A-bomb survivor shakes hands with U.S. president in Hiroshima, urges action for nuclear abolition
May 28, 2016
by Jumpei Fujimura, Kyosuke Mizukawa, and Gosuke Nagahisa, Staff Writers
On May 27, Hiroshima was at last visited by a sitting president of the United States, the nation that attacked the city with an atomic bomb nearly 71 years ago. U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Peace Memorial Museum, offered a wreath of flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, and delivered a speech and met with A-bomb survivors in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It was a historic day.
For many decades, A-bomb survivors have spared no effort in conveying the reality of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the days that followed, the inhumane consequences that nuclear weapons produce, and the need to create a world without nuclear arms. During Mr. Obama’s visit, they sought to share their feelings with the leader of the nuclear superpower. At the same time, young people listened closely to the president’s speech, hoping that he would present concrete steps to advance a nuclear-free world. There were also crowds of people ringing the park, which is located near the hypocenter and where scores of civilians and their communities were obliterated by the bomb.
The atomic bomb wounded human bodies and minds and stole away loved ones. Survivors have also suffered prejudice and discrimination, but have managed to rise above many of these hardships. Representing the survivors, three leaders of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), a nationwide organization, were invited to attend Mr. Obama’s speech and greet him afterward.
“When I asked him to come again to Hiroshima, to learn more about what happened here, he gripped my hand more firmly. I felt his compassion,” said Sunao Tsuboi, 91, one of the chairs of Nihon Hidankyo and a resident of Nishi Ward, Hiroshima.
During a press conference, Mr. Tsuboi used animated gestures to recount his two-minute exchange with Mr. Obama. At the time of the atomic bombing, Mr. Tsuboi was a third-year student at the Hiroshima Technical Institute (now Hiroshima University). He was 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter, but survived the blast and became a teacher before taking on a leadership role with Nihon Hidankyo in 2000.
After his speech, Mr. Obama approached Mr. Tsuboi, who was sitting in the front row of chairs. During their brief exchange, their hands remained joined. Mr. Tsuboi spoke with a beaming smile and pointed to himself with his left index finger while holding a cane in this hand. At first, Mr. Obama’s face was sober, but he smiled as the conversation continued.
Mr. Tsuboi spoke through an interpreter, telling Mr. Obama that the atomic bombing was an unfortunate event in human history. He also told Mr. Obama, “I will never give up on nuclear abolition. Let us put the bitterness behind us and work together for the benefit of all humankind.” He said that Mr. Obama responded repeatedly, “Thank you.”
“Now that the president of the United States has heard the voice of the A-bomb survivors, it is time to advance the abolition of nuclear arms,” Mr. Tsuboi said with enthusiasm. At the same time, he said that he asked Mr. Obama to return to Hiroshima because “I don’t want him to think that he has understood the full consequences of the bombing through his 10-minute visit to the museum.” Mr. Tsuboi added, “I could sense his character through his facial expressions and the warmth of his hand. But the exchange was somewhat one-sided and he didn’t make any clear remarks.” He hopes that Mr. Obama will engage in further communication with A-bomb survivors.
Mikiso Iwasa, 87, an A-bomb survivors from Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture and another chair of Nihon Hidakyo, listened to Mr. Obama’s speech with his eyes occasionally cast down.
He said, “I was fated to live the life of a hibakusha [A-bomb survivor], and I’ve been fighting this destiny.” At the time of the bombing, Mr. Iwasa was a first-year student in the advanced course at Shudo Junior High School. He was at home with his mother Kiyoko, then 45, about 1.2 kilometers from the bomb’s hypocenter. He still rues being unable to save his mother after she became trapped under the wreckage of their house. His sister Yoshiko, then 12, was a first-year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls’ High School (now Minami High School). She left home to help with the war effort as a mobilized student, tearing down houses to create a fire lane. Her body was never found.
Mr. Iwasa came to the park with the hope that they did not die in vain. He was moved by Mr. Obama’s call to “reimagine our connection to one another as members of one human race.” He said, “I want to believe that President Obama is doing his best, given tense international conditions, to realize a world without nuclear weapons. I wanted to tell him, ‘Let’s work together.’”
Mr. Obama’s visit to Hiroshima coincided with the 60th anniversary of the founding of Hidankyo. The chairpersons and secretary general of the organization were asked to be present when Mr. Obama visited the park. Terumi Tanaka, 83, the secretary general and a resident of Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, said with feeling, “The government invited us, and it was made possible thanks to our predecessors who began this movement when there was deeply-rooted prejudice and discrimination in our society.”
In 1984, Hidankyo issued its “Basic Demands of the Atomic Bomb Survivors,” which includes the demand that the U.S. government apologize for the atomic bombings. Mr. Obama, however, did not use language that could be interpreted as an apology.
Asked how he felt about Mr. Obama avoiding an apology, Mr. Tanaka said, “I believe the proof of the apology lies in realizing a world free of nuclear weapons.” Mr. Obama used the word “hibakusha” more than once in his speech, which Mr. Tanaka appreciated. He said, “His words made him sound like someone who knows about the hibakusha.”
On the other hand, Mr. Tanaka pointed out that there has been no concrete progress toward nuclear abolition since Mr. Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons in the speech he made in Prague in 2009. “What matters is making advances toward a world without nuclear arms,” Mr. Tanaka said. With a nuclear weapons convention in mind, he said that the next step toward nuclear abolition should be made from a humanitarian point of view.
