A-bomb survivors share experiences with youths in New York
May 25, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
Three A-bomb survivors, timing their trip to New York to coincide with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, met with young people from Europe at a city park to relate their experiences of the atomic bombing. The survivors were all originally from Hiroshima.
At the park which faces a street lined with boutiques and other shops, the three survivors sat at a table with nearly ten youths from anti-nuclear groups and other organizations. The three A-bomb survivors were Kunihiko Bonkohara, 69, a member of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors and a participant on a world voyage organized by Peace Boat, a Tokyo-based NGO; Miwako Tsukamoto, 75, a member of the Suginami-ward A-bomb Survivors' Group (Tokyo) and also a Peace Boat participant; and Keiko Murakami, 73, now a resident of Ushiku, Ibaraki, who came to New York directly to convey her A-bomb account.
Mr. Bonkohara, who was exposed to the bombing at the age of five and shared the horrific destruction near the hypocenter when he entered the area in search of his mother and sister, said that nuclear weapons should be eliminated as soon as possible. Ms. Tsukamoto said that nuclear war creates no winners and losers.
Nina Eisenhardt, 19, who is from Germany, listened to their accounts and commented that those taking part in the review conference should pay greater attention to the A-bomb survivors' stories.
(Originally published on May 25, 2010)
Related article
Peace Boat departs on voyage to convey suffering of A-bombings to the world (April 19, 2010)
Three A-bomb survivors, timing their trip to New York to coincide with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, met with young people from Europe at a city park to relate their experiences of the atomic bombing. The survivors were all originally from Hiroshima.
At the park which faces a street lined with boutiques and other shops, the three survivors sat at a table with nearly ten youths from anti-nuclear groups and other organizations. The three A-bomb survivors were Kunihiko Bonkohara, 69, a member of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors and a participant on a world voyage organized by Peace Boat, a Tokyo-based NGO; Miwako Tsukamoto, 75, a member of the Suginami-ward A-bomb Survivors' Group (Tokyo) and also a Peace Boat participant; and Keiko Murakami, 73, now a resident of Ushiku, Ibaraki, who came to New York directly to convey her A-bomb account.
Mr. Bonkohara, who was exposed to the bombing at the age of five and shared the horrific destruction near the hypocenter when he entered the area in search of his mother and sister, said that nuclear weapons should be eliminated as soon as possible. Ms. Tsukamoto said that nuclear war creates no winners and losers.
Nina Eisenhardt, 19, who is from Germany, listened to their accounts and commented that those taking part in the review conference should pay greater attention to the A-bomb survivors' stories.
(Originally published on May 25, 2010)
Related article
Peace Boat departs on voyage to convey suffering of A-bombings to the world (April 19, 2010)
