Efforts to convey A-bomb testimony Two obstacles to the obstacles August 6th 18:05

It has been 75 years since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6.
Efforts are being made to convey the memory of war to posterity throughout the country. Efforts are underway to compile the testimony collections of the atomic bomb survivors that were once made. However, there were two obstacles to this effort.
It was "copyright" and "new coronavirus".
(Video center photographer Shinpei Terada)

Releasing the testimony of the A-bomb

"I'm hot! It's painful! Help me! Screams and moans

." "I can't say "I'm in the atomic bomb." I couldn't talk to each other because of my weight. I was worried with my unborn baby..."

Both are valuable testimonies of the hibakusha.

As the hibakusha become older and it is difficult to pass on the memories of the hibakusha, the words of the survivors are becoming more important year by year.
After the war, groups of victims of A-bombing all over the country have published these voices of victims as notes and testimonies, but there are a number of groups that disband due to the aging of A-bomb victims, and the testimony collection is not sufficiently stored. , And how to pass it on to future generations is a major issue.

I don't want to lose a piece

This is a collection of testimonies, "The Peace Bell on the Atomic Bomb," published by the Wakusa no Kai, a group of atomic bomb survivors in Nara Prefecture.
This collection of testimonials was published between 1986 and 1995 and contains testimonies of a total of 63 A-bomb victims.

However, since the group disbanded in 2006, some have embarked on efforts to compile and republish this testimony.
I'm Naoto Iriya (47), a Buddhist image repairman living in Nara.

Mr. Iriya, whose maternal home is in Hiroshima, was born in Hiroshima, and every summer he went to Hiroshima and listened to the voices of the hibakusha.
When the group disbanded, I investigated about the atomic bomb survivors in Nara prefecture and found that only a few testimonials were left, and that many people could not come in contact with this valuable material. Then, he said, he felt that the voices left by the atomic bomb survivors in Nara prefecture would be buried.

Mr. Tadashi Iritani
"I think that not only the survivors but also many people who have experienced the war are praying for peace by leaving their own tragic experiences. If possible, I don't want to lose the voice that left me.

Standing wall copyright

Mr. Iriya, who started volunteering five years ago to try to publish this testimony book again, faced an unexpected wall.
That is "copyright."

The copyright of this testimony was initially held by the organization.
However, due to the dissolution of the group, the copyright will be transferred to the survivors and their survivors, and in the case of reissue or secondary use on the Internet, etc., consent from the survivors and their survivors is required. became.
Mr. Iriya asked people in the group, checked his contact information, and visited him directly, but he had already moved or died, and he could not even meet him, so he did not proceed as expected.
Some people refused to cooperate even if they could finally meet, and there were cases in which consent could not be obtained.

Tsuru impatience The wall of the new coronavirus

A further challenge was the barrier to the spread of new coronavirus infection.
For Mr. Iriya, who has had a first-hand interview, considering the risk of infection, it is not possible to meet elderly survivors and survivors.
Since March this year, I have stopped visiting directly and contacted them by phone or letter.

"This phone number is not currently in use." On

August 1, Mr. Iriya called 4 people, but none of them could be reached, and 2 of them were unused It became even harder.
Since March, no one has been able to obtain consent.
So far, only 13 out of 63 people have obtained consent.

As much as possible, Mr. Iriya places great importance on meeting and talking with survivors and survivors.
You may hear the situation of the A-bomb that was not mentioned in the testimony, or you may talk about the situation of your life after that.

Some of the bereaved families give me personal belongings such as a diary and a record of my life, and I am worried that I cannot meet them directly due to the spread of infection.

Do not stop walking

Nevertheless, Mr. Iriya plans to publish a book in spring next year, summarizing only the testimony he has obtained consent to.

On August 1, we had a meeting with a group that is working together to publish the book.
At the meeting, there were some concerns that there was no prospect of obtaining approval for the spread of the new coronavirus infection, but Mr. Iriya wants to continue his activities as much as possible.

Mr. Tadashi Iritani
“The new coronavirus made it difficult to find new hibakusha, but I will have to prepare for this time during the corona time, so I will have to prepare. I want to make good use of that work.''

The testimony of the bombed area is also a copyright barrier

Is there another case like this?

The National Memorial Hall for Peace and Peace in Hiroshima City states that there is no problem as it confirms that the documents will be included in the exhibition or booklet when the testimony from the atomic bomb victims is obtained in the hall.

On the other hand, at the National Memorial Hall for Peace Memorial in Nagasaki, the atomic bomb survivor, the work of obtaining permission for each surviving family member and survivor of the copyright regarding the experience of 30,000 people called "Kuromoto" Because of the enormous volume, it is not possible to post on the Internet or out of the library.

Experts also feel a sense of crisis

Honorary Director Ikuo Anzai of the International Peace Museum at Ritsumeikan University, which has been collecting materials related to the atomic bombing for many years, is not clear about where copyright is located at the time of writing the testimonials. It is pointed out that there are many materials in Japan that are difficult to issue or secondary use.

Honorary Director Ikuro Anzai
"There may be tens of thousands of similar cases nationwide. With the aging of A-bomb survivors and the increasing value of past testimony, the effect of copyright is serious. If you do so, you need to take measures to prevent copyright problems in the future, such as transferring the copyright to another organization."

Correspondence of country

Regarding this situation, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has established a system to use copyrights individually when the copyright holder is unknown, where it is not known, or where the heir is and where it is. It means that it corresponds.

However, Mr. Iriya thinks that it is a delicate issue of being exposed to the atomic bomb and that it is important to meet with the survivors and their survivors as directly as possible to hear their thoughts. I want to continue my activities.

"Connecting" is what we are living in now

There are words that Mr. Iriya repeatedly spoke during the interview.

It is a word that "things that have been lost cannot be recovered again."
For Mr. Iriya, who works on repairing numerous Buddha statues, he feels that the damaged Buddha statues are handed down by human hands.

Each word left by the A-bomb victims expresses the feeling that they do not want the war to happen again.
Through the interview, I felt once again how important it is to face the voices of the A-bomb survivors and to take over even if there are many obstacles.

Video Center Photographer
Shinpei Terada