Brazilian broadcaster interviews A-bomb survivors to create documentary on horror of nuclear weapons
Jul. 15, 2015
by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer
Record TV, a major commercial broadcasting company in Brazil, is now making a documentary to convey the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in connection with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The program will be broadcast in August and will include interviews with A-bomb survivors. The aim of the project is for the audience to clearly understand the horror of nuclear weapons, including the widespread destruction and lingering health problems caused by the atomic bombs.
“What were you doing when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?” This was a question asked by Cintia Godoy, 28, a Brazilian reporter from the Asian branch of the company, in Tokyo, to A-bomb survivor Akemi Masuda, 75, at her home in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima. Ms. Masuda was exposed to the bomb at a distance of approximately 2.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. Ms. Godoy also asked Ms. Masuda questions like “What do you feel when you recall that day 70 years ago?” and “What do you think of war?” The interview lasted about two hours.
Ms. Masuda, who was five years old at the time, saw the vapor trail of a B-29 bomber from the garden of her family’s home. Her memory breaks off, though, at the moment she entered her house to care for her younger sister, who had begun to cry. She has no memory of the moment the bomb exploded and her exposure to it. After the war, she suffered nose bleeds, diarrhea, vomiting blood, and other radiation-related symptoms. She said, “I’ve lived longer than I expected. I was blessed to live a long time.”
Ms. Godoy said she thought that Ms. Masuda, despite her happy demeanor, had been traumatized by her experience, and she hopes to convey the cruelty of war in which ordinary people suffer so greatly. Later, Ms. Godoy interviewed three more A-bomb survivors. She also spoke with elementary school students who visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was moved by their desire to appeal for the importance of peace. She will also pursue similar interviews in Nagasaki this month.
The people of Brazil have a history of performing hard work on farms. However, because the country has not been involved in a major war, they have had few opportunities to consider the dangers of nuclear weapons. Young people, in particular, tend to view war and nuclear arms as “irrelevant” to their lives.
This is the first time that Ms. Godoy has interviewed A-bomb survivors. She said that as her interviews progressed, she was gradually able to deepen her understanding of what the survivors endured after the atomic bombing, which, at first, seemed difficult for her to imagine. She added that the people of Brazil should learn from Japanese society where the desire for peace is handed down from generation to generation 70 years after the end of World War II and people care about others. In Brazil, there is a wide gap between rich and poor, and violence is pervasive and the murder rate is high.
Takanori Isshiki, 40, a producer at the company’s Asian branch, said that there have been few opportunities for Brazilian media to report on the atomic bombings. He hopes that Japanese descendants and their friends will watch the program, taking this opportunity to become aware of the catastrophic damage caused by nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on July 6, 2015)
Record TV, a major commercial broadcasting company in Brazil, is now making a documentary to convey the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in connection with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The program will be broadcast in August and will include interviews with A-bomb survivors. The aim of the project is for the audience to clearly understand the horror of nuclear weapons, including the widespread destruction and lingering health problems caused by the atomic bombs.
“What were you doing when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?” This was a question asked by Cintia Godoy, 28, a Brazilian reporter from the Asian branch of the company, in Tokyo, to A-bomb survivor Akemi Masuda, 75, at her home in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima. Ms. Masuda was exposed to the bomb at a distance of approximately 2.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. Ms. Godoy also asked Ms. Masuda questions like “What do you feel when you recall that day 70 years ago?” and “What do you think of war?” The interview lasted about two hours.
Ms. Masuda, who was five years old at the time, saw the vapor trail of a B-29 bomber from the garden of her family’s home. Her memory breaks off, though, at the moment she entered her house to care for her younger sister, who had begun to cry. She has no memory of the moment the bomb exploded and her exposure to it. After the war, she suffered nose bleeds, diarrhea, vomiting blood, and other radiation-related symptoms. She said, “I’ve lived longer than I expected. I was blessed to live a long time.”
Ms. Godoy said she thought that Ms. Masuda, despite her happy demeanor, had been traumatized by her experience, and she hopes to convey the cruelty of war in which ordinary people suffer so greatly. Later, Ms. Godoy interviewed three more A-bomb survivors. She also spoke with elementary school students who visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was moved by their desire to appeal for the importance of peace. She will also pursue similar interviews in Nagasaki this month.
The people of Brazil have a history of performing hard work on farms. However, because the country has not been involved in a major war, they have had few opportunities to consider the dangers of nuclear weapons. Young people, in particular, tend to view war and nuclear arms as “irrelevant” to their lives.
This is the first time that Ms. Godoy has interviewed A-bomb survivors. She said that as her interviews progressed, she was gradually able to deepen her understanding of what the survivors endured after the atomic bombing, which, at first, seemed difficult for her to imagine. She added that the people of Brazil should learn from Japanese society where the desire for peace is handed down from generation to generation 70 years after the end of World War II and people care about others. In Brazil, there is a wide gap between rich and poor, and violence is pervasive and the murder rate is high.
Takanori Isshiki, 40, a producer at the company’s Asian branch, said that there have been few opportunities for Brazilian media to report on the atomic bombings. He hopes that Japanese descendants and their friends will watch the program, taking this opportunity to become aware of the catastrophic damage caused by nuclear weapons.
(Originally published on July 6, 2015)
