Latest news with #A-bomb
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Hiroshima boy guides tourists and shares message of peace
Shun Sasaki works as a volunteer guide for foreign visitors at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima's Naka Ward on July 10, 2025. His bib is signed with messages from the people he has guided. (Mainichi/Takehiko Onishi) HIROSHIMA -- Shun Sasaki, 12, is a sixth-grade student at Hiroshima municipal Gion Elementary School. He and one other child will read this year's Children's Commitment to Peace on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6. Shun's great-grandmother was a hibakusha, or A-bomb survivor. Shun works as a volunteer guide, speaking English to tourists at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Read the full English article Read the original Japanese article In July, Shun greeted a foreign family at Peace Memorial Park. He told them about the Atomic Bomb Dome and why the city keeps it, so people remember the tragedy and do not repeat it. When a man tried to give Shun money, he said, "Time is money" and did not take it. Shun gave out paper cranes and asked people to share what they learned. In these photos from a folder Shun Sasaki uses when guiding tourists, his great-grandmother Yuriko is seen, in Hiroshima's Naka Ward on July 10, 2025. (Mainichi/Takehiko Onishi) Shun started listening to English learning materials when he was only 7 months old. By age 4, he could speak his thoughts in English. He became interested in Peace Memorial Park in first grade. He asked his mother, "Why do they keep (the A-bomb Dome) when it's so dilapidated? They should tear it down and build something new." His mother said, "Let's look it up together." They learned about the bombing and the city's recovery. Shun likes to talk to foreign visitors. Once, he could not answer a tourist's question, so he studied more. His mother suggested, "Why don't you be a guide at Peace Memorial Park?" Shun started guiding on Aug. 6, 2021. Now, he guides tourists twice a month at seven places in the park. He uses quizzes and tells people about local okonomiyaki restaurants. Shun also shares his great-grandmother Yuriko's story. Yuriko was 12 when the bomb exploded. She was trapped under her ruined house but was saved by her father. They escaped to a safer place. Yuriko later had cancer and died at 69. Her name is in the register of A-bomb victims. Shun learned about Yuriko from his grandfather. Shun said, "I never thought there'd be a hibakusha in my family. It was a shock to know someone close to me experienced the tragedy." He also said, "Now that I know, I must share it." Shun Sasaki, far right, guides foreign visitors to Hiroshima in English at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima's Naka Ward on July 10, 2025. (Mainichi/Takehiko Onishi) That March, Shun met an American tourist who changed his mind about nuclear weapons after hearing Shun's story. A Dutch man also said he learned something new. Shun said, "I learned that when I'm guiding, people's hearts can be moved." He also said that the wars happening in the world are "really scary. Wars happen because people can't accept differences in other countries' cultures and ways of thinking. Even in daily life I guess it's important to search for the good in other people, not just the bad things." Shun and another student were chosen from over 10,000 sixth graders to read the Children's Commitment to Peace. He said, "Many people don't know the true nature of the tragedy. Rather than what's right or wrong, I want people to know the facts." (Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video Department) Vocabulary hibakusha: a person who survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima or Nagasaki tragedy: a very sad or terrible event dilapidated: old and in bad condition pledge: a serious promise register: an official list anniversary: a special day to remember something that happened in the past commitment: a promise to do something abolished: ended or stopped completely
Kyodo News
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 16, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Toyota subsidiary mulls producing EV batteries in China NAGOYA - A hybrid car battery subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. is considering manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles at its factory in China amid the rapid spread of EVs in the country, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc. currently operates three buildings at its Dalian factory to produce batteries for hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The local government is looking to build and lease out a fourth facility at the site for PPES, the sources said. ---------- Nagasaki A-bomb ceremony set to see record international attendance NAGASAKI - The mayor of Nagasaki said Tuesday that a record 107 countries and regions, along with the European Union, have signaled plans to attend this year's ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city in August. The previous record was set last year, when 100 nations and regions, plus the EU, took part. Mayor Shiro Suzuki said the city will announce the list of participants later, after sending invitations to all those with diplomatic missions in Japan. ---------- Trump says Indonesia to face 19% tariff under trade deal WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has struck a trade deal with Indonesia, under which goods from the Southeast Asian country will face a lowered tariff rate of 19 percent. In exchange for sharply reducing the rate, Trump told reporters at the White House, the United States will have full market access to Indonesia. ---------- China's Xi, Australian PM seek trade expansion amid Trump tariffs BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated their willingness to boost bilateral trade on Tuesday, according to their governments, as the two countries face steep tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. During a meeting with Albanese at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi hailed the improvement in Sino-Australian ties, saying their relationship has risen from "setback and turned around, bringing tangible benefits" to both peoples. ---------- Typhoon Nari makes landfall on Japan's Hokkaido, 1st time since 2016 TOKYO - Typhoon Nari crossed the Hokkaido coast on Tuesday, making it the first landfall by a typhoon on Japan's northernmost main island since 2016, before weakening to a storm, the weather agency said. The typhoon made landfall near Cape