Ceremony held in Marshall Islands to observe 60th anniversary of hydrogen bomb test
Mar. 6, 2014
by Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writer
Majuro, Marshall Islands – On March 1, the 60th anniversary of a hydrogen bomb test conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a ceremony for the victims was held in Majuro, the capital of this country located in the Pacific Ocean. Residents of the Marshall Islands and crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), a Japanese tuna fishing boat, were exposed to radioactive fallout released from the bomb. President Christopher Loeak, senior government officials, family members of the victims, and Japanese participants offered their prayers for the victims.
During the ceremony, sponsored by the government of the Marshall Islands, the national anthem was sung and those in attendance observed a moment of silence. Yasuyoshi Komizo, chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, attended the ceremony for the first time representing the City of Hiroshima, which also suffered radiation damage as a result of the atomic bombing. Mr. Komizo stated that nuclear weapons are inhumane and an “absolute evil” and called on those present to work together to build a world without nuclear arms.
Matashichi Oishi, 80, a Tokyo resident and crew member of the fishing boat, addressed the participants, explaining how he was exposed to the “ashes of death,” or radioactive fallout. He said, “The people of the Marshall Islands were sacrificed to make nuclear weapons. The nation that caused this damage must compensate the victims. I am opposed to both nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.”
At the end of the ceremony, messages from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki were read out. Their messages called for solidarity to realize the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Other participants from Japan included university students from Hiroshima and Fukushima Prefecture, home to the now defunct Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant. The students from Hiroshima City University are holding a workshop, where young people from radiation-affected parts of the world can meet and exchange views. Representing the United States, Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, attended the event.
Before the ceremony, some of the participants marched outside the venue, carrying banners and signs to highlight the damage caused by radiation.
Keywords
Nuclear tests conducted in the Marshall Islands
The United States carried out 67 atomic and hydrogen bomb tests from 1946 through 1958 on the two atolls of Bikini and Enewetak in the Marshall Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. (One test was conducted in the air over the islands.) Most notably, the “Castle Bravo” hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll in 1954 released a large amount of nuclear fallout into the atmosphere. The explosive power of the bomb was 15 megatons, which is 1,000 times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Residents of Rongelap Atoll were exposed to radiation since no evacuation warning was issued in advance. Crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), a Japanese tuna fishing boat, were also exposed to radioactive fallout. Aikichi Kuboyama, the chief radio operator of the boat, died six months later. Radioactive fallout contaminated many Japanese fishing boats, and many tuna had to be disposed of. It has been learned from official U.S. documents that an extensive area, including the U.S. mainland and Japan, was contaminated by radioactivity.
(Originally published on March 1, 2014)
Majuro, Marshall Islands – On March 1, the 60th anniversary of a hydrogen bomb test conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a ceremony for the victims was held in Majuro, the capital of this country located in the Pacific Ocean. Residents of the Marshall Islands and crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), a Japanese tuna fishing boat, were exposed to radioactive fallout released from the bomb. President Christopher Loeak, senior government officials, family members of the victims, and Japanese participants offered their prayers for the victims.
During the ceremony, sponsored by the government of the Marshall Islands, the national anthem was sung and those in attendance observed a moment of silence. Yasuyoshi Komizo, chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, attended the ceremony for the first time representing the City of Hiroshima, which also suffered radiation damage as a result of the atomic bombing. Mr. Komizo stated that nuclear weapons are inhumane and an “absolute evil” and called on those present to work together to build a world without nuclear arms.
Matashichi Oishi, 80, a Tokyo resident and crew member of the fishing boat, addressed the participants, explaining how he was exposed to the “ashes of death,” or radioactive fallout. He said, “The people of the Marshall Islands were sacrificed to make nuclear weapons. The nation that caused this damage must compensate the victims. I am opposed to both nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants.”
At the end of the ceremony, messages from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki were read out. Their messages called for solidarity to realize the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Other participants from Japan included university students from Hiroshima and Fukushima Prefecture, home to the now defunct Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant. The students from Hiroshima City University are holding a workshop, where young people from radiation-affected parts of the world can meet and exchange views. Representing the United States, Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, attended the event.
Before the ceremony, some of the participants marched outside the venue, carrying banners and signs to highlight the damage caused by radiation.
Keywords
Nuclear tests conducted in the Marshall Islands
The United States carried out 67 atomic and hydrogen bomb tests from 1946 through 1958 on the two atolls of Bikini and Enewetak in the Marshall Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. (One test was conducted in the air over the islands.) Most notably, the “Castle Bravo” hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll in 1954 released a large amount of nuclear fallout into the atmosphere. The explosive power of the bomb was 15 megatons, which is 1,000 times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Residents of Rongelap Atoll were exposed to radiation since no evacuation warning was issued in advance. Crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), a Japanese tuna fishing boat, were also exposed to radioactive fallout. Aikichi Kuboyama, the chief radio operator of the boat, died six months later. Radioactive fallout contaminated many Japanese fishing boats, and many tuna had to be disposed of. It has been learned from official U.S. documents that an extensive area, including the U.S. mainland and Japan, was contaminated by radioactivity.
(Originally published on March 1, 2014)
