Hiroshima Memo: Government’s financial support needed for A-bomb survivors’ testimony activities and A-bomb exhibitions overseas
Jan. 24, 2011
by Akira Tashiro, Executive Director of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center
At the start of this year, I had the opportunity to listen to the voices of several A-bomb survivors who are engaged in efforts to share their A-bomb experiences. Meanwhile, the progress made in disarming the world of its nuclear weapons has not advanced to the degree many have hoped. The specter of nuclear proliferation and the threat of nuclear terrorism have grown more dire. As the A-bombed nation, Japan has failed to find a government that will exert leadership in the quest for nuclear abolition. The aging A-bomb survivors are uniformly apprehensive and restless about such circumstances. However, the survivors I was privileged to hear did not express despair or an intention to abandon hope.
The eight A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who will join the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear Weapons Free World” for about three months starting from January 23, an effort sponsored by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Peace Boat, share this same strength of purpose. These eight survivors, along with one second-generation survivor, will board a large passenger vessel and visit 18 cities in 16 nations. Among their destinations, where they will interact with local people, are India, a nuclear weapon state; Egypt and Libya in the Middle East, a region that has generated concerns with regard to nuclear proliferation; and Malaysia, the country which has proposed a nuclear weapons convention at the U.N. General Assembly. Along their travels, the survivors will share their A-bomb experiences, their lives after the war, and their thoughts today.
Emiko Yamanaka, 76, a resident of the city of Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture, spoke about her intentions for the trip, saying, “In my own way, and in a way that children can understand, too, I would like to talk about the cruelty of the atomic bomb and the mercilessness of war.”
“To eliminate nuclear weapons, there is no alternative but for each of us to raise our voices to form one mighty voice,” said Shoso Hirai, 81, a resident of Fuchu town in Hiroshima Prefecture. “I also want to convey the importance of the spirit of reconciliation that I learned from my horrific A-bomb experience: The idea of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth will not do away with nuclear weapons and war.”
Setsuko Takahashi, 76, a resident of Funabashi City in Chiba Prefecture, said: “My mother was a member of a volunteer citizens’ corps. When the atomic bomb exploded, she was in Hiroshima helping to dismantle buildings to create a fire lane. Her body was never found. As well as talking about my own painful experience, I want to speak out strongly about the need for human beings to make mutual concessions and cooperate with one another in order to protect the beautiful earth.”
Each of these survivors is now feeling a waning of strength and energy. Still, they say they are determined to rally their “last bit of strength” to carry out their task.
In August of last year, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan established a system in which the government can commission A-bomb survivors to represent Japan by serving as “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons.” “I hope that they will convey the cruelty and inhumanity of the use of nuclear weapons and the importance of peace to the world,” Mr. Kan said at the time. On this occasion, too, the Japanese government issued letters that commissioned all eight A-bomb survivors and the lone second-generation A-bomb survivor to serve as “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons.” Apart from this designation, though, there is no concrete governmental support to assist these survivors in their mission.
What is sorely needed is the government’s impetus to provide financial support and build a permanent “mechanism” that will enable the dispatch of “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons” in collaboration with A-bomb survivors’ organizations, NGOs, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other entities, as well as hold A-bomb exhibitions and other events.
I sense that Mr. Kan, who faces a variety of difficulties these days both at home and abroad, will be unable to consider these issues now. In that case, A-bomb survivors’ organizations, NGOs, and others should stand together as one and strongly request that the government and lawmakers move to create such a mechanism. The designation of “Special Communicator for a World without Nuclear Weapons” must not end up being a mere formality.
(Originally published on January 17, 2011)
Related articles
Messages from atomic bomb survivors for 2011: Action is path to peace (Jan. 17, 2011)
At the start of this year, I had the opportunity to listen to the voices of several A-bomb survivors who are engaged in efforts to share their A-bomb experiences. Meanwhile, the progress made in disarming the world of its nuclear weapons has not advanced to the degree many have hoped. The specter of nuclear proliferation and the threat of nuclear terrorism have grown more dire. As the A-bombed nation, Japan has failed to find a government that will exert leadership in the quest for nuclear abolition. The aging A-bomb survivors are uniformly apprehensive and restless about such circumstances. However, the survivors I was privileged to hear did not express despair or an intention to abandon hope.
The eight A-bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who will join the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear Weapons Free World” for about three months starting from January 23, an effort sponsored by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Peace Boat, share this same strength of purpose. These eight survivors, along with one second-generation survivor, will board a large passenger vessel and visit 18 cities in 16 nations. Among their destinations, where they will interact with local people, are India, a nuclear weapon state; Egypt and Libya in the Middle East, a region that has generated concerns with regard to nuclear proliferation; and Malaysia, the country which has proposed a nuclear weapons convention at the U.N. General Assembly. Along their travels, the survivors will share their A-bomb experiences, their lives after the war, and their thoughts today.
Emiko Yamanaka, 76, a resident of the city of Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture, spoke about her intentions for the trip, saying, “In my own way, and in a way that children can understand, too, I would like to talk about the cruelty of the atomic bomb and the mercilessness of war.”
“To eliminate nuclear weapons, there is no alternative but for each of us to raise our voices to form one mighty voice,” said Shoso Hirai, 81, a resident of Fuchu town in Hiroshima Prefecture. “I also want to convey the importance of the spirit of reconciliation that I learned from my horrific A-bomb experience: The idea of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth will not do away with nuclear weapons and war.”
Setsuko Takahashi, 76, a resident of Funabashi City in Chiba Prefecture, said: “My mother was a member of a volunteer citizens’ corps. When the atomic bomb exploded, she was in Hiroshima helping to dismantle buildings to create a fire lane. Her body was never found. As well as talking about my own painful experience, I want to speak out strongly about the need for human beings to make mutual concessions and cooperate with one another in order to protect the beautiful earth.”
Each of these survivors is now feeling a waning of strength and energy. Still, they say they are determined to rally their “last bit of strength” to carry out their task.
In August of last year, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan established a system in which the government can commission A-bomb survivors to represent Japan by serving as “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons.” “I hope that they will convey the cruelty and inhumanity of the use of nuclear weapons and the importance of peace to the world,” Mr. Kan said at the time. On this occasion, too, the Japanese government issued letters that commissioned all eight A-bomb survivors and the lone second-generation A-bomb survivor to serve as “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons.” Apart from this designation, though, there is no concrete governmental support to assist these survivors in their mission.
What is sorely needed is the government’s impetus to provide financial support and build a permanent “mechanism” that will enable the dispatch of “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons” in collaboration with A-bomb survivors’ organizations, NGOs, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other entities, as well as hold A-bomb exhibitions and other events.
I sense that Mr. Kan, who faces a variety of difficulties these days both at home and abroad, will be unable to consider these issues now. In that case, A-bomb survivors’ organizations, NGOs, and others should stand together as one and strongly request that the government and lawmakers move to create such a mechanism. The designation of “Special Communicator for a World without Nuclear Weapons” must not end up being a mere formality.
(Originally published on January 17, 2011)
Related articles
Messages from atomic bomb survivors for 2011: Action is path to peace (Jan. 17, 2011)
