
My Newest Article: A-bomb survivor receives Citizen of the Year award for guiding 300,000 visitors
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240301/p2a/00m/0na/013000c
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My Story
Q:What was the original dome used for?
· It was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which opened in August 1915 to display and sell local products and to hold various exhibitions. It was like a department store. As the building was designed by a Czech architect, it was a unique European style building and very popular among citizens.
· Products sold there included oysters, agricultural products, and woodworks, such as furniture (chest), kitchenware (tray) and musical instruments (koto).
· During the war, it was used by governmental organizations. It is said there were about 30 persons working in the building that morning, and all of them perished.
Q:Why did Japan start the war?
• Japanese expansion in East Asia began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria. Seeking to curb Japanese aggression and force a withdrawal of Japanese forces from China and Indonesia, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Japan. Japan was desperate for natural resources, especially for oil and metal. In 1941, US demanded the withdrawal of Japanes troops from Manchuria.
• Southeast Asia then was controlled by various western nations (U.S.: Philippines, U.K.: India/Myanmar, France: Viet Nam/Laos/Cambodia, Netherlands: Indonesia, Portugal: East Timor). Japan said the war was to release those Asian countries from western control. But, the truth was Japan intended to get natural resources from the area.
Q:What do you think of Pearl Harbor attack?
· I believe, without the Pearl Harbor attack, the pacific war should have begun sooner or later. Conflict between Japan and the U.S. was so intense.
· Hiroshima and Honolulu, where the Pearl Harbor is, became sister cities in 1959 to cooperate for the world peace. It was a symbolic event of reconciliation between citizens of the two nations.
New American:
Pearl Harbor: Hawaii Was Surprised; FDR Was Not, Written by James Perloff
"Comprehensive research has shown not only that Washington knew in advance of the attack, but that it deliberately withheld its foreknowledge from our commanders in Hawaii in the hope that the "surprise" attack would catapult the U.S. into World War II."
Q:Were Japanese people against the war?
· People were taught and believed it was the right war for Japan to help Asian countries. American and British were very brutal and Asian people were badly suffering.
· Japanese government and the military authorities controlled civilians very tight. If a person openly opposed against the war, the person was called “a traitor” and arrested.
Q:Why was the atomic bomb dropped on Japan?
As General Dwight Eisenhower said, Japan was at that very moment seeking some way to surrender with minimum loss of face, and ‘it wasn’t necessary to hit them with that awful thing.’ So if Japan was ready to surrender, why were atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? A significant factor in the decision to bomb was the US’s desire to establish its dominance in the region after the war. Those planning for the post-war situation believed that this required US occupation of Japan, enabling it to establish a permanent military presence, shape its political and economic system and dominate the Pacific region without fear of Japanese resurgence.
Full text https://cnduk.org/why-the-atom-bomb-was-dropped-on-japan-2/
Q:Was there any warnings of the A-bombing?
· No, there were only general warnings which said, if Japan did not surrender immediately, you would get more intense air raids.
· American military authorities had decided not to give a specific warning in advance. Because they thought, if a specific warning was issued, Japanese forces might prepare to intercept American bombers, evacuate from the target area, or bring American POWs there.
Q:Was the use of nuclear weapons illegal?
· There was no international law which explicitly said it was illegal to use nuclear weapons. But, a wartime international law adopted in the 1889 Hague Peace Conference prohibits from use of weapons which inflict unnecessary agony on persons.
· In July 1996, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) (in Hague, Netherlands) formed a judgment that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be a violation of international law applicable to armed conflict.
[ At the time of bombing ]
Q:Why wasn’t the warning issued?
· At the last stage of the Pacific war, American bombers frequently came over Japan in a big formation. Planes flying in a small number were sometimes overlooked.
· Japan’s bomber watch system was tricked by a tactic of the U.S. forces. One hour before the A-bomb attack, a plane flew over Hiroshima from west to east. Analyzing radio communication of the plane, it was thought that the plane was to check weather for a bombing and bombers would follow the plane. As bombers always had come on the same direction as a weather-scouting plane, a watch system in the area focused on west. But, the bomber carrying the A-bomb (Enola Gay) came from east. When the system found Enola Gay, it was too late. The A-bomb exploded before a warning was issued.
Q:Why did they use the two different types of atomic bombs?
