2 Hiroshima A-bomb survivors share experiences with 15 students in London, urge action

The Mainichi

18-06-2025

LONDON (Mainichi) -- Two survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing held a dialogue with a group of 15 university students here on June 15, sharing their experiences from the 1945 blast and urging them to spread their wishes for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Teruko Yahata, 87, and Kunihiko Iida, 82, were both exposed to the U.S. atomic bombing in the city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, which is said to be a nuclear state, and Iran, which has been promoting its nuclear development program, both Yahata and Iida warned that an escalation of the use of force could lead to nuclear warfare and urged the students to share their wishes for nuclear weapons abolition and convey them to their government.
Yahata was 8 years old when the atomic bomb was detonated above Hiroshima. She and her eight family members were at their home about 2.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. Yahata was blown about 5 meters away by the blast, and when she regathered, her face was covered with blood.
"My happy childhood was completely changed by the atomic bomb. I was so starving that I had to eat frogs and locusts," she revealed to the students. "If a nuclear weapon is used, we will no longer be able to live on Earth," she repeatedly emphasized. "I hope you, young people, will take the imminent crisis as your own problem, and build peace," she said, as if trying to wring out her voice.
Iida was 3 years old when he was exposed to the atomic bomb alongside his family. His family members died after the bombing, leaving him orphaned. He has since suffered from various aftereffects. "The world has not understood the realities of the damage wrought by the atomic bombing," Iida pointed out. "Near the hypocenter, in particular, most things were turned into white ash, and not even human remains nor their belongings were left," he explained. "It is most important to pass down the misery of the atomic bombing and continue to seek peace," he stressed.
The students in attendance appreciated the importance of "peace without nuclear weapons" and actively asked questions to the hibakusha, or A-bomb survivors, about the power of the atomic bombs and what non-nuclear nations can do to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons.
George Beveridge, 24, said after the dialogue that he could well understand the horrors of nuclear weapons, and that though it may be difficult for Britain alone to abandon nuclear arms, he wanted to tell his government to promote nuclear abolition by encouraging other nuclear powers to do so, too.
Yahata and Iida have been continuing to share their stories about their bombing experiences in various parts of Japan and abroad. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the two held a speech in Paris on June 13 and in London on June 16.