Hiroshima students visit U.S. high school and speak to American students about atomic bombing
Mar. 26, 2010
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer, dispatched from Washington, D.C.
On March 23, three high school students of the "No Nuke Network: Students of Hiroshima Against Nuclear Weapons," who are appealing for the elimination of nuclear weapons while in the United States, visited a public high school in Washington, D.C. They conveyed the damage wrought by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to American students and spoke about the significance of peace.
Yuji Kanemori, 17, Tomoko Takamoto, 17, and Yuki Okada, 16, visited Roosevelt High School in the northern part of Washington, D.C. They held two sessions and showed photos of the casualties and the city in the aftermath of the atomic bombing on a computer screen to a total of 27 students aged between 15 and 18. They also explained the power of the bomb's thermal rays and the effects of radiation on the human body.
The Japanese students also introduced the story of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died of radiation-induced leukemia at the age of 12, ten years after the bombing. They called on the American students "to place yourselves or your friends in her position and imagine the situation" and "to convey what you have heard to your family and friends." The Japanese students and American students also folded paper cranes together.
The American students, leaning forward to peer at the computer screen, looked surprised and said they did not realize that the atomic bombing had caused such horrific consequences. Rica Spriggs, 15, said that she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the Japanese students, in appealing for nuclear abolition in the United States, and that she also wanted to take action for peace.
(Originally published on March 25, 2010)
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High school students from Hiroshima learn about current state of U.S. ratification of CTBT (March 25, 2010)
High school students depart for the U.S. to appeal for nuclear abolition to American youth (March 23, 2010)
On March 23, three high school students of the "No Nuke Network: Students of Hiroshima Against Nuclear Weapons," who are appealing for the elimination of nuclear weapons while in the United States, visited a public high school in Washington, D.C. They conveyed the damage wrought by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to American students and spoke about the significance of peace.
Yuji Kanemori, 17, Tomoko Takamoto, 17, and Yuki Okada, 16, visited Roosevelt High School in the northern part of Washington, D.C. They held two sessions and showed photos of the casualties and the city in the aftermath of the atomic bombing on a computer screen to a total of 27 students aged between 15 and 18. They also explained the power of the bomb's thermal rays and the effects of radiation on the human body.
The Japanese students also introduced the story of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died of radiation-induced leukemia at the age of 12, ten years after the bombing. They called on the American students "to place yourselves or your friends in her position and imagine the situation" and "to convey what you have heard to your family and friends." The Japanese students and American students also folded paper cranes together.
The American students, leaning forward to peer at the computer screen, looked surprised and said they did not realize that the atomic bombing had caused such horrific consequences. Rica Spriggs, 15, said that she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the Japanese students, in appealing for nuclear abolition in the United States, and that she also wanted to take action for peace.
(Originally published on March 25, 2010)
Related articles
High school students from Hiroshima learn about current state of U.S. ratification of CTBT (March 25, 2010)
High school students depart for the U.S. to appeal for nuclear abolition to American youth (March 23, 2010)