· They had no confidence to develop an atomic bomb in time, so they attempted two ways. Finally, they had succeeded in both ways. They made one uranium bomb and two plutonium bombs. As the mechanism of a plutonium bomb is complicated, they needed a test to see if it works. One plutonium bomb was used for a test, and others were used to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Q:Why did the U.S. military make the atomic bomb explode in the air?
· It was intentional. The U.S. military thought, because the bomb had immense power, violent blast would reach further when it detonated high up in the air. The bomb exploded at 600m above the ground, and created such devastation as intended. It’s said, if the bomb detonated on the ground, a big hole of 300m diameter and 50-150m depth would have been created.
· Power of Hiroshima bomb was 16Kton (TNT equivalent), and Nagasaki bomb was 21Kton. Nagasaki bomb was 1.3 times more powerful than Hiroshima one.
· In Nagasaki, the bomb exploded at the point over 3km off the target. As it was less populated area, the number of casualties was much less than in Hiroshima.
[ after the bombing ]
Q:Did Japanese people know that the bombs were atomic bombs soon after the bombing?
· No. On the next day, Imperial Headquarters merely announced that Hiroshima was somewhat damaged by a new type bomb. But they didn’t mention it was an atomic bomb until after the war.
· Just after the war, Japan was occupied by the allied powers. Occupation forces were afraid that, if devastating damages caused by the A-bomb became widely known in Japan, people might have ill feeling against American. It might disturb their occupation operations and drive Japan to Soviet Union group. So, they imposed a press code which prohibited reporting about the A-bombing.
Q:How long did the press code last?
· It was in effect until the peace treaty between Japan and the U.S. became effective in Apr., 1952.
· During May 1946 and Nov. 1948, Tokyo military court was held by the allied powers. Over 20 Japanese leaders were found guilty of causing the war. And, it was considered Americans were not to be blamed for the result of the war. In that situation, application of the press code was getting eased.
Q:What kind of symptoms did the victims develop?
· Symptoms of acute disorder include high fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting blood, exhaustion, hair loss and so on.
· People including doctors didn’t know about radiation disease, so patients were diagnosed as dysentery and isolated in closed areas.
Q:How long did residual radiation stay?
· Residual radiation did not stay long in Hiroshima, unlike other radiation contaminated areas such as Marshall Islands, Chernobyl and Gulf War area. It became negligible within 2 weeks or a month.
· The Japanese Government certifies a person as an A-bomb survivor, in case the person entered an area within 2km of the hypocenter in two weeks after the explosion. It means residual radiation became negligible after 2 weeks from the bombing.
· Residual radiation includes induced radiation and radioactive fallout. Induced radiation which was created in soil and buildings by collision of neutrons became negligible in 100 hours. Radioactivity of fallout was very weak, but when it entered human body through mouth or nose, it would give serious damages.
Q:Can you detect radiation now?
· Yes, though it’s in a very special case. Several years ago, a scientist detected radiation from marks of black rain, which is exhibited in the radiation corner of this museum. He had to use advanced equipment of super high precision, because radiation level is very low. It’s impossible to detect the A-bomb’s residual radiation in ordinary circumstance.
Q:Why didn’t residual radiation stayed long in Hiroshima?
· There are three major reasons. Radiation emitted from the Hiroshima A-bomb was much less, comparing H-bomb tests or the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. Secondly, the bomb exploded high up in the sky, and heated air went up to create a huge mushroom cloud. Radioactive dust spread over the cloud, and density of radioactive fallout became very light. Thirdly, a big typhoon(#) attacked Hiroshima a month later, and washed radioactive materials away.
(#) The Makurazaki Typhoon which attacked Japan on Sept. 17-18. Hiroshima heavily suffered. Over 3,700 persons were killed or missing. It was one of the three biggest typhoons in the Showa era with Muroto (1934.9) and Isewan (1959.9) Typhoons.
Q:Did the survivors get enough support?
· No. Because of the press code, which had been enforced by the allied forces and was effective until 1952, tragic suffering in Hiroshima was not officially discussed in Japan and survivors didn’t get special support for long.
· A law for medical support was enacted in 1957, and a law for living benefit in 1968. It was over two decades after the bombing.
Q:Did the U.S. compensate for the war damage?
· The U.S. didn’t compensate for the war damage at all, including A-bomb damages. According to the judgment of Tokyo Court, it was considered Japan’s leaders were fully responsible for causing the devastating damage.
