black artists in country music, whose rich contributions the industry has repeatedly sidelined.

As her stadium tour to promote the album winds down, Beyonce ended her four-night stint in Atlanta on Monday, with two final performances set for late July in Las Vegas.