Erimo at the southern tip of Hokkaido around 2 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. ---------- Body of man found in Tokyo home in suspected suicide by hunting gun TOKYO - The body of a man who died in a suspected suicide was found in his Tokyo home on Tuesday evening, after police hours earlier received a call from someone saying they intended to use a hunting gun to end their life. The Metropolitan Police Department briefly restricted access to the vicinity of the residence in the Japanese capital's Adachi Ward and urged neighbors not to leave their homes. ---------- Hunter missing on Hokkaido mountain after brown bear sighting nearby SAPPORO - A male hunter in his 50s has gone missing on Mt. Esan in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, local authorities said Tuesday, raising concern over his safety as a brown bear was sighted in the area three days earlier. Police and firefighters have launched a search operation, said authorities in Hakodate, where the 618-meter mountain is located close to a number of residential areas and schools. ---------- Football: Germain nets again, Japan beat S. Korea in East Asian final YONGIN, South Korea - Ryo Germain built on his impressive form with an early strike as Japan held on to beat South Korea 1-0 to claim their second successive East Asian E-1 men's football championship on Tuesday. Germain scored his fifth goal of the tournament just eight minutes into the winner-take-all finale, volleying in a cross from Yuki Soma at Yongin Mireu Stadium in a Seoul suburb. ---------- Video: Hakata Gion Festival in Fukuoka
The Mainichi
14-07-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Boy, 12, guides foreign visitors to Hiroshima in English, conveys suffering of war
HIROSHIMA -- "We want to convey the message that even when the war has ended, the suffering that remains with people lasts a lifetime," says Shun Sasaki, 12, a sixth-grade student at Hiroshima municipal Gion Elementary School. He is one of the two children to read out this year's Children's Commitment to Peace on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6. His great-grandmother was a hibakusha, or A-bomb survivor, and he has worked as a volunteer guide, speaking fluently in English to tourists visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in the city's Naka Ward. In early July, as the harsh sun beat down on Peace Memorial Park, Shun approached a foreign family and greeted them with a "Hello" and began guiding them. Holding materials in one hand and gazing toward the Atomic Bomb Dome, he informed them that the city had decided to preserve the building to ensure that the tragedy of the atomic bombing is never repeated. The family, who had initially appeared confused, began to listen intently. When a foreign man tried to hand Shun 1,000 yen (about $6.80) to thank him, he responded, "Time is money" and declined to take it. More people began to gather, and before long a large circle of listeners had formed. Shun finished his guiding by handing out handmade paper cranes and urged people to tell their friends what they had heard. Shun began listening to infant-oriented English educational materials "as play tools" when he was just 7 months old, and by the age of 4 he had gotten to the stage where he was able to convey his thoughts in English. The English materials were free samples that his mother Mio, 40, had gotten from a magazine. He began to take an interest in Peace Memorial Park when he was in his first year of elementary school. He looked at the Atomic Bomb Dome and wondered, "Why do they keep it when it's so dilapidated? They should tear it down and build something new." When he asked his mother about it, she said, "Let's look it up together," and they got information online and at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, learning about the history of the bombing and reconstruction. When Shun saw foreigners at places he visited, he would approach them without shyness, and actively talk to them. But one time after he told a foreign tourist standing in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome about the history of the structure, he was unable to answer a question, which left him frustrated. With further study, his knowledge increased, and his mother suggested, "Why don't you be a guide at Peace Memorial Park?" He made his debut on Aug. 6, 2021, the 76th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. He was in his second year of elementary school at the time. Now, twice a month, he guides foreign tourists at seven locations within the park, including the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. To engage visitors, he incorporates quizzes and recommends local "okonomiyaki" pancake restaurants. During his tours, Shun shares the experience of his great-grandmother Yuriko, an A-bomb survivor, through photographs. Yuriko was 12 years old at the time and was at her home 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter when the bomb exploded. She was trapped under the rubble of the home, but was rescued by her father, and together they fled to a place in what is today known as the Itsukaichi-cho district of Hiroshima's Saeki Ward, about 10 kilometers away. Yuriko contracted breast cancer at the age of 38 and bowel cancer at the age of 60, and passed away at the age of 69. Her name is said to be included in the register of A-bomb victims. Shun learned about Yuriko's experience as a survivor of the bombing from his grandfather after starting to guide. "I never thought there'd be a hibakusha in my family. It was a shock to know someone close to me experienced the tragedy," he said. "At the same time, he felt a growing responsibility, thinking, "Now that I know, I must share it." This was also the first time Shun's parents learned about Yuriko's past. In March this year, Shun encountered a tourist who remains in his memory. It was an American man aged around 40. After Shun guided him, the man revealed he had thought that nuclear weapons could prevent war, but hearing Shun changed his mind and he agreed that nuclear weapons should be abolished. A Dutch man standing nearby, meanwhile, said he had learned that nuclear weapons had ended the war but he now felt this was wrong. Shun says, "I learned that when I'm guiding, people's hearts can be moved," and he felt what he was doing was worthwhile. At the same time, he said of the unending wars around the world, "It's really scary. Wars happen because people can't accept differences in other countries' cultures and ways of thinking. Even in daily life I guess it's important