Features

by Masayoshi Ishikawa, Staff Writer

This feature series on the past and future of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) originally began to appear in the Chugoku Shimbun in March 2007.

Frank opinions shared in a small circle

Last July, "Yukki," 38, a housewife in the city of Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, formed a community for second-generation A-bomb survivors on Mixi, a membership-based website on the Internet. On a website with more than 8 million members, Yukki's community is small, with only 52 people exchanging information and opinions.

Tapping the keyboard of her computer, she writes in her Mixi diary: "How long will the A-bomb experience continue to affect people? What kinds of effects will the atomic bombings have on second- and third-generation A-bomb survivors? I want to know."

Her father, 69, survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It wasn't until she had an operation to remove a tumor in her thyroid gland that Yukki, then a fourth-grader, became aware of being a second-generation A-bomb survivor. In 1986, she read about the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and later learned about the high incidence of thyroid diseases in children near the fallout. The information stirred overwhelming anxiety.

Looking back on her teenage years, Yukki says she blamed her father, asking why he had to be exposed to the bombing. He would sit still and silent. Since she gave birth to her first daughter three years ago, Yukki has been strongly aware of the issue of genetic effects caused by radiation.

"I want to hear directly the voices of second-generation A-bomb survivors in the same position…" She gives rein to her feelings on the Internet.

There was an exchange of views after the Nagasaki Peace Ceremony, held on August 9, 2006, that left a strong impression on her. An A-bomb survivor (hibakusha), whose son had died of leukemia, pointed to the atomic bomb as being the cause of his death. She went on to call for relief measures for second- and third- generation survivors. Her appeal sparked controversy.

Messages such as "There is no medical basis for this remark" and "It will cause prejudice and discrimination" appeared on the message board. One member argued, "We fear what we fear. When we become unable to say that, the A-bomb experience will stop being handed down." The incident gave Yukki the opportunity to touch upon a complicated and emotional issue.

The Internet also brings new encounters. A student studying film production at a vocational school in Tokyo wrote a message to the community in November 2006. The youth asked for help from second-generation survivors in the creation of a graduation project on the theme of "handing down the A-bomb experience."

"Pianocat," 51, an official of an organization in Asakita Ward, Hiroshima City, responded. "Pianocat's" parents had been exposed to the bombing and this person became involved in a campaign to eliminate depleted uranium weapons. Said "Pianocat": "I had the chance to connect with a young person who wanted to learn about second-generation A-bomb survivors. I was glad to help." The graduation film will be completed in the near future.

On Mixi, a community with thousands of members is not uncommon. Yukki's group, with its membership of 52, is small. Posts are slow to appear, even when the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) was unable to provide a clear answer with regard to genetic effects while releasing the results of its health study involving the children of A-bomb survivors at the end of February 2007.

Still, such messages as "I want to speak out" and "I want to hand down the A-bomb experience" have continued to appear. "I think that all second-generation A-bomb survivors are worried, as we don't yet know the truth. I would like to talk with them heart-to-heart," says Yukki, determined as ever to find answers to the questions that still trouble the minds of survivors and their children.

(Originally published on March 25, 2007)