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Asahi Shimbun
6 days ago
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Hibakusha hope young people will carry on their campaign
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.' * * * 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.
India Today
21-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Won't get Nobel for halting India-Pak war: Trump at it again after PM fact-check
US President Donald Trump rued that he won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for "stopping" the war between India and Pakistan, repeating the claim despite being fact-checked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue days ago. Trump's rant on Truth Social came as Pakistan formally nominated him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize."I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan... I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize, no matter what I do," Trump said while listing a series of key diplomatic peace outcomes that he claimed to have brokered. advertisementThe US President stuck to his version of events days after PM Modi set the record straight by telling him that at no point during the hostilities with Pakistan last month, was trade or mediation on the issue discussed with the US administration. India has made it clear on several occassions that the ceasefire was directly negotiated between the two nations upon Pakistan's insistence. It came as India struck vital military sites and airbases inside Pakistan as part of its Operation Sindoor.'WON'T GET NOBEL PRIZE NO MATTER WHAT I DO'The eccentric US President began his lengthy post by announcing that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had secured a "wonderful" treaty between Rwanda and Congo that would halt the war characterised by "violent bloodshed and death"."Representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign documents. This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!" Trump by the US and Qatar, Rwanda and Congo agreed to a truce to end decades of conflict that killed thousands of people in the region and displaced hundreds of thousands of InMust Watch
NDTV
18-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
As Donald Trump Hosts Pak Army Chief For Lunch, What The White House Said
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for a special luncheon at the White House on Wednesday. The meeting comes at a time when Israel is intensifying its military strikes on Iran, with whom Pakistan shares a nearly 1,000-kilometre border. The United States, which backs Israel's actions may also join them in ensuring they put an end to Tehran's nuclear ambitions. THE IRAN FACTOR History and geography have once again led Washington to Islamabad, and more importantly, Rawalpindi's doorstep. Two US aircraft carriers - the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Harry S Truman - are stationed in the Arabian Sea, and a fleet of B-2 Stealth bombers are lined-up at the US' Indian Ocean air force base in Diego Garcia - all awaiting orders from their Commander-and-Chief - President Trump. Speaking about the US making a military move on Iran hours before meeting Pakistan's army chief, President Trump said at a White House press briefing that "I may do it, I may not do it - nobody knows what I'm going to do." But any prolonged efforts against Iran, would mean the United States would need a land access to the enemy country - something Pakistan can provide. PAK ARMY CHIEF WANTS 'NOBEL PRIZE FOR TRUMP' Meanwhile, a statement issued by the White House Deputy Press Secretary, Anna Kelly, mentioned that the reason President Trump is meeting Pakistan's army chief is because the latter has called for a Nobel Prize to be given to the US President for averting a "nuclear war between India and Pakistan" last month. #WATCH | Pakistan Army Chief, Asim Munir, reaches The White House in Washington, DC to meet the US President Donald Trump. — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025 "President Trump will host Field Marshal Munir after he called for the President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan," Ms Kelly said in her statement. Shortly thereafter, Donald Trump said that he "loves Pakistan", but was quick to balance it by saying he thinks "Modi is fantastic" too. "Well, I stopped the war between Pakistan - I love Pakistan - I think Modi is a fantastic man, I spoke to him last night. We are going to make a trade deal with Modi of India... And I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man (possibly referring to Asim Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, Modi from the India side, and others. And they were going at it, they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped," Mr Trump claimed for the nth time -- a claim India and Prime Minister Modi have rejected each time the US President mentioned it, the latest being Wednesday morning. A BIT OF SELF-PROMOTION Both Donald Trump and Asim Munir have indulged in self-promotion in their own ways. While Trump has been promoting himself as a "peace-maker" and a "deal-broker" globally, be it the Russia-Ukraine war, or the Israel-Gaza conflict, or most recently, the military exchange between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pakistan-linked terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Asim Munir, on the other hand, who has been promoted to the topmost army rank of Field Marshal by Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif, has been promoting himself by meeting several Heads of States, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, and now the United States of America. These meetings between Heads of States are usually for civilian government leadership, not military generals, but Pakistan, which has a history of military coups and dictatorships, has broken this convention several times. PAK ARMY CHIEFS AND US PRESIDENTS - A BRIEF HISTORY In the past too, Pakistan's military dictators - Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf - have met US Presidents and dined with them. During General Zia-ul-Haq's regime, Pakistan became an ally of the United States to counter the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, while under Pervez Musharraf's regime, Pakistan aided the US' efforts in Afghanistan in America's "war against terror". This time the US has its eyes set on Iran - another neighbour of Pakistan, and the timing of President Trump's lunch with Pakistan's army chief is being watched keenly by China and the rest of Asia. China considers Iran an ally and has expressed its support to the Khamenei regime in recent times. Pakistan considers china an "unshakable" friend and an "all-weather ally". Islamabad also detests Israel, so much so, that it does not even recognize the country, and reports suggest that Pakistan has even threatened to "nuke Israel" if Israel plans to do so the Tehran. Wednesday's meeting between Donald Trump and Asim Munir is a closed-door discussion, the White House has said. It is unclear whether a statement from either country will be issued at the end of today's talks.
