Hiroshima City begins adding names to register of A-bomb victims
Jun. 4, 2024
by Michio Shimotaka, Staff Writer
On June 3, the Hiroshima City government began adding names to the register of A-bomb victims. The names of deceased A-bomb survivors whose surviving family members have requested registration or whose deaths have been confirmed since August 6 last year are being added to the register. The updated register is to be placed in a stone chest within the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims during the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held on August 6 later this year in Peace Memorial Park, located in the city’s Naka Ward.
Kazuko Ikegame, 82, and Nobuko Nakamoto, 81, former city employees who both experienced the atomic bombing when they were three and now live in Hiroshima’s Minami Ward, placed their hands together in prayer in a room at Hiroshima City Hall. They then turned to the register. After confirming the names, dates of death, and ages of the deceased survivors to be added, the two carefully inscribed the names in the register using ink brushes. Their work will continue through August 5.
Ms. Ikegame, who engaged in the register work for the 35th time, shared her experience of writing her parents’ and others’ names in the register. “I want to write the names with all my heart, based on the idea that the writing represents a memorial service for them,” she said. Ms. Nakamoto, experiencing the process for the 24th time, shared her wish for peace, saying, “I hope the origins of August 6 are passed down to younger people.”
The register of A-bomb victims of Hiroshima is made up of 125 volumes containing the names added through last year’s process. Of that total, 124 volumes list the names of 339,227 victims. Through June 3 this year, the city has confirmed the deaths of an additional 4,100 victims to be listed this time. The other volume is simply titled “Many people whose names are unknown.” A separate volume carries the names of 13 Nagasaki A-bomb victims based on requests from their bereaved families. The city accepts applications for entry into the register at any time. For details, please call the Hiroshima City government’s Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department, at 082-504-2191.
(Originally published on June 4, 2024)
On June 3, the Hiroshima City government began adding names to the register of A-bomb victims. The names of deceased A-bomb survivors whose surviving family members have requested registration or whose deaths have been confirmed since August 6 last year are being added to the register. The updated register is to be placed in a stone chest within the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims during the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held on August 6 later this year in Peace Memorial Park, located in the city’s Naka Ward.
Kazuko Ikegame, 82, and Nobuko Nakamoto, 81, former city employees who both experienced the atomic bombing when they were three and now live in Hiroshima’s Minami Ward, placed their hands together in prayer in a room at Hiroshima City Hall. They then turned to the register. After confirming the names, dates of death, and ages of the deceased survivors to be added, the two carefully inscribed the names in the register using ink brushes. Their work will continue through August 5.
Ms. Ikegame, who engaged in the register work for the 35th time, shared her experience of writing her parents’ and others’ names in the register. “I want to write the names with all my heart, based on the idea that the writing represents a memorial service for them,” she said. Ms. Nakamoto, experiencing the process for the 24th time, shared her wish for peace, saying, “I hope the origins of August 6 are passed down to younger people.”
The register of A-bomb victims of Hiroshima is made up of 125 volumes containing the names added through last year’s process. Of that total, 124 volumes list the names of 339,227 victims. Through June 3 this year, the city has confirmed the deaths of an additional 4,100 victims to be listed this time. The other volume is simply titled “Many people whose names are unknown.” A separate volume carries the names of 13 Nagasaki A-bomb victims based on requests from their bereaved families. The city accepts applications for entry into the register at any time. For details, please call the Hiroshima City government’s Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department, at 082-504-2191.
(Originally published on June 4, 2024)
