A-bomb survivors visiting New York for NPT confab receive strong support
May 10, 2010
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
Diverse groups of people have been supporting A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) visiting the United States while the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is being held. Members of Seikyo, a consumer cooperative, are accompanying survivors and helping them with transportation and meals during their stay in a city with which survivors are unfamiliar. Japanese nationals living in the United States have volunteered to be interpreters when hibakusha relate their A-bomb experiences.
On the morning of May 5, five members of Seikyo Hiroshima gathered at a New York hotel where the delegation of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organization (Hidankyo) are staying. On that day, they were to accompany Sumiko Nakamura, a 76-year-old resident of the city of Mihara, and other hibakusha from Hiroshima Prefecture, on a visit to a school.
They helped the survivors get in and out of taxis and carried their bags for them. They had meals together and when the temperature rose to a midsummer level, the volunteers expressed concern, saying, "Make sure you drink plenty of water." Ms. Nakamura, who had cancer two years ago, appreciates their careful consideration. "The only thing I can do well now is talk about my experiences," she said. "I've become too weak to fully care for myself and I really appreciate their support."
A delegation consisting of about 100 people has been dispatched by the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union. The members are assisting Hidankyo representatives during their stay in the United States. Koki Takada, 51, the director of Seikyo Hiroshima, based in the city of Hatsukaichi, said: "Survivors have a lack of physical strength, but they summoned up all their courage to visit the United States. I hope to take over their wish for nuclear abolition."
Meanwhile, some 80 Japanese nationals living in and around New York call themselves members of a "support team for survivors." The group was formed with encouragement from peace activists associated with Hidankyo. Members consist mainly of housewives, students, and former company employees. Some members are medical doctors and professional interpreters.
They accompany survivors when they visit schools and U.N. Headquarters and serve as interpreters, helping them convey their experiences of the atomic bombings. One of the support team members, Kio Kanda, 74, seemed pleased and said, "I'm impressed by the survivors' sense of mission to convey their experiences to young people. I'm glad that I can be of some help to them."
(Originally published on May 7, 2010)
Diverse groups of people have been supporting A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) visiting the United States while the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is being held. Members of Seikyo, a consumer cooperative, are accompanying survivors and helping them with transportation and meals during their stay in a city with which survivors are unfamiliar. Japanese nationals living in the United States have volunteered to be interpreters when hibakusha relate their A-bomb experiences.
On the morning of May 5, five members of Seikyo Hiroshima gathered at a New York hotel where the delegation of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organization (Hidankyo) are staying. On that day, they were to accompany Sumiko Nakamura, a 76-year-old resident of the city of Mihara, and other hibakusha from Hiroshima Prefecture, on a visit to a school.
They helped the survivors get in and out of taxis and carried their bags for them. They had meals together and when the temperature rose to a midsummer level, the volunteers expressed concern, saying, "Make sure you drink plenty of water." Ms. Nakamura, who had cancer two years ago, appreciates their careful consideration. "The only thing I can do well now is talk about my experiences," she said. "I've become too weak to fully care for myself and I really appreciate their support."
A delegation consisting of about 100 people has been dispatched by the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union. The members are assisting Hidankyo representatives during their stay in the United States. Koki Takada, 51, the director of Seikyo Hiroshima, based in the city of Hatsukaichi, said: "Survivors have a lack of physical strength, but they summoned up all their courage to visit the United States. I hope to take over their wish for nuclear abolition."
Meanwhile, some 80 Japanese nationals living in and around New York call themselves members of a "support team for survivors." The group was formed with encouragement from peace activists associated with Hidankyo. Members consist mainly of housewives, students, and former company employees. Some members are medical doctors and professional interpreters.
They accompany survivors when they visit schools and U.N. Headquarters and serve as interpreters, helping them convey their experiences of the atomic bombings. One of the support team members, Kio Kanda, 74, seemed pleased and said, "I'm impressed by the survivors' sense of mission to convey their experiences to young people. I'm glad that I can be of some help to them."
(Originally published on May 7, 2010)
