Diary of fisherman evidently affected by 1954 H-bomb test found
Dec. 28, 2010
A diary of a fisherman from Kochi Prefecture, who operated at Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific following a 1954 U.S. hydrogen bomb test, has been found, indicating he probably suffered acute symptoms caused by the test, which also hit a Japanese tuna fishing boat, the Fukuryu Maru No. 5, a local civil group said Monday.
The diary was written by Takeshi Yamanaka, 81, in Tosashimizu, Kochi, who noted in it, ''I feel pains in my body and in my head,'' after the United States conducted the test on March 1, 1954.
Yamanaka was a crew member of the Kaifuku Maru No. 5, which left Japan in late February and navigated close to Bikini Atoll after the Fukuryu Maru from Shizuoka Prefecture, known as Lucky Dragon, was exposed to radiation.
''My stomach condition is getting worse,'' Yamanaka wrote in his diary on March 3, 1954, two days after the bomb test.
The condition ''grew worse and I went to the lavatory twice during stormy weather,'' Yamanaka wrote on March 4. The following day, he complained about pains in his head and other parts of his body which he said had ''no good part.''
The physical conditions Yamanaka wrote about may be considered acute symptoms caused by his exposure to radiation, according to medical experts.
The local group in Kochi examined the diary, and its secretary general, Masatoshi Yamashita, said it is an ''important document'' showing the state of contamination by radioactive fallout from the ''Bravo'' hydrogen bomb after the Fukuryu Maru left the waters.
The Kaifuku Maru was already aware that a hydrogen bomb test had been conducted there through radio communications from Japan.
Yamanaka also noted that his boat was instructed by the Japanese government to bring back sea water from around the hydrogen bomb test site.
On April 9 following his boat's return to Japan, Yamanaka wrote that American investigators examined fish contaminated with radiation and said eating them should cause ''no problem.''
It is known that the 23 crew members of the Fukuryu Maru were exposed to radiation, and that one of them, Aikichi Kuboyama, died in September that year.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on Dec. 28, 2010)
The diary was written by Takeshi Yamanaka, 81, in Tosashimizu, Kochi, who noted in it, ''I feel pains in my body and in my head,'' after the United States conducted the test on March 1, 1954.
Yamanaka was a crew member of the Kaifuku Maru No. 5, which left Japan in late February and navigated close to Bikini Atoll after the Fukuryu Maru from Shizuoka Prefecture, known as Lucky Dragon, was exposed to radiation.
''My stomach condition is getting worse,'' Yamanaka wrote in his diary on March 3, 1954, two days after the bomb test.
The condition ''grew worse and I went to the lavatory twice during stormy weather,'' Yamanaka wrote on March 4. The following day, he complained about pains in his head and other parts of his body which he said had ''no good part.''
The physical conditions Yamanaka wrote about may be considered acute symptoms caused by his exposure to radiation, according to medical experts.
The local group in Kochi examined the diary, and its secretary general, Masatoshi Yamashita, said it is an ''important document'' showing the state of contamination by radioactive fallout from the ''Bravo'' hydrogen bomb after the Fukuryu Maru left the waters.
The Kaifuku Maru was already aware that a hydrogen bomb test had been conducted there through radio communications from Japan.
Yamanaka also noted that his boat was instructed by the Japanese government to bring back sea water from around the hydrogen bomb test site.
On April 9 following his boat's return to Japan, Yamanaka wrote that American investigators examined fish contaminated with radiation and said eating them should cause ''no problem.''
It is known that the 23 crew members of the Fukuryu Maru were exposed to radiation, and that one of them, Aikichi Kuboyama, died in September that year.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on Dec. 28, 2010)
