Hiroshima City sends list of 813 unclaimed A-bomb victims’ names to local governments, organizations in search of clues
Jul. 3, 2023
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
On June 30, the Hiroshima City government sent local governments and A-bomb survivors’ groups throughout Japan copies of a list of 813 A-bomb victims with identified names whose remains are stored in the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, located within Peace Memorial Park in the city’s Naka Ward, but whose surviving families have not been located. The remains of about 70,000 A-bomb victims are currently stored in the memorial mound. In May of this year, one victim’s remains were returned to remaining family members after one of the Chinese characters of the victim’s name was found to have been transcribed incorrectly on the list of victims. The city regularly calls for information on any part of names on the list that might seem familiar to people.
The name list is printed out on two sizes of large paper (B1 and B2, in Japanese paper sizes). For some of the listed victims, additional identifying information is included, such as address, age, and location of work at the time of the atomic bombing. Two city staff members placed the copies of the list into envelopes and sent them to 1,987 locations, including prefectural and local governments, as well as A-bomb survivors’ organizations. The list will be displayed by the recipients from July 14 until the end of October. Separately, the list will also be displayed in 158 locations in Hiroshima City, such as community centers.
In May, the remains of Masao Kimura (in Japanese木村正夫), whose name had been mistakenly indicated as Masao Kimura (木村正男) on the list, were returned from the city after a family member had seen the list and contacted the city government. The research division of the city government’s Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department is seeking information from the public. According to one official, “Information on the list relies on records maintained amidst the chaos right after the atomic bombing. Even in instances in which some information does not match exactly, we can sometimes identify a victim by investigating further.”
The city began to release the list to the public in 1968 and has sent copies nationwide since 1985. The remains of 849 victims have been claimed and returned to bereaved families since disclosure of the names began.
(Originally published on July 3, 2023)
On June 30, the Hiroshima City government sent local governments and A-bomb survivors’ groups throughout Japan copies of a list of 813 A-bomb victims with identified names whose remains are stored in the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, located within Peace Memorial Park in the city’s Naka Ward, but whose surviving families have not been located. The remains of about 70,000 A-bomb victims are currently stored in the memorial mound. In May of this year, one victim’s remains were returned to remaining family members after one of the Chinese characters of the victim’s name was found to have been transcribed incorrectly on the list of victims. The city regularly calls for information on any part of names on the list that might seem familiar to people.
The name list is printed out on two sizes of large paper (B1 and B2, in Japanese paper sizes). For some of the listed victims, additional identifying information is included, such as address, age, and location of work at the time of the atomic bombing. Two city staff members placed the copies of the list into envelopes and sent them to 1,987 locations, including prefectural and local governments, as well as A-bomb survivors’ organizations. The list will be displayed by the recipients from July 14 until the end of October. Separately, the list will also be displayed in 158 locations in Hiroshima City, such as community centers.
In May, the remains of Masao Kimura (in Japanese木村正夫), whose name had been mistakenly indicated as Masao Kimura (木村正男) on the list, were returned from the city after a family member had seen the list and contacted the city government. The research division of the city government’s Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department is seeking information from the public. According to one official, “Information on the list relies on records maintained amidst the chaos right after the atomic bombing. Even in instances in which some information does not match exactly, we can sometimes identify a victim by investigating further.”
The city began to release the list to the public in 1968 and has sent copies nationwide since 1985. The remains of 849 victims have been claimed and returned to bereaved families since disclosure of the names began.
(Originally published on July 3, 2023)
