Hibakusha hope young people will carry on their campaign

Asahi Shimbun

a day ago

Completed questionnaires for the nationwide survey of atomic bomb survivors conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Chugoku Shimbun and The Nagasaki Shimbun (Takuya Tanabe)
Eighty years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many of the 3,564 survivors who responded to a survey expressed determination to pass down their experiences, despite the passage of time and the turbulent international situation.
A 93-year-old woman who lives in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said she shared her experiences for the first time just two months ago.
'I saw no light and heard no sound. I was trapped under the station building at Koi Station (in Hiroshima) and crawled out. I saw something like cotton or clouds. Today, I spoke about the keloid scars on both my legs for the first time.'
She was one of the respondents to the nationwide survey of hibakusha jointly conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Chugoku Shimbun, which is based in Hiroshima, and The Nagasaki Shimbun.
Largely due to aging, illness or disability, 16.2 percent of the respondents had their children, grandchildren or others close to them write on their behalf.
The Hatsukaichi woman's response was filled out by her former care manager.
Those who could do so summoned the strength to write. Shaky handwriting was noted in many responses.
'I have never spoken about the atomic bomb with my family or classmates. I just can't,' a 95-year-old woman in the western Tokyo city of Machida wrote. 'Writing about it for the first time (for this survey) was painful. I am old, and I cannot write well.'
NOBEL PRIZE BUOYS CONFIDENCE
The three newspapers previously conducted their own hibakusha surveys and planned the joint survey to collect more testimonies on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings.
Questionnaires were distributed to about 11,000 people starting at the end of January, with support from the Japan Federation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and regional hibakusha groups.
Valid responses were received from 3,564 people in 43 prefectures. The average age of the respondents was 85.46. The youngest was 78, who was exposed in utero, and the oldest 106.
Of all respondents, 59.6 percent were exposed in Hiroshima and 39.7 percent in Nagasaki.
Responses from those without the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate, which grants formal hibakusha status and government benefits, were still deemed valid. The government considers this group of survivors ineligible because they were outside the government-designated exposure zone in and around Nagasaki.
Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the organization received the prize for 'its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.'
'I was overjoyed,' an 81-year-old woman in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, wrote. 'But I do not want to stop at joy. Without giving up hope, I want to keep walking toward a world without nuclear weapons or war.'
Nihon Hidankyo winning the prize encouraged a hibakusha to start sharing her experiences.
'I had never told anyone that I am a hibakusha. But people around me changed after the award,' an 81-year-old woman in Gifu wrote. 'I spoke in front of 14 or 15 people, saying I am a hibakusha. They listened attentively.'
'I AM NOT HELPLESS'
As the number of hibakusha able to recount their experiences declines, passing on their memories has become an urgent task.
According to the health ministry, the average age of those holding the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate was 86.13 as of March.
The number of certificate holders stood at 99,130, down from a peak of 372,264 in 1981. It fell below 100,000 for the first time since the issuance of the handbook began in 1957.
Only a combined 48.9 percent of respondents think that the experiences and thoughts of hibakusha were being passed on to the next generation 'fully' or 'to some extent.'
'No matter how many times I speak, the horrors of the atomic bomb do not get through,' an 88-year-old woman in Hiroshima said in a response written by a welfare facility employee.
A 79-year-old woman in Isa, Kagoshima Prefecture, wrote: 'I sometimes want to give up (speaking), but I must not. I may be powerless, but I am not helpless. I want to live while thinking about what I can do where I am.'
Asked if they have ever shared their experiences with someone, 28.3 percent of respondents said they have never done so.
The most common reason was vague or lost memories, picked by 24.8 percent.
Others cited a lack of opportunities (13.2 percent), fears of discrimination or prejudice (9.2 percent), emotional pain of recalling experiences (7.7 percent) and despair of ever being understood (7 percent).
'I wish people would listen seriously, but I am worried that they may brush off (my account),' a 94-year-old woman in Nagasaki said in a response written by a welfare facility employee.
While some elderly hibakusha try to avoid recalling painful memories, those who were exposed as children struggle to speak because they have faint recollections.
'I have no recollection myself, so it is difficult to pass anything on,' an 80-year-old woman in Hiroshima wrote. 'I do not know what to do.'
IMPLORING THE YOUNG
As they grow older, some hibakusha can no longer express themselves as they once did.
'There is so much I want to share, but I cannot even write anymore,' an 86-year-old woman in Tokyo's Kita Ward said in a response written by her daughter. 'I am sorry (that I cannot be of help) at this important opportunity.'
A woman wrote on behalf of her 95-year-old mother who lives in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture, and is suffering from dementia.
'If only my mother were younger, she could have answered more,' the daughter wrote.
Asked if they think nuclear weapons can be abolished, 36.9 percent of respondents said no, exceeding the 27.9 percent who said yes.
War and nuclear threats persist, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
'It feels like lawlessness is going unchallenged globally,' an 81-year-old woman in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said in a response written by her daughter. 'Nuclear armament has been increasingly justified, and I worry that we are backing away from nuclear abolition.'
A 79-year-old woman in Tokyo's Meguro Ward wrote: 'I am disheartened by the foolishness of politicians around the world. Not only politicians but also we citizens are irresponsible and self-centered.'
Still, many respondents place their hopes on future generations.
A 96-year-old man in Miki, Kagawa Prefecture, said he has a plea for young people.
'Please pass on the horrors of the atomic bomb, the tragedy of war and the preciousness of peace to as many people as possible,' he wrote.
An 83-year-old man in Tottori said it is important to repeat and continue together even if each person's power is small.
'If we remain silent, the powers that be mistakenly believe that their views have been accepted,' he wrote. 'Let's keep speaking out, even in a small voice.'
An 80-year-old woman in Mikasa, Hokkaido, said, 'Don't think you are not qualified to speak just because you were not exposed. I believe that learning and inheriting (hibakusha's experiences) together leads to world peace.'
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Media resolved to document and pass on A-bomb survivors' stories
By TAKAAKI TAMURA/ Staff Writer
'I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'
So said J. Robert Oppenheimer, a U.S. theoretical physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb, upon witnessing its power in an experiment.
The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 claimed more than 200,000 lives by the end of that year.
It was the worst act of indiscriminate slaughter in human history.
Eighty years later, the average age of survivors exceeds 86, and their numbers have fallen below 100,000. The fading of memories over time is inevitable. Yet the threat of nuclear weapons remains a pressing issue globally.
What can the media do?
This year, The Asahi Shimbun partnered with The Chugoku Shimbun and The Nagasaki Shimbun, the newspapers based in the cities destroyed by the atomic bombings, which have continued to confront the reality of the catastrophe.
We believe it is our duty to go beyond corporate boundaries and gather as many testimonies as possible.
We received 3,564 responses, which contain shaky or blurred handwriting as well as densely written letters.
Each and every one deserves to be preserved for future generations.
We will publish articles based on these responses. We hope they inspire readers to reflect on what we can do to ensure no one ever suffers from atomic bombing again.
* * *
Takaaki Tamura heads The Asahi Shimbun's News and Analysis Center on Nuclear Issues.