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Fukuyama NPO publishes booklet describing survivor’s accounts about A-bombing experience in Japanese and German

by Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, Senior Staff Writer

Kenji Yamamoto, 78, former head of the Japanese-German Peace Forum, a nonprofit organization (NPO) based in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, compiled a booklet about the experience of Tetsushi Yonezawa, 88, an atomic-bomb survivor living in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, who has continued to speak about his A-bomb experience. It is written in Japanese and German. An English version will be published by May 2023, when the summit meeting of the G7 (attended by the Group of Seven industrialized nations) will be held in Hiroshima. He hopes many people learn what horrible consequences nuclear weapons can cause.

The title is Yonezawa Tetsushi san no Hibakutaiken to Sakebi (Tetsuhsi Yonezawa’s A-bomb Experience and Outcry, in English). The book was edited mainly based on the accounts Mr. Yamamoto interviewed and with some reference to Mr. Yonezawa’s book. The booklet was translated into German by Riho Taguchi and others living in Germany. Mr. Yamamoto is also working on an English version.

On August 6, 1945, Mr. Yonezawa and his mother were exposed to the atomic bombing on a streetcar on their way from his evacuation site to his grandparents’ house in the city of Hiroshima. The location was around the present-day Ebisu-cho, Naka Ward, which was about 750 meters from the hypocenter. He said, “I had no choice but to run about trying to escape from hell” by jumping out of the streetcar. He gave detailed accounts of a woman who had died with her charred baby in her arms and schoolgirls who had suffered burns all over their bodies.

The next month, his mother suffered a high fever and passed away. His sister, who had been drinking breast milk, also died. He miraculously recovered after a period of high fever. The booklet describes how he began to give A-bomb accounts in the hope of abolishing nuclear weapons.

Mr. Yamamoto was impressed by the activities of his friend, Mr. Yonezawa, and created the booklet to spread the details of his experience in Germany. Mr. Yonezawa has been invited to attend a ceremony next year marking the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Hiroshima and Hannover, and he is considering whether Mr. Yamamoto can accompany him and help convey his thoughts while utilizing the booklet.

The A-4 sized booklet contains 97 pages. It is available for reading in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum’s library. The booklet is sold for 1,000 yen each (310 yen plus postage) to those who want it. Please apply for it by writing your name, address, phone number by fax at 06-6327-7986.

(Originally published on September 16, 2022)

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