80 years on: beyond A-bombs, grandchildren unite for nuclear-free world

Japan Times

9 hours ago

A Japanese woman and an American man whose grandfathers experienced the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from opposite sides have forged an unlikely collaboration to publish a book calling for a world free of nuclear weapons.
One co-author is Kosuzu Harada, 50, a Nagasaki resident and the granddaughter of a double hibakusha, a survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. Her collaborator is Ari Beser, 37, the grandson of a radar operator who flew aboard the U.S. B-29 bombers — Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and Bockscar, which released one on Nagasaki three days later.
Published in July, their book is titled "Kinokogumo no Ue to Shita no Monogatari" (Stories from Above and Below the Mushroom Clouds). It carries the English subtitle "From above and below both mushroom clouds, we became friends."
The co-authors share a belief in the importance of people getting to know one another and engaging in dialogue to build "better relationships" and, ultimately, to "realize a world free of nuclear weapons," Harada said.
Harada's grandfather, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, died in 2010 at the age of 93. Through his writings and lectures, he recounted his experiences as a survivor of both atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II and conveyed the horrors of nuclear weapons.
To carry on his legacy, Harada visits elementary and junior high schools across Japan, sharing his story with students.
Beser's grandfather, Jacob, died in 1992, age 72. Beser said he remembers his elementary school teacher saying: "Oh, everybody knows what your grandfather did. He took part in the mission that ended the war."
Harada and Beser first connected in 2013, after Beser reached out to her. Harada said that when approached, she first thought of her grandfather, who had suffered lasting aftereffects of the atomic bombings, and "was confused about how to respond."
She recalled, however, that her grandfather had lectured in the United States and left behind the message that "nothing is born from hatred." She said she decided to meet Beser, thinking that "my grandfather would surely face this."
When Beser came to Japan, Harada watched him listen earnestly as a filmmaker to the testimonies of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She realized his commitment to a nuclear-free future was genuine.
Beser returned to Nagasaki every year. With each visit, "our bond grew stronger, and we had opportunities to give joint lectures at schools and companies advocating nuclear disarmament," Harada said.
The book traces their grandfathers' lives, drawing on memoirs and other sources, and includes correspondence between Beser and Harada. "I think readers will understand the differences in thinking between the victim's side and the perpetrator's side, as well as between us as grandchildren," Harada said.
The co-authors said it was their sustained dialogue that helped them find common ground.
After 80 years, fewer people remain to share firsthand accounts of the atomic bombings. "It's time for the next generation to inherit this story so we decided to share" it, Beser said.