· The U.S. helped a lot Japan for its reconstruction. They thought, as Japan was desperate for aid for restoration, if the U.S. didn’t give hands, Japan might go to the Soviet Union for help.
Q:What was the life at wartime POW camps ?
Nationalities included Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Foreign nationals who were living in Japan were also interned as enemy aliens, and there were 52 camps for such individuals, including those that existed for a short period.
When it was closed, there were 44 male internees: 22 Britons, 13 Canadians, six Americans and three Greeks.
The diet for internees worsened from around 1944 and the daily meal consisted of only a bowl of rice and watery soup.
Even if they became sick, internees were unable to see a doctor. Five internees, or 10 percent of the total, died from illnesses and other causes.
It has been confirmed that there were about 1,800 foreign nationals of more than 30 nationalities when the war ended.
· In the Tokyo Court held after the war, over 20 Japanese leaders were found guilty of a “crime against peace” or a “crime against humanity”, and sentenced to death or to life. In total, 5,700 Japanese were brought into military courts, and 1,000 of them were killed.
· The U.S. allowed the Emperor stay in the position as a symbol of Japan, for the people of Japan were desperate to keep the Emperor.
Q:Did Japan compensate the countries?
· Japan formally compensated 4 countries (Philippines, South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). Many other countries gave up their claim rights. In return, Japan offered free fund supplies to most of those countries. The compensations had been officially settled by 1977 to all suffered countries except North Korea.
· Japan’s compensations were not paid to individuals, but they were used for social infrastructures, such as building dams and ironworks.
[ today]
Q:Is there any radiation effect on second generation?
· An official statement from the Japanese government says there is no radiation effect on the second generation.
· By the request of the second generation, a large scale study has just started. It may take some time to conclude the study.
Q:Do the survivors hate Americans?
· That may depend on individuals. I believe most survivors don’t have grudges against the U.S. no more. They think it was a war and a nuclear weapon that caused such suffering, and wish to hand over a world free of war and nuclear weapon to their descendant. They think grudges create only a chain of retaliations.
According to a research done by NHK in 2015, only 23 % of the survivors have grudge against
the U.S. , but they seldom express their feelings.
· Survivors are now strongly blaming the U.S. for they are not aggressive to give up nuclear weapons. That is their obligation agreed upon in the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty). The U.S. is still conducting nuclear tests and developing a new type of nuclear weapons.
Q:Do Japan have nuclear weapons?
· No. Japan has the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which are no production, no possession and no introduction of nuclear weapons.
· According to the Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Treaty, the U.S. must consult the Japanese government before bringing any nuclear weapons into Japan. Japanese government says U.S. battleships visiting Japan’s port are not equipped with nuclear weapons because they don’t tell they have ones.
Q:Do you think that a nuclear deterrent works?
· No. As nuclear technology is advancing, nuclear weapons will become smaller and handier. When terrorist groups get those weapons, a nuclear deterrent won’t work.
THE MYTH OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
Q:Did any American presidents visit the museum?
· On May 27, 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he called for a "world without nuclear weapons" during his remarks at the city's Peace Memorial Park.
Critical views of President Obama’s speech in Hiroshima
Transcript of President Obama’s speech
· In May 1984, Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the U.S. visited Hiroshima after leaving of office.
Sixty-four
years after America dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, American
voters say 61 – 22 percent, with 16 percent undecided, that it was the right
thing to do, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Weaker
support for President Harry Truman’s decision is 49 – 29 percent among
Democrats, 51 – 27 percent among women, and 50 – 32 percent among voters 18 –
34 years old, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.
Voters
over 55 years old approve 73 – 13 percent, while voters 35 to 54 approve 60 –
23 percent.
Strongest
support is 74 – 13 percent among Republicans and 72 – 17 percent among men.
While
Protestants, Catholics and evangelical Christians all support the bombing by
about 70 -15 percent, while Jews support it 58 – 26 percent.
The whole text:http://y-sonoda.asablo.jp/blog/imgview/2009/08/06/b6bd6.jpg.html
Pew Research Center survey (April 7, 2015)
One event during WWII – the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 – has long divided Americans and Japanese. Americans, in surveys with similar wording, have consistently approved of this first and only use of nuclear weapons in war and have thought it was justified. The Japanese have not.
