For nearly 70 years, Lee Jong Kyun has hidden his past as a survivor of the atomic bomb, fearing widespread discrimination against the victims of the long-running explosion in Japan. Kyon, 92, is now part of a rapidly diminishing group of survivors, known as "Hibakusha," which means "those affected by the bomb." These witnesses to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and what happened 75 years ago, want to reach a younger generation to tell them what happened.
While the hope of the Hibakusha members diminishes, with an average age of more than 83 years, many of whom suffer the long-term effects of radiation, there is a sense of deep frustration at the stalled progress in global efforts to ban nuclear weapons. According to a survey conducted by the Asahi newspaper that included 768 survivors, a third of them said that their desire for a nuclear-free world is not widely shared by the rest of humanity, and more than 70% called on the Japanese government to ratify the Treaty banning nuclear weapons.
"I can't live for another 50 years," said Coco Kondo, 75, who was an eight-month-old girl, in her mother's arms, when their house collapsed as a result of the explosion, which occurred one kilometer away. Complete, and this means that we must abolish nuclear weapons now. ”
Even after many years, Kondo stresses, there are still a lot of nuclear weapons. "We are not shouting loudly enough for the whole world to hear," she added. The first American atomic bombing killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima; While a second nuclear attack, on Nagasaki, on August 9, 1945, killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending that conflict that began with its attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 while trying to invade Asia.
About 20,000 Koreans residing in Hiroshima are believed to have been killed in the nuclear attack. The city, a wartime military center, had a large number of Korean workers, including those who were forced to work without pay, in mines and factories, under Japanese colonization of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
pariah
On the morning of August 6, 1945, 16-year-old Keon, a second-generation Korean born in Japan, was on his way to work for the Japan National Railways Authority in Hiroshima, when the uranium bomb called "the little boy" exploded. , And the whole sky turned yellowish orange. Keon suffered severe burns in his neck that took four months to heal. On his return to work, his coworkers were not approaching him, saying that he had the "A bomb" disease. Little was known about the effects of the bomb, and many believed that radiation looked like an infectious disease. Husbands were also concerned about the genetic harm that could be passed on to children.
Keon was harassed at school because of his Korean background, and his classmates mocked the smell of "kimchi" in his lunch box. And revealing that he was also a victim of the atomic bomb meant more trouble. Keon lived in a Japanese name, "Masaichi Igawa", until he revealed his identity during a cruise, only eight years ago, as the survivors of the atomic bomb shared their stories.
"Being Korean and also (Hibakusha) means double discrimination," Keon said. Survivors of the two bombs had no government support until 1957, when their years-long efforts paid off with official medical support. But the strict screening system left many of those still seeking compensation with little or no support. Assistance to survivors outside Japan was delayed until the 1980s.
Justify the attack
The atomic bombings led to a nuclear arms race in the Cold War, and the United States justified the explosions as a way to save a large number of lives, by preventing the bloody invasion of Japan and ending the war, a view that has been accepted by many Americans. But neighbor Albrovitz, author of "Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb," said that documentary records show that, during wartime, American leaders were aware of Japan's imminent surrender and that the bombings were not necessary militarily.
Kondo, who survived the blast as a child, is the daughter of Priest Kiyoshi Tanimoto, one of six survivors of the atomic bomb, who appeared in the book "Hiroshima", of the author, John Hersey. For decades, the survivor struggled to cope with the pain her teenager suffered, as well as her fiance's reluctance.
She was about 40 years old, when she decided to follow her father's path and become a peace activist. He was inspired by his recent sermon, in which he spoke of dedicating his life to healing Hiroshima. And this year, the frustration of survivors is even greater because the peace events leading up to the memorial celebration on August 6 have been largely canceled or curtailed amid the Corona virus pandemic.
For the first time in more than a decade, Kaiko Ogura will not provide the English translation for a guided tour of the Hiroshima Peace Park.
Ogura was eight years old when she saw a bright flash, outside her home, about two kilometers from the site of the atomic explosion. She fell to the ground to wake up from her little brother's crying, and the rubble of their house was burning.
Constant suffering
Kaiko Ogura did not know that her suffering had started. Her relatives and family friends told her to hide her status as "Hibakusha", otherwise no one would marry her. She held her past for decades, until her husband, a peace activist, died and decided to continue his efforts. It created a group of activists for peace.
Her relatives asked her not to mention them in her letters. Ogura, 83, said in an online press conference, lastly, that the reason is that "people are still suffering", following "the impact of radiation, fear of it and suffering, are things that were not felt during the moment of the explosion, just as we are still living with it to this day" .
Survivors fought silently for their rights. Archive
"I want every child to live a full life, and this means that we must abolish nuclear weapons," said Coco Kondo, 75, who was an eight-month-old girl, in her mother’s arms, when their house collapsed as a result of the explosion, which occurred one kilometer away. right Now".
20 thousand Koreans residing in Hiroshima were killed in the nuclear attack.
Yellow and orange colors ... then white
Riko Hada was nine years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her city, Nagasaki, at 11.02 am, on August 9, 1945. Earlier that morning, there was a warning of an airstrike, so Riko stayed at home.
She went to where the children in her neighborhood were studying, instead of going to school, because of the repeated airstrikes warnings. After about 40 minutes of studying at the temple, the teachers finished the class, and Rico returned home.
"I got to the entrance to my house, and I think I took a step inside," said Rico, "and then it all happened suddenly." "I received a blazing light in my eyes, and the colors were yellow and orange, all mixed, and I had no time to wonder what happened, then everything became completely white."
"I felt like I was left alone," she remembers the Japanese survivor. And at the next moment there was a loud voice. ” Soon after, the authorities asked the people to go to a shelter from air strikes, and Rico went with her mother there.
The girl was unharmed, as Mount Conbira saved her.
Rico Hada was unharmed during the attack on Nagasaki. Archive
Continued frustration
The survivors of the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945 are frustrated that they cannot see a world without nuclear weapons in their lives. Meanwhile, Japan has refused to sign or ratify the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which took effect in 2017.
"No matter how small, we must continue our efforts," says Kaiko Ogura. "I will continue to talk as long as I am alive," she said.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, more than 300,000 Hibakusha have died since the attacks, including 9254 last year.
"For me, the war is not over," said Michiko Kodama, 82, who survived the bombing but lost most of her relatives to cancer. After years of atomic bombing, a hospital receptionist read the survivor's case aloud, causing a patient, who was sitting next to her, to move away.
While fear, prejudice, and discrimination persist, nuclear weapons still exist, and we do not have much time left. Kodama says, "I want to tell our story to younger generations when I can." Continue, "If someone wants to hear my story, I will go anywhere and talk."