Voices of A-bomb survivors: Kazuhiko Futagawa, 70, resident of Higashi Ward
May 24, 2016
Exposed to the atomic bombing while in his mother’s womb. His mother died in 2000 at the age of 87.
Because of the atomic bombing, my mother lost her husband and her eldest daughter, who was 13. Right after the bombing, my mother, who was pregnant with me, searched for them every day. Though she never spoke about the experience, after she died I found a neatly-folded blouse that she had preserved. It was my older sister’s blouse. I then understood that my mother had borne this sorrow all alone. Nuclear weapons not only kill and maim people on the spot, they also have this sort of unseen impact. I hope that President Obama will learn about us, the A-bomb survivors who were exposed to the bombing while in the womb, and understand why nuclear weapons are called inhumane.
[This is a shortened version of the original Japanese text.]
Because of the atomic bombing, my mother lost her husband and her eldest daughter, who was 13. Right after the bombing, my mother, who was pregnant with me, searched for them every day. Though she never spoke about the experience, after she died I found a neatly-folded blouse that she had preserved. It was my older sister’s blouse. I then understood that my mother had borne this sorrow all alone. Nuclear weapons not only kill and maim people on the spot, they also have this sort of unseen impact. I hope that President Obama will learn about us, the A-bomb survivors who were exposed to the bombing while in the womb, and understand why nuclear weapons are called inhumane.
[This is a shortened version of the original Japanese text.]