In 1945, a Gallup poll immediately after the bombing found that 85% of Americans approved of using the new atomic weapon on Japanese cities. In 1991, according to a Detroit Free Press survey conducted in both Japan and the U.S., 63% of Americans voiced the view that the atomic bomb attacks on Japan were a justified means of ending the war; only 29% thought the action was unjustified. At the same time, only 29% of Japanese said the atom bombing was justified, while 64% thought it was unwarranted.
In the current Pew Research Center survey, 56% of Americans still believe the use of nuclear weapons was justified; 34% say it was not In Japan, only 14% say the bombing was justified, versus 79% who say it was not.
Not surprisingly, there is a large generation gap among Americans in attitudes toward the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Seven-in-ten (70%) Americans 65 years of age and older say the use of atomic weapons was justified, but only 47% of 18- to 29-year-olds agree. There is a similar partisan divide: 74% of Republicans but only 52% of Democrats see the use of nuclear weapons at the end of WWII as warranted. Men (62%) more than women (50%), and whites (65%) more than non-whites (40%), including Hispanics, say dropping the atomic bombs was justified.
Before the bomb was used, U.S. intelligence
officials believed the war would likely end when two things happened: When the
Soviet army attacked Japan and when the U.S. let Japan know their Emperor could
stay on as a figurehead.
The Soviet Union officially declares war on Japan as agreed in
Yalta Conference, on August 9, pouring more than 1 million Soviet soldiers into
Japanese-occupied Manchuria, northeastern China, northern Korea, Karafuto, and
the Chishima Islands. The rapid defeat of Japan's Kwantung Army helped in the
Japanese surrender.
The U.S. told Japan the Emperor could remain on August 12. "The ultimate form of government of Japan shall, in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration, be established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people.”
Japan surrendered on
August 14.
According
to a document submitted by the city of Hiroshima to the United Nations in 1976
entitled “For the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and the Reduction of All Armed
Forces and All Armaments,” an estimated 140,000 (±10,000) people died as a
result of the A-bomb between August 6, 1945, and the end of December.
Not
only Japanese but approximately 20,000 Koreans, 12 American POWs and 8 Asian
students studying at Hiroshima University died.
After
that, many survivors died of cancer or some other diseases, but it is very difficult to prove the
relation between their diseases and radiation, and moreover, even now lots of survivors
are not acknowledged as survivors and can’t get “survivor’s health book.”
The
ABCC was set up in November 1946 by the U.S. National Academy of Science to
conduct investigations into the effects of radiation among hibakusha in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and from March 1947, it opened an office within the Red
Cross Hospital in Hiroshima. Initially it was funded solely by the Atomic
Energy Commission, but later the U.S. Public Health Department, the National
Cancer Research Institute as well as the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute co-funded it.
In November 1950, the ABCC research complex, equipped
with various types of the most sophisticated medical instruments, was built on
top of the hill at Hijiyama, about 2 kilometers from the city center. It was
devoted to collecting a wide range of data regarding the effects of radiation on
human bodies, but it provided no medical care to hibakusha. The findings of its
scientific research and studies were intended to be utilized to estimate the
casualties of future nuclear wars. To achieve this goal, the ABCC conducted
medical examinations of many hibakusha, who were brought to the attention of
the ABCC by local medical doctors and hospitals. It also asked the relatives of
the deceased hibakusha to donate their bodies for autopsies. As hibakusha were
always suspicious about the purpose of the ABCC’s investigation and did not
trust its staff, the ABCC had to lure the people by providing pecuniary benefit.
ABCC
dissected 7,500 dead victims’ bodies and sent their organs to the United
States. After being examined, some of them were given to Hiroshima University
28 years later.
In 1975, Japan and the United States agreed to share
equally the operation and management of the facility. The commission was
reorganized and renamed the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF).
There are some who don't want to have this certificate, for they are afraid of being discriminated against because they are survivors. This was especially true when the survivors were still single, because it was very difficult for survivors to get married.
The Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Law defines hibakusha (Atomic Bomb survivors) as people who fall into one of the four classes. Hibakusha are entitled to government support.
First class: These people were within 4 or 5 km of the hypocenter when the bomb exploded. (63,337 survivors)
Second class: These people entered the area within 2 km and within two weeks. (19,990 survivors).
Third class: These people treated or cremated many victims. (16,984 survivors).
