Hiroshima Jogakuin University gives honorary doctorate to Ogura for giving A-bomb account in English
Mar. 16, 2025
by Kanon Egashira, Staff Writer
On March 15, Keiko Ogura, 87, an A-bomb survivor living in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by her alma mater, Hiroshima Jogakuin University located in the city’s Higashi Ward. She has been highly regarded for conveying her A-bomb experience in English.
Ms. Ogura received her diploma from Takayasu Mitani, the university’s president, during the graduation ceremony held at the university. At a press conference after the ceremony, she said, “I am able to make use of the English skills I learned at Hiroshima Jogakuin in my activities. I want to go back to my original resolution and continue to give my all in the future.”
Ms. Ogura was exposed to the atomic bomb at the age of 8 in Ushita-machi (now part of Higashi Ward), 2.4 kilometers from the hypocenter. When a summit of the Group of Seven industrial nations was held in Hiroshima in 2023, she met with the leaders of the participating countries at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Naka Ward and conveyed her wishes for a world without nuclear weapons.
Ms. Ogra is the second person to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the university, following Setsuko Thurlow, a 93-year-old A-bomb survivor who is originally from Hiroshima’s Minami Ward and now lives in Canada.
(Originally published on March 16, 2025)
On March 15, Keiko Ogura, 87, an A-bomb survivor living in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by her alma mater, Hiroshima Jogakuin University located in the city’s Higashi Ward. She has been highly regarded for conveying her A-bomb experience in English.
Ms. Ogura received her diploma from Takayasu Mitani, the university’s president, during the graduation ceremony held at the university. At a press conference after the ceremony, she said, “I am able to make use of the English skills I learned at Hiroshima Jogakuin in my activities. I want to go back to my original resolution and continue to give my all in the future.”
Ms. Ogura was exposed to the atomic bomb at the age of 8 in Ushita-machi (now part of Higashi Ward), 2.4 kilometers from the hypocenter. When a summit of the Group of Seven industrial nations was held in Hiroshima in 2023, she met with the leaders of the participating countries at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Naka Ward and conveyed her wishes for a world without nuclear weapons.
Ms. Ogra is the second person to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the university, following Setsuko Thurlow, a 93-year-old A-bomb survivor who is originally from Hiroshima’s Minami Ward and now lives in Canada.
(Originally published on March 16, 2025)
