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Junior Writers Reporting

Peace Seeds: Teens in Hiroshima Sow Seeds of Peace (Part 26)

Part 26: Godzilla, nuclear weapons, and changing humanity’s future

The original “Godzilla” movie, released in 1954, features a giant monster known as Godzilla who wreaks havoc on Tokyo after being exposed to radiation from a hydrogen bomb test. This movie is not simply for entertainment; it also conveys an antiwar and antinuclear message.

The making of “Godzilla” was influenced by the “Bikini Incident” in which crew members of the Japanese tuna fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru (The Lucky Dragon No. 5) were exposed to the radioactive fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This incident occurred in the same year that the film was released. In the aftermath of the bomb test, catches of fish, including tuna, were found to be contaminated with radiation. This, and the fact that rain containing radioactive substances fell in Japan, made the public very anxious and resulted in the growth of the movement against atomic and hydrogen bombs.

Though 61 years have passed since the first screening of “Godzilla,” nuclear weapons are still a grim part of our world. The junior writers conducted interviews with people who have some connection to the “Godzilla” film. We also invented our own version of the Godzilla story.

Changing humanity’s future: A new Godzilla story

This story was written by Harumi Okada, 16, Shiori Niitani, 17, Mei Morimoto, 17, Chiaki Yamada, 16, Hisashi Iwata, 14, Shunichi Kamichoja, 15, Yoshiko Hirata, 14, Nanoka Masuda, 13, and Kotoori Kawagishi, 13. It is a work of fiction and is not intended to cause any offense to atomic bomb survivors.

1. Birth of the monster

A microorganism living in the earth is affected by a series of underground nuclear tests carried out by one country. This exposure to radiation turns the organism into a giant monster, Godzilla.

2. Nuclear power plants are attacked

Godzilla grows too big to live beneath the ground, emerging to attack nuclear power plants to feed on radioactive substances. Japan and South Korea become his favorite feeding ground because these countries have many nuclear power plants. As a result, radioactive contamination spreads across both Japan and South Korea.

3. Freezing Godzilla

After gobbling up radioactive substances at a number of nuclear power plants in Japan and South Korea, Godzilla moves on to other countries like North Korea, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia, to eat the nuclear substances contained in their nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. But people around the world work together and manage to freeze the monster in the Arctic Ocean.

4. Dawn of nuclear winter

Godzilla is frozen and can no longer move. However, the places where Godzilla has fed on nuclear material at nuclear power plants and nuclear arsenals have become contaminated with radiation. Nuclear winter is now dawning...

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there are 43 nuclear power plants in Japan (the third largest number in the world) and 24 in South Korea (the sixth largest), as of January 7, 2016, including suspended plants. Russia, the United States, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea are countries which possess nuclear weapons or are engaged in nuclear development efforts.

“Nuclear winter” is the projected effect of nuclear explosions on the earth’s climate, and includes a dramatic drop in temperature when a vast quantity of dust rises into the air from the fires sparked by the blasts, blocking the light of the sun. This hypothesis emerged in the 1980s.

The development of nuclear weapons by human beings led to the transformation of Godzilla. These same weapons could bring about damage to the entire world. We believe that critical thinking and action from the human species can change this future scenario.

Incident involving Daigo Fukuryu Maru occurred in same year as release of “Godzilla”

Kazuya Yasuda, 63, the curator of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall in Tokyo, told us, “The movie ‘Godzilla’ was produced in 1954, the same year that the incident with the Daigo Fukuryu Maru took place. I think the movie heightened people’s feelings against nuclear weapons when they saw it.”

“Godzilla” was screened for the first time that November after the Bikini Incident and its impact on the Daigo Fukuryu Maru. Back then, rain containing radioactive substances was falling in Japan as a result of frequent nuclear testing carried out by the United States and the Soviet Union. The effect on drinking water and agricultural products became a great source of concern. For the people of Japan, atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs were not a problem only experienced by others. Mr. Yasuda believes that one reason “Godzilla” became a big hit was due to the time and conditions.

After the Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposed to radioactive fallout, more than 32 million signatures were gathered by August of the following year to protest atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs. In addition, there was more understanding of the plight of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a result of a health survey. “This resulted in more assistance being offered to the survivors,” Mr. Yasuda said.

“In the past, there were some 70,000 nuclear weapons in the world,” he said, “but the number has declined to about 16,000 today. I think this outcome was produced by relentless appealing for nuclear abolition.” He stressed, however, that this lesser number of weapons is still awful, and that all of us must continue speaking out for the abolition of nuclear arms. In other words, nuclear weapons won’t be eliminated if only U.S. President Barack Obama advocates abolition, but nuclear disarmament can be advanced if, for instance, the American public strongly supports nuclear abolition, too.

“In order to eliminate these weapons, we have to try to eliminate war first,” Mr. Yasuda said. “And making their horror common knowledge is vital, too.” He added, “Ordinary citizens should make their voices heard, and their governments should do their best to address these concerns.” (Written by Mei Morimoto, 17, and Chiaki Yamada, 16)

Interview with Akira Takarada, star of the original “Godzilla” film

I emailed actor Akira Takarada, 81, who starred in the original “Godzilla” film, and asked his impressions of the movie. (Written by Hisashi Iwata, 14)

How did you feel about performing in “Godzilla” during the time of the Bikini Incident and the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, nine years after the atomic bombings and the end of the war?

