Survey by Peace Memorial Museum reveals that number of A-bomb survivors sharing their experiences has declined to 150
Jun. 6, 2017
by Kanako Noda, Staff Writer
According to a survey conducted by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the first of its kind, the number of A-bomb survivors still actively sharing their A-bomb experiences with others has declined to 150. With the population of survivors decreasing due to their advancing age, such opportunities to listen to their experiences have become even more precious. Under these circumstances, the museum is encouraging survivors to write down their accounts or have their testimonies captured on video so that their messages can be conveyed to the generations that follow.
Last September, the museum initiated a survey of 16 groups of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and one group in Hatsukaichi, groups that offer survivors the chance to share their A-bomb experience with others. The survey sought the names of survivors who had shared their A-bomb account one or more times during fiscal year 2015. The groups in Hiroshima provided the names of 106 survivors and, in addition, there were 44 people registered with the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation as speakers of A-bomb accounts. (The overlap of those found in both sets of figures was excluded.) Among those who included their age along with their name, the oldest speaker was 95 years old. At the same time, one group in Hiroshima and the group in Hatsukaichi said that none of their members had shared their A-bomb experience during that year.
The survey also asked if those who had shared their experience had also recounted that experience on video (including any recordings made by the group itself) or written down their account. The museum then followed up on the groups’ responses and found that 83 of the 150 people, or 55.3% of the total, have had their account videotaped, but for the other 67, either a video has not been made or the status is unknown. Regarding a written account, 123 people, or 82% of the total, have taken this step.
A staff member of the museum’s Outreach Division offered an analysis of the survey by saying, “Before we did the survey, we had estimated that there were about 200 A-bomb survivors actively offering their testimony, but the results confirm that this number has declined.” In early May, the museum called on the groups that took part in the survey to make use of the projects being pursued by other organizations, such as participating in the videotaping sessions organized by the museum or having staff from the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims write down the survivors’ accounts on their behalf.
According to data provided by the City of Hiroshima, as of the end of this past March, holders of the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate, which is issued by the city, total 53,340 people. That number has decreased by 24,771 over the past decade. The average age of the A-bomb survivors is now 80.9. Yoshihiko Suwa, the deputy director of the museum, said, “All of these groups are concerned that someday they will no longer be able to offer personal testimonies of the A-bomb survivors’ experiences to others. We would like them to take advantage of these projects so that their experiences can be conveyed to younger generations.”
(Originally published on June 6, 2017)
According to a survey conducted by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the first of its kind, the number of A-bomb survivors still actively sharing their A-bomb experiences with others has declined to 150. With the population of survivors decreasing due to their advancing age, such opportunities to listen to their experiences have become even more precious. Under these circumstances, the museum is encouraging survivors to write down their accounts or have their testimonies captured on video so that their messages can be conveyed to the generations that follow.
Last September, the museum initiated a survey of 16 groups of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and one group in Hatsukaichi, groups that offer survivors the chance to share their A-bomb experience with others. The survey sought the names of survivors who had shared their A-bomb account one or more times during fiscal year 2015. The groups in Hiroshima provided the names of 106 survivors and, in addition, there were 44 people registered with the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation as speakers of A-bomb accounts. (The overlap of those found in both sets of figures was excluded.) Among those who included their age along with their name, the oldest speaker was 95 years old. At the same time, one group in Hiroshima and the group in Hatsukaichi said that none of their members had shared their A-bomb experience during that year.
The survey also asked if those who had shared their experience had also recounted that experience on video (including any recordings made by the group itself) or written down their account. The museum then followed up on the groups’ responses and found that 83 of the 150 people, or 55.3% of the total, have had their account videotaped, but for the other 67, either a video has not been made or the status is unknown. Regarding a written account, 123 people, or 82% of the total, have taken this step.
A staff member of the museum’s Outreach Division offered an analysis of the survey by saying, “Before we did the survey, we had estimated that there were about 200 A-bomb survivors actively offering their testimony, but the results confirm that this number has declined.” In early May, the museum called on the groups that took part in the survey to make use of the projects being pursued by other organizations, such as participating in the videotaping sessions organized by the museum or having staff from the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims write down the survivors’ accounts on their behalf.
According to data provided by the City of Hiroshima, as of the end of this past March, holders of the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate, which is issued by the city, total 53,340 people. That number has decreased by 24,771 over the past decade. The average age of the A-bomb survivors is now 80.9. Yoshihiko Suwa, the deputy director of the museum, said, “All of these groups are concerned that someday they will no longer be able to offer personal testimonies of the A-bomb survivors’ experiences to others. We would like them to take advantage of these projects so that their experiences can be conveyed to younger generations.”
(Originally published on June 6, 2017)