Fourth class: These people were exposed to radiation in utero. (6,514survivors)
The A-bomb affected fetuses in utero. Some were stillborn, and children who were born without obvious problems had a higher death rate, even after weaning. Some survivors who had been exposed in utero close to the hypocenter and early in the pregnancy were born with abnormally small heads. Levels of mental retardation that make its victims unable to manage everyday life without assistance often accompany this condition, called microcephaly. Today there are 14 survivors suffering from microcephaly.
If a survivor can prove that his disease is because of the radiation, he can get a special allowance. But even now, only five percent of the survivors receive it, because the official standards for receiving it are too strict.
Of course, second-generation survivors cannot get the certificates.
The effects of the bomb continue to be present more than 68 years after it was dropped. For example, new types of cancers are now being found mainly among the survivors who were close to the hypocenter, possibly because of damaged genes. Two or three of these original cancers develop from different organs, which are called multiple cancers.
The Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition
Hall was constructed in 1915 as a base for promoting the sale of goods produced
in Hiroshima Prefecture. The building designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel
was highly regarded for its imposing, European-style design. Its name changed
to Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall and then to Hiroshima
Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. Intensification of the war led the
government to discontinue commercial uses of the Industrial Promotion Hall in
March 1944. Instead, it housed the branch office of the Chugoku Shikoku Public
Works Office of the Internal Affairs Agency and the offices of the Hiroshima
District Lumber and Japan Lumber Control Corporation.
When the atomic bomb exploded, it ravaged the
building instantly. Heat blazing from above consumed the entire building,
killing everyone in it. Because the blast attacked the building from virtually
straight overhead, some walls escaped total collapse. Along with the wire
framework of the dome, these form the shape that has become a symbol. At some
point it became known as the "A-bomb Dome."
In 1966, Hiroshima City determined to preserve the
A-bomb Dome indefinitely and solicited funds from within Japan and overseas. To
date, the A-bomb Dome has undergone three preservation projects.
As a historical witness that conveys the disaster
of the first atomic bombing in history, and as a symbol of the vow to pursue
the abolition of nuclear weapons and enduring peace, in December 1996 the
A-bomb Dome was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List based on the
Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
With the creation of a new “mini-nuke” warhead, the US is making nuclear war all the more probable.
By James Carroll FEBRUARY 12, 2019
Last month, the National Nuclear Security Administration (formerly the Atomic Energy Commission) announced that the first of a new generation of strategic nuclear weapons had rolled off the assembly line at its Pantex nuclear-weapons plant in the panhandle of Texas. That warhead, the W76-2, is designed to be fitted to a submarine-launched Trident missile, a weapon with a range of more than 7,500 miles. By September, an undisclosed number of warheads will be delivered to the Navy for deployment.
What makes this particular nuke new is the fact that it carries a far smaller destructive payload than the thermonuclear monsters the Trident has been hosting for decades—not the equivalent of about 100 kilotons of TNT as previously, but of five kilotons. According to Stephen Young of the Union of Concerned Scientists, the W76-2 will yield “only” about one-third of the devastating power of the weapon that the Enola Gay, an American B-29 bomber, dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Yet that very shrinkage of the power to devastate is precisely what makes this nuclear weapon potentially the most dangerous ever manufactured. Fulfilling the Trump administration’s quest for nuclear-war-fighting “flexibility,” it isn’t designed as a deterrent against another country launching its nukes; it’s designed to be used. This is the weapon that could make the previously “unthinkable” thinkable.
The
A-bomb exploded directly over the Shima Clinic, which was 160m from the A-bomb
Dome. In the center of the building was a stairwell. The shape
of the tower is cylindrical. The pressure from the blast was distributed
equally, due to its cylindrical shape. Parts of the concrete
and brick outer walls remained intact. It is estimated that approximately 30
workers inside the building were killed instantly.
Monument of the
Hiroshima Lumber Control Corporation
On the front of this monument, the words “Rest in Peace” are
carved, and on the back “During World War Ⅱ、the Hiroshima Lumber Control
Corporation of Japan, had itsmain office with 260 employees in this building.
However, at 8:15 on August 6, 1945, with the explosion of the atomic bomb over
one hundred employees were killed as they went about their duties. When he
decision was made to preserve these ruins, the surviving employees gathered at
the suggestion of Koich Tanka who was then the preseident. This monument is
dedicated to our dead fellow-workers, parying for the repose of their souls and
fro a lasting world peace. It is also dedicated to those who died from the
Japan Lumber Control Corporation, Hiroshima Branch, and Hirohsima Shipping
Lumber Corparation.
August 6, 1967.
