NAGASAKI -- The Nagasaki Atomicbomb Survivors Council will publish a commemorative memoir -- featuring the testimonies of victims and their wish for peace -- to mark Aug. 9, the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
One of the survivors, Mariko Kawaguchi, contributed her story for the first time.
"I've ignored the painful memories for a long time, but I decided to give testimony this time, hoping that nuclear weapons will never be used again. I want young people to read it," she said.
Kawaguchi, then aged 10, suffered after the bombing in the then village of Togitsu (now in the town of Togitsu), where she fled for safety. On the day of the bombing she recalls being with other family members at home, where they were suddenly surrounded by a flash of light before being hit by a roaring sound and blast.
None of her family was injured, but at a nearby hospital she saw others -- with faces swollen like pumpkins from burns -- being unloaded from trucks on beds one after another.
After that, Kawaguchi, with her mother and younger sister, went to look for her 17-year-old sister who was working at Mitsubishi Electric Corp,'s Nagasaki Works in Nagasaki City, where they were exposed to radiation. She saw people dying as they searched for water in a burning city. Seventy-five years on, the memories still remain, but she has not shared them with family in detail because they are too painful to recall.
Even so, the council's chairman, Shigemitsu Tanaka, asked Kawaguchi to share her experience, saying: "There are only a few atomic bomb survivors who know about that time. So, please share your memories, if you have any." Kawaguchi then decided to speak about her experiences on this milestone occasion, with feelings of wanting to console victims.
In addition to interviews with Tanaka, Kawaguchi included part of an experience that her late sister, who passed away in 2016 at age 88, shared with a local newspaper under the title of "My sister and our atomic bombing experiences: An unforgettable view of that day."
The memoir concluded with: "We want to see inhumane nuclear weapons and war eliminated, and a peaceful world created."
Kawaguchi said, "I want young people to realize what happens if we use nuclear weapons."
The council has published commemorative memoirs on such occasions as the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing. This year's memoir is titled "For peace: Living through the 75 years after the atomic bombing," compiling the testimonies and personal notes of about 60 survivors, as well as photos that show damage caused by the bomb. It sells for 1,500 yen (including tax) and is donated to schools and libraries in Nagasaki Prefecture.
"I want to convey the wishes of victims who believe that peace will come when each one of us take action," Tanaka said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