During the war, I was living in Harbin, Manchuria (now part of northeastern China). I had a life-threatening experience there when the Soviet army invaded right after the war ended and I was shot in the abdomen. Because I went through the sorrow of the war in person, ‘Godzilla’ was not only a monster movie to me, but a work about the antiwar and antinuclear movement. Only the Japanese could have produced this film because we experienced the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the incident involving the Daigo Fukuryu Maru. At the time, 9.61 million people saw the movie.

What was the film’s main message?

The world’s superpowers were locked in a contest of nuclear arsenals. Because of this, there was great concern over environmental destruction and radiation damage. How should we deal with atomic and hydrogen bombs? This question was at the heart of the film 61 years ago, and even today, the issue is still unresolved. I think we have to take this situation more seriously.

What can we do to help change the current conditions involving nuclear weapons?

I’d like the Japanese Diet to screen the original “Godzilla” so that Diet members who don’t know much about the horrors of war and nuclear arms can watch it. I suggest showing the movie at schools and in governments in other nations, too, because it conveys a very important message that’s highly relevant even now. This could be one way forward.

Keywords: The Bikini Incident and the Daigo Fukuryu Maru
During the period when the United States was carrying out a series of hydrogen bomb tests, it performed six tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands from March 1 to May 14, 1954. These tests released nuclear fallout that affected many Japanese fishing boats in the area. The Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a tuna fishing boat, and its 23-man crew were exposed to the “ashes of death” from the hydrogen bomb test that took place on March 11, 1954. Six months later, Aikichi Kuboyama, the boat’s chief radio operator, died with the words, “I pray that I’m the last victim of atomic and hydrogen bombs.” He was 40 years old. When the fifth hydrogen bomb test was conducted on May 4, the rain that fell in many parts of Japan, including in Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Tokyo, was found to contain radioactive substances. Huge quantities of fish, like tuna, had to be disposed of because radiation levels exceeding the norm were detected. (Written by Mei Morimoto, 17)

Junior writers’ impressions

It was the first time I helped make the story for a movie. I thought it would be easy, but when I tried to think about what Godzilla would do, it was hard to imagine. I was glad that my suggestion to have a darker ending was adopted. (Yoshiko Hirata)

The most difficult part of this article was inventing a new story for Godzilla. In the original movie, Godzilla attacked human beings. But as we thought that Godzilla’s attack wouldn’t have happened if human beings hadn’t first used nuclear power, we sympathized with Godzilla so much that we came up with a new ending instead of simply destroying Godzilla. Given the damage caused by the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it’s clear that nuclear power can have a huge impact on living things. If nuclear tests are carried out repeatedly, I think Godzilla could become a monster in the real world. (Harumi Okada)

The members of our team were happy with the Godzilla theme we chose, but it was hard to create the article. The new Godzilla story, in particular, was a challenge. Thinking that the story should not only be entertaining but also make an antinuclear appeal, I came to feel that the only way to prevent Godzilla from appearing again would be to eliminate him. The future of the earth rides on what human beings choose to do. It’s time for us to seriously consider whether or not nuclear power should now be eliminated. (Shiori Niitani)

I’ve been serving as a junior writer for three months. Making a new Godzilla story for this article was the most difficult task for me. It was the first time I was involved in creating a detailed setting and developing a plot. We all shared our ideas and sometimes these ideas were used for the story and sometimes they weren’t. During that process, I wondered if we could really complete the story. When we finished it, I felt a strong sense of achievement. On the other hand, I found that I lack vocabulary and knowledge of kanji characters. I will make more efforts to address these challenges. (Nanoka Masuda)

I was able to learn about the deep connection between Godzilla and the hydrogen bomb. By linking Godzilla with the situation at the time of the incident involving the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, I could understand the horror of the hydrogen bomb and enhance my view of the antinuclear and antiwar movement. In order to prevent Godzilla from appearing again, I learned that movies can be a means of appealing for nuclear abolition. (Chiaki Yamada)

To write this article, I visited the Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall. Seeing that boat firsthand, I felt the horror of the hydrogen bomb and the bonds of solidarity among the people who have worked hard to preserve it. I thought that I have to learn more about atomic and hydrogen bombs, form my own opinions, and take action. In addition, I thought that not only the atomic bombings, but also the Bikini Incident and what happened to the Daigo Fukuryu Maru must be handed down from generation to generation. (Mei Morimoto)

I saw the original “Godzilla” film for the first time as we were working on this article. I lost track of time as I watched it. The oxygen destroyer, the weapon used to stop Godzilla in the movie, was interesting. I think the movie can appeal to many people. (Hisashi Iwata)

I hadn’t heard of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru before. Though I knew the name Godzilla, I didn’t know how the movie was created. I’m glad I was able to learn about these things. (Kotoori Kawagishi)

The junior writers shared their ideas and invented a new story for Godzilla. Because this was a difficult theme, our discussion came to a dead end at times. But we managed to achieve our aim. Like the story we made, it would be good if we could create a peaceful world that won’t produce another Godzilla. (Shunichi Kamichoja)

What is Peace Seeds?
Peace Seeds are the seeds of smiles which can be spread around the world by thinking about peace and the preciousness of life from various viewpoints. To fill this world with flowering smiles, 45 junior writers from the sixth grade of elementary school to the fifth year of high school, choose themes, gather information, and write articles.

(Originally published on January 28, 2016)

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