The surviving staff of the Hiroshima District Lumber Control Corporation.”
Monument to Those Who Died from the Chugoku Shikoku Public Office
At the time of the explosion, this branch office occupied a room
in the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (the A-bomb Dome) and
was hit directly by the dome. Of
93 staffers of the branch office who were relocated to the rented entire third
floor and part of the first floor of Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion
52 were killed on duty and 9 were injured, excepting those who evacuated to the
official residence in Ushida-cho and other facilities.
Epigraph
Poem Monument: "The loss of
those sacrificed by the A-bombing is the foundation of a peaceful world"
Back of the monument: "52 former staffers of the Chugoku & Shikoku Civil Engineering Branch Office of the Interior Ministry, while on duty as members of the National Militia Unit, became the foundation of peace as a result of the A-bombing and war damage on August 6, 1945, and now rest in the earth. August 6, 1954. Built by staffers of Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Construction Chugoku & Shikoku Regions."
Matsushige
was born in Kure, Hiroshima in 1913. He took a job in a newspaper after
finishing school and in 1943 entered the photography section of the newspaper
Chugoku Shimbun.
Matsushige
was at home 2.7 km south of the hypocentre at the time of the explosion. He was
not seriously injured, and determined to go to the city centre. A fire forced
him back to Miyuki bridge. As a press photographer,
he tried to take photos of the terrible state of Miyuki Bridge, but faced with
the hellish scenes in front of him, he could not make himself press the
shutter. After struggling in that spot for over thirty minutes, he finally
steeled himself and pressed the shutter, but later worried that the dead and
injured victims might have thought he was merciless, because he was taking
photos instead of trying to help them.
He
tried again later that day but was too nauseated to take more than three more
frames. The first two frames are of people who escaped serious injury next to
Miyuki bridge; the second of these was taken closer up and shows them having
cooking oil applied to their burns. A third shows a policeman, his head
bandaged, issuing certificates to civilians. The last pair were taken close to
home: one of the damage to his family's barbershop, and another out of his
window.
Five pictures are here http://maxmccoy.com/1945.htm
His testimony is on this website
Testimony of Yoshito Matsushige
Her story is on this website.
"Hellish scene at Miyuki Bridge"(The Chugoku Shimbun Jun. 27, 2010 )
Today, almost seven
decades after the atomic bomb, Hiroshima is a green and vibrant modern city.
Many of the trees that were planted in the city after the war were gifts from
overseas donors and donors from other parts of Japan. However, about 170 trees
that are still standing today were actually around the vicinity when the bomb exploded.
Though broken and badly charred, they survived and soon were healthy again.
Located in the
Hanover Garden near the city's planetarium (Hiroshima Children's Museum).
Gokoku Shrine, the Hiroshima First Army Hospital and the Western Drill Ground
of the Army were around here at the time of the atomic bombing. Some of the
many willow trees around here survived.
Located at
Hiroshima Castle's Honmaru (main compound). It is said that there are three
A-bombed kurogane hollies here. These trees were in
front of the building used as the Imperial Headquarters during the
Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). The building was completely destroyed by the
atomic bomb. Today, only its foundations remain.
During the Gulf War in 1991, US and UK forces used a new weapon against Iraq. This new weapon, the depleted uranium (DU) projectile, is radioactive. Unlike atomic or hydrogen bombs, it involves no nuclear fusion or fission, but nine years after the end of the war, adverse health effects from DU exposure continue to manifest among military personnel and civilians in Iraq where the fighting took place, and among US and British veterans and their families. As I traveled through the US, UK, and Iraq to cover this story, I was confronted at every turn by the sad and frightening spectre of "discounted casualties,"- people exposed to depleted uranium and other toxic substances, and now tormented by leukemia and a whole array of chronic disorders. (Akira Tashiro, senior staff writer,The Chogoku Shinbun) The whole text:http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/abom/uran/index_e.html |
Japanese leaders
should have decided to surrender much earlier.
On
March 10, 1945, a 2-hour air raid on Tokyo killed about 100,000.
It was the single most
destructive bombing raid in history.
The battle of Okinawa (early April – June 23, 1945) killed about 200,000.
Japan lost over 100,000 soldiers, and the Allies suffered
more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds.
A quarter of the local civilians were killed, or
committed suicide.
About 2,100,000 Japanese soldiers died and 60% of them starved to
death.
