Dutch journalist interviews A-bomb survivors for newspaper article in the Netherlands
Jul. 17, 2015
by Rie Nii, Staff Writer
A Dutch freelance journalist has visited Hiroshima and interviewed the atomic bomb survivors who were featured in “Survivors’ Stories,” a regular feature of the Chugoku Shimbun which seeks to share A-bomb experiences. Around August 6, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the article by Diederik Plas, 41, is expected to appear as a feature story in Het Parool, a daily newspaper in the Netherlands.
Mr. Plas, a journalist from Amsterdam, visited the homes of six A-bomb survivors living in the cities of Hiroshima and Otake, and interviewed them in Japanese. Shinji Mikamo, 89, an A-bomb survivor and a resident of Higashi Ward, gave a detailed description of his experience of the atomic bombing while on the roof of his house and the medical treatment he subsequently received at the Higashi Drill Ground on the north side of Hiroshima Station. Mr. Mikamo was 19 at the time and experienced the bombing in Kamiyanagi-cho (in present-day Naka-ward), about 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter.
During the interview, Mr. Mikamo said that a mass of pus and maggots was released from the burnt, inflamed wound on his leg when it was cut open. Mr. Plas listened grimly and shot video of the scar. He expressed shock when Mr. Mikamo told him that the pocket watch left behind by his missing father was stolen while on display at United Nations headquarters in New York. “That’s unbelievable,” he said.
It was the first time that Mr. Plas has interviewed A-bomb survivors. He said, “Though they went through terrible experiences, all of them were very kind. I was also impressed by their attitude in thinking about peace for the entire world instead of thinking only about themselves. The governments of countries around the world would be wise to listen to the A-bomb survivors.”
Mr. Plas then traveled to Fukuoka Prefecture and interviewed Masahiro Sasaki, the elder brother of Sadako Sasaki, the girl who became the model for the Children’s Peace Monument, which stands in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Mr. Plas’s interviews with the A-bomb survivors will be featured in his newspaper article and edited for a video documentary.
(Originally published on July 14, 2015)
A Dutch freelance journalist has visited Hiroshima and interviewed the atomic bomb survivors who were featured in “Survivors’ Stories,” a regular feature of the Chugoku Shimbun which seeks to share A-bomb experiences. Around August 6, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the article by Diederik Plas, 41, is expected to appear as a feature story in Het Parool, a daily newspaper in the Netherlands.
Mr. Plas, a journalist from Amsterdam, visited the homes of six A-bomb survivors living in the cities of Hiroshima and Otake, and interviewed them in Japanese. Shinji Mikamo, 89, an A-bomb survivor and a resident of Higashi Ward, gave a detailed description of his experience of the atomic bombing while on the roof of his house and the medical treatment he subsequently received at the Higashi Drill Ground on the north side of Hiroshima Station. Mr. Mikamo was 19 at the time and experienced the bombing in Kamiyanagi-cho (in present-day Naka-ward), about 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter.
During the interview, Mr. Mikamo said that a mass of pus and maggots was released from the burnt, inflamed wound on his leg when it was cut open. Mr. Plas listened grimly and shot video of the scar. He expressed shock when Mr. Mikamo told him that the pocket watch left behind by his missing father was stolen while on display at United Nations headquarters in New York. “That’s unbelievable,” he said.
It was the first time that Mr. Plas has interviewed A-bomb survivors. He said, “Though they went through terrible experiences, all of them were very kind. I was also impressed by their attitude in thinking about peace for the entire world instead of thinking only about themselves. The governments of countries around the world would be wise to listen to the A-bomb survivors.”
Mr. Plas then traveled to Fukuoka Prefecture and interviewed Masahiro Sasaki, the elder brother of Sadako Sasaki, the girl who became the model for the Children’s Peace Monument, which stands in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Mr. Plas’s interviews with the A-bomb survivors will be featured in his newspaper article and edited for a video documentary.
(Originally published on July 14, 2015)
