"I want my family to repeat it," voices of A-bomb survivors who watched the G7 summit visit May 5 at 19:16

The leaders of the G7 Hiroshima Summit visited the Peace Park in Hiroshima City today and inspected the Atomic Bomb Museum. This was the first time that the leaders of the G7 visited the Atomic Bomb Museum together.

These are the voices of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima who watched the event on TV.
(We will update it from time to time after this)

G7 Hiroshima Summit: Leaders Gather to Peace Park

"The devastation of the atomic bomb may be resonating more than before"

Toshiko Tanaka, 6, was exposed to the atomic bomb at the age of 2 about 3.84 kilometers from the hypocenter. He lost his relatives and many classmates in the atomic bombing, and was so traumatized that he could not talk about his experience of the atomic bombing for more than 60 years.

However, when I visited South America for international exchange, the local people told me, "You have a responsibility to talk about your experience of the atomic bombing," and I changed my mind, and when I turned 70, I started testimony. He began learning English in his late 70s and gives lectures without an interpreter.

Today, I watched on TV the G7 leaders' visit to the Peace Park.

Mr. Tanaka commented on the expression on President Biden's face when he came out of the Atomic Bomb Museum, saying, "He looked so serious and painful that I felt that the devastation of the atomic bombing resonated in President Biden's heart more than before."

He added, "The stories of the A-bomb survivors are the stories of people who saw the atomic bombing right in front of their eyes, and I want the leaders to take that story to heart in their politics. I want the world to move in the direction of eliminating nuclear weapons."

"At the end of the summit, a declaration of the abolition of nuclear weapons will be made"

Hiroshi Morishita was exposed to the atomic bomb about 14.1 kilometers from the hypocenter at the age of 5 and suffered serious burns to his face and body.

Mr. Morishita said, "With the military invasion of Ukraine and the stalled debate on the abolition of nuclear weapons, I hope that by looking at the exhibits in the museum, we will think that this tragic event was not only in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also in the future."

He then said, "At the end of the summit, I would like you to declare the abolition of nuclear weapons and appeal your stance on nuclear weapons to the world."

"Isn't the time for the inspection short?"

Tomoyuki Minomaki, President of the Hiroshima Prefectural Hidankyo, watched the G7 leaders visit the Peace Park on television.

Commenting on the 40-minute visit to the Atomic Bomb Museum by the leaders of each country, Minomaki said, "I think the time is short, and there is no way we can see many things in this time, and we may not be able to get to the point where we understand the devastation."

On top of that, he said, "I would like to know the details of what was what minutes, including the bookkeeping and testimonies of the A-bomb survivors, and I would like to hear what you thought of what you saw, how much, and how you felt about it."

"Very significant, but if you want to visit in an open way"

This is Mr. Tetsu Kawasaki, who serves as a member of the International Steering Committee of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Aikyan = (Aikyan Prefecture). "I think it is very meaningful, and although many of the exhibits are horrific, I would like you to look at each one without looking away."

On the other hand, regarding the fact that the visit to the museum was not open to the public, he said, "It would have been even better if there was an open tour," and said, "It takes a long time for the leaders to arrive, so I would like them to see the many exhibits carefully without wasting time."