Korean A-bomb survivors in Japan hold 1st memorial in Hiroshima
The association had planned to hold its own ceremony after a unified memorial commemorating both North and South Korean victims is built, but uncertainty over the project prompted the group to proceed on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
Many Koreans were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the atomic bombs were dropped in August 1945, having come to Japan as conscripted laborers or for economic opportunities. An estimated 70,000 were exposed to the blasts, with about 40,000 dying shortly afterward.
The Hiroshima branch of the pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan, or Mindan, has been holding its own ceremony every year to mark the Aug. 6 bombing at a monument dedicated to South Korean victims in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. Its commemorative ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday this year.
Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 until the end of the war in 1945, and many Koreans came to work in Japan, including as conscripted laborers, amid a labor shortage.
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The Mainichi
9 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Hiroshima marks 80 years since atomic bombing as aging survivors worry about growing nuke threat
HIROSHIMA (AP) -- Hiroshima on Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. "There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years," Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. "That's why I want to share (my story) as much as I can." The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Mayor says world should have learned from tragedy Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance of military buildups and of using nuclear weapons for national security during Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Mideast, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world's nuclear warheads. "These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said. "They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct." He urged younger generations to recognize that such "misguided policies" could cause "utterly inhumane" consequences for their future. "We don't have much time left, while we face a greater nuclear threat than ever," said Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organization of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolishment. "Our biggest challenge now is to change, even just a little, nuclear weapons states that give us the cold shoulder," the organization said in its statement. Prayers, tributes and hope About 55,000 people, including representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, attended the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city's mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves, a symbol of peace, were released after the mayor's speech. Hours before the official ceremony, as the sun rose over Hiroshima, survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the Peace Memorial Park, near the hypocenter of the nuclear blast 80 years ago. Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree, came to honor his grandfather and two cousins who died in the bombing and prayed that the "mistake" will never be repeated. "We do not need nuclear weapons," Miyoshi said. "There is hope," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement read by Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, noting Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize and countries' re-commitment to a nuclear free world in "the Pact for the Future" adopted last year. Guterres stressed the importance to carry forward the survivors' testimony and message of peace and added: "Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today and in the future." Near Hiroshima's iconic Atomic Bomb Dome under high security, more than 200 protesters gathered, holding posters and flags carrying messages such as "No Nuke, Stop War" and "Free Gaza! No more genocide" while chanting slogans. Local police said two people were arrested in separate cases, each on suspicion of assaulting a security guard. Survivors want nuclear abolishment, not deterrence Wednesday's anniversary comes at a time when possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. Some survivors said they were disappointed by President Donald Trump's recent remark justifying Washington's attack on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government. "It's ridiculous," said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother's womb. "I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant." In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday that he was praying that the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima "will serve as a call to the international community to renew its commitment to pursuing peace for our own human family." Japan seeks US nuclear protection Japan's government has rejected the survivors' request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings as observers because it is under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Matsui, the city's mayor, in his speech Wednesday, urged Japan's government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, a request also made by several groups of survivors in their meeting with Ishiba after the ceremony. Ishiba, in a speech, reiterated his government's pledge to work toward a world without nuclear weapons, but did not mention the treaty and again indicated his government's support for nuclear weapons possession for deterrence. At a news conference later Wednesday, Ishiba justified Japan's reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence, saying Japan, which follows a non-nuclear principle, is surrounded by neighbors that possess nuclear weapons. The stance, he said, does not contradict Japan's pursuit of a nuclear-free world. Past prime ministers have stressed Japan's status as the world's only country to have suffered nuclear attacks and have said Japan is determined to pursue peace, but survivors say it's a hollow promise. The Japanese government has only paid compensation to war veterans and their families, even though survivors have sought redress for civilian victims. They have also sought acknowledgment by the U.S. government of its responsibility for the civilian deaths.
10 hours ago
80 Years On: Orphaned Hibakusha Conveys Reality of A-Bomb
News from Japan Society Aug 6, 2025 08:30 (JST) Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--An 83-year-old orphaned hibakusha atomic bomb survivor continues to speak out about the reality of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 80 years ago. Kunihiko Iida was 3 years old when the United States dropped the bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II. He has made it his mission to share his experience, believing that conveying the truth of the bomb will "lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons." Iida was exposed to the bombing with his 25-year-old mother, Toshiko, and his 4-year-old sister, Makiko, in the home of Toshiko's parents roughly 900 meters from the hypocenter. After a flash of light, Iida was blown into the air with the tatami mat under him, and shards of glass pierced his face and arms. Exposure to the bomb discolored their bodies and caused their hair to fall out. They fled to the home of his mother's cousin, but his mother and sister both suffered necrosis starting in their legs and died a month after the bombing. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Hiroshima A-bomb ceremony 'enlightening' for foreign visitors
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Foreign visitors attending the 80th anniversary ceremony of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima said Wednesday's event serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of nuclear war. Craig Whitehead, an Australian on his third visit to Hiroshima, attended the ceremony for the first time. He said the experience was "enlightening." While the 51-year-old remembers learning about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in school, the focus was on the Australian and American side. "It is nice to get a wider perspective of the history around what happened, but also a reminder about how close we are to it happening again," said Whitehead. "Even that word 'hibakusha,' I just learned that today." The ceremony was attended by around 55,000 people, including officials from a record 120 nations and regions, according to the city. Some visitors came by chance but found the experience equally meaningful. Luca Milan, a 24-year-old student from Italy, said he only realized the ceremony was taking place when he tried to book a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum for Wednesday morning and found it was closed. Milan said he learned of the bombings from his grandfather, who fought in World War II, during which Italy was for a time allied with Japan and Germany as part of the Axis powers. While he watched the ceremony on a large screen from outside the official seating area, he praised its succinctness and said it was "beautiful." Meanwhile, Raj Mody, a Canadian who attended the ceremony as part of a group organized by the Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation Foundation of New York Ltd., said he felt the museum was more "illuminating" than the ceremony itself. Still, the 63-year-old Canadian acknowledged the value of the event, saying schools all over the world should view a live telecast of the ceremony every year because "the young are the future." While all noted that the current geopolitical environment makes the abolition of nuclear arms an unrealistic goal, they voiced hopes that the annual memorial ceremony would make leaders think seriously about using weapons of mass destruction. Even when all survivors are gone, "indefinitely, we should continue (this ceremony) until people realize how nasty nuclear weapons can be," Mody said. "Keep going," Whitehead agreed. "Keep going for as long as they have to, because it keeps that memory in their mind about what the devastation is like, not just on that particular day, but in the long term."