About 3,100,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians died and 65% of them
died in the last one year of the war.
The
Instructions for the Battlefield, which were given by the military concerning
the mental attitude of a soldier, said, “Never live to experience shame as a prisoner.”(=
Commit suicide before becoming a captive.)
The
Instructions for the Battlefield (戦陣訓 Senjinkun) was a pocket-sized military code issued to soldiers in the
Imperial Japanese forces on 8 January 1941 in the name of then War Minister
Hideki Tojo. It was in use at the outbreak of the Pacific War.
The Senjinkun
was regarded as a supplement to the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors,
which was already required reading for the Japanese military. It listed a
number of exhortations regarding military regulations, combat readiness, esprit
de corps, filial piety, veneration of Shinto kami, and Japan's kokutai. The
code specifically forbade retreat or surrender. The quote "Never live to
experience shame as a prisoner." was repeatedly cited as the cause of
numerous suicides committed by soldiers and civilians.
Japanese
soldiers were instructed to “show
mercy to those who surrender”.
This was written in response to prior misconduct on the battlefield.
Towards the
end of the war, copies of the Senjinkun were also distributed to the civilian
population of Japan as part of the preparation for Operation Downfall, the
expected invasion of the Japanese home islands by Allied forces.
Every year on August 6, the City of Hiroshima holds a Peace Memorial Ceremony to pray for the peaceful repose of the victims, for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and for lasting world peace. During that ceremony, the Mayor issues a Peace Declaration directed toward the world at large. As long as the need persists, Hiroshima's mayor will continue to issue these declarations calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. This is part of Hiroshima's effort to build a world of genuine and lasting world peace where no population will ever again experience the cruel devastation suffered by Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Peace Declaration (2024)
Citizens of the world, what do you think? Are more powerful nuclear forces necessary for national security? What about arms races, competing to maintain superiority over other nations? Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine and the worsening situation between Israel and Palestine are claiming the lives of countless innocent people, shattering normal life. It seems to me that these global tragedies are deepening distrust and fear among nations, reinforcing the public assumption that, to solve international problems, we have to rely on military force, which we should be rejecting. Given such circumstances, how can nations offer safety and security to their people? Is that not impossible?
Through the pillars under the Peace Memorial Museum, we can see the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. Anyone praying at the Cenotaph can look straight through it to the Atomic Bomb Dome. Peace Memorial Park, with these structures on its north-south axis, was built in accordance with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, enacted seventy-five years ago today. Built by the people of Hiroshima and many other seekers of peace, it has become a place to memorialize the victims and to think, talk, and make promises to each other about peace.
MATSUI Kazumi Mayor
The City of Hiroshima
Nagasaki Peace Declaration
People making atomic bombs!
Rest from your work for a while and close your eyes.
It was on August 9, 1945!
An atomic bomb that you had made
Claimed tens of thousands of precious lives and
Brought houses and assets to naught in a flash,
Completely devastating loving families.
Survivors had to
Recover from scratch
To follow a tough, long road to bloody lives
With deep concern that an “atomic bomb disease” would end their lives any day and Infinite grievance over the loss of their families and relatives
Haunting them forever.
This is a quote from a poem by Ms. Fukuda Sumako, a poet from Nagasaki who was exposed to the atomic bombing at 23 and devoted the rest of her life to making people aware of the misery brought by the atomic bomb while combatting atomic bomb disease.
Since that day, hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, have lived with deep sorrow over the loss of their family members and friends, scars left on their body, the serious effect of radiation spoiling cells and causing various symptoms even after many years, and the hardships of discrimination and life due to being hibakusha. Their immense pain and suffering caused by the atomic bombing were not just of an immediate kind. Instead, hibakusha have experienced them throughout their lifetime. Nevertheless, hibakusha have continued to share their experience of surviving severe hardships with strong determination to ensure that no one in the world will again have the same experience as theirs.
For 79 years since the atomic bombing, we humans have conformed to the humanitarian norm of never using a nuclear weapon again. However, nuclear armament is accelerating, as seen by progress in the development and deployment of nuclear weapons in anticipation of their actual use on the battlefield.
Amid uncertainty about when the Russian invasion of Ukraine will come to an end and growing concern about the expansion of armed conflicts in the Middle East, we are currently facing a critical situation with the increased likelihood of the disappearance of the important norm that we have conformed to thus far.
That poem by Ms. Fukuda ends with the following call:
People making atomic bombs!
It is time for you to
Discard everything in your hands without hesitation. This will be the first step toward genuine peace and Our resuscitation as humans.
Leaders of the nuclear states and states under the nuclear umbrella, you must face up to the reality that the very existence of nuclear weapons has posed an increasing threat to humankind, and you must make a brave shift toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. To achieve this, please visit the atomic-bombed cities and listen carefully and conscientiously, as an individual, to hibakusha sharing their pain and thoughts. We also call for your dialogue and diplomatic efforts to explore a path
toward peaceful solutions, no matter how difficult the path is, instead of choosing a path toward arms expansion or threats of force.
The government of Japan, the only state attacked by atomic bombs in war, must express a serious attitude of pursuing a world without nuclear weapons. As a step toward this, we call for the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as soon as possible. We also call for the Japanese government to firmly uphold the principle of peace embodied in the Constitution of Japan and to demonstrate its leadership in international efforts to ease the heightened tension in Northeast Asia and advance disarmament in the region, such as the Northeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone initiative.
Moreover, we strongly request that further enhanced aid be given to hibakusha, whose average age exceeds 85, and that relief measures be adopted as soon as possible for those who were exposed to the atomic bombings but have not yet been officially recognized as hibakusha.
Everyone in the world, we are “global citizens” who live in the huge community of Earth.
Imagine what would happen if a conflict like those found in the current world escalated to bring about a nuclear war. It would have a devastating impact not only on the lives of people but also on the global environment, imposing a grave threat to the existence of humankind.
That is why the abolition of nuclear weapons is an absolute requirement for the survival of humankind, which can be viewed as a prerequisite for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) striven for by the international community.
Nagasaki has recently seen increasing vigor of long-term efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons, mainly among younger generations. In May of this year, a peace-focused forum supported by One Young World, a global community for young leaders that is dubbed as the “junior Davos,” was held in Nagasaki for the first time.
Circles of younger generations around the world working together as leaders have expanded to various regions. They are the light of our hope of building a sustainable and peaceful future.
People making peace!
Even if each of you has only a little power, you are never powerless.
If we as global citizens speak up and work together, we will surely overcome the current difficult situation. If we share our wisdom with each other and partner with each other irrespective of any difference in nationality, religion, race, gender, or generation, we will surely fulfill our future vision. Nagasaki firmly believes so.
I would like to express my deepest condolences for the lives claimed by the atomic bombings. Nagasaki will disseminate throughout the world a culture of peace, that is, a culture of respecting others, fostering mutual trust, and striving for solutions through dialogue in collaboration with global citizens who hope to contribute to peace making. I hereby declare that Nagasaki will continue its tireless efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and realize permanent world peace so that Nagasaki remains the last place to suffer an atomic bombing.
SUZUKI Shiro Mayor of Nagasaki August 9, 2024
In 2010, world military expenditures exceeded some $1.5 trillion. The need for a culture of peace and for significant arms reduction worldwide has never been greater. And this applies to all classes of weapons.
On the danger of nuclear weapons, Albert Einstein reportedly said: “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
But the human and material cost of conventional weapons is also extreme. Of at least 640 million licensed firearms worldwide, roughly two thirds are in the hands of civil society. The legal trade in small arms and weapons exceeds $4 billion a year. The illicit trade is estimated at $1 billion. And such conventional weapons as landmines take an toll on life and limb that continues for years after the conflicts that spawned them are finished. And yet, beyond the obvious effects of these weapons is their deeper cost — a cost that stems from misplaced priorities and an absence of vision.
The exact number of nuclear weapons in global arsenals is not known. With little exception, each of the nine countries with nuclear weapons guards these numbers as closely held national secrets. What is known, however, is that more than a decade and a half after the Cold War ended, the world's combined stockpile of nuclear warheads remain at unacceptably high levels.
The whole text: https://ploughshares.org/world-nuclear-stockpile-report
EXPOSURE-VICTIMS OF RADIATION SPEAK OUT was first published as a series in the Chugoku Shimbun (daily newspaper) beginning in May 1989 and continuing through May 1990. The series comprised 134 articles. The original Japanese, Sekai no Hibakusha, was published in book form in Japanese in 1991 by Kodansha Ltd. The English version in 1992 by Kodansha International. The translation was done by Kirsten Mclvor.
EXPOSURE-VICTIMS OF RADIATION SPEAK OUT