(Originally published on May 28, 2016)
On May 27, Hiroshima was at last visited by a sitting president of the United States, the nation that attacked the city with an atomic bomb nearly 71 years ago. U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Peace Memorial Museum, offered a wreath of flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, and delivered a speech and met with A-bomb survivors in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It was a historic day.
For many decades, A-bomb survivors have spared no effort in conveying the reality of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the days that followed, the inhumane consequences that nuclear weapons produce, and the need to create a world without nuclear arms. During Mr. Obama’s visit, they sought to share their feelings with the leader of the nuclear superpower. At the same time, young people listened closely to the president’s speech, hoping that he would present concrete steps to advance a nuclear-free world. There were also crowds of people ringing the park, which is located near the hypocenter and where scores of civilians and their communities were obliterated by the bomb.
The atomic bomb wounded human bodies and minds and stole away loved ones. Survivors have also suffered prejudice and discrimination, but have managed to rise above many of these hardships. Representing the survivors, three leaders of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), a nationwide organization, were invited to attend Mr. Obama’s speech and greet him afterward.
“When I asked him to come again to Hiroshima, to learn more about what happened here, he gripped my hand more firmly. I felt his compassion,” said Sunao Tsuboi, 91, one of the chairs of Nihon Hidankyo and a resident of Nishi Ward, Hiroshima.
During a press conference, Mr. Tsuboi used animated gestures to recount his two-minute exchange with Mr. Obama. At the time of the atomic bombing, Mr. Tsuboi was a third-year student at the Hiroshima Technical Institute (now Hiroshima University). He was 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter, but survived the blast and became a teacher before taking on a leadership role with Nihon Hidankyo in 2000.
After his speech, Mr. Obama approached Mr. Tsuboi, who was sitting in the front row of chairs. During their brief exchange, their hands remained joined. Mr. Tsuboi spoke with a beaming smile and pointed to himself with his left index finger while holding a cane in this hand. At first, Mr. Obama’s face was sober, but he smiled as the conversation continued.
Mr. Tsuboi spoke through an interpreter, telling Mr. Obama that the atomic bombing was an unfortunate event in human history. He also told Mr. Obama, “I will never give up on nuclear abolition. Let us put the bitterness behind us and work together for the benefit of all humankind.” He said that Mr. Obama responded repeatedly, “Thank you.”
“Now that the president of the United States has heard the voice of the A-bomb survivors, it is time to advance the abolition of nuclear arms,” Mr. Tsuboi said with enthusiasm. At the same time, he said that he asked Mr. Obama to return to Hiroshima because “I don’t want him to think that he has understood the full consequences of the bombing through his 10-minute visit to the museum.” Mr. Tsuboi added, “I could sense his character through his facial expressions and the warmth of his hand. But the exchange was somewhat one-sided and he didn’t make any clear remarks.” He hopes that Mr. Obama will engage in further communication with A-bomb survivors.
Mikiso Iwasa, 87, an A-bomb survivors from Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture and another chair of Nihon Hidakyo, listened to Mr. Obama’s speech with his eyes occasionally cast down.
He said, “I was fated to live the life of a hibakusha [A-bomb survivor], and I’ve been fighting this destiny.” At the time of the bombing, Mr. Iwasa was a first-year student in the advanced course at Shudo Junior High School. He was at home with his mother Kiyoko, then 45, about 1.2 kilometers from the bomb’s hypocenter. He still rues being unable to save his mother after she became trapped under the wreckage of their house. His sister Yoshiko, then 12, was a first-year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls’ High School (now Minami High School). She left home to help with the war effort as a mobilized student, tearing down houses to create a fire lane. Her body was never found.
Mr. Iwasa came to the park with the hope that they did not die in vain. He was moved by Mr. Obama’s call to “reimagine our connection to one another as members of one human race.” He said, “I want to believe that President Obama is doing his best, given tense international conditions, to realize a world without nuclear weapons. I wanted to tell him, ‘Let’s work together.’”
Mr. Obama’s visit to Hiroshima coincided with the 60th anniversary of the founding of Hidankyo. The chairpersons and secretary general of the organization were asked to be present when Mr. Obama visited the park. Terumi Tanaka, 83, the secretary general and a resident of Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, said with feeling, “The government invited us, and it was made possible thanks to our predecessors who began this movement when there was deeply-rooted prejudice and discrimination in our society.”
In 1984, Hidankyo issued its “Basic Demands of the Atomic Bomb Survivors,” which includes the demand that the U.S. government apologize for the atomic bombings. Mr. Obama, however, did not use language that could be interpreted as an apology.
Asked how he felt about Mr. Obama avoiding an apology, Mr. Tanaka said, “I believe the proof of the apology lies in realizing a world free of nuclear weapons.” Mr. Obama used the word “hibakusha” more than once in his speech, which Mr. Tanaka appreciated. He said, “His words made him sound like someone who knows about the hibakusha.”
On the other hand, Mr. Tanaka pointed out that there has been no concrete progress toward nuclear abolition since Mr. Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons in the speech he made in Prague in 2009. “What matters is making advances toward a world without nuclear arms,” Mr. Tanaka said. With a nuclear weapons convention in mind, he said that the next step toward nuclear abolition should be made from a humanitarian point of view.
(Originally published on May 28, 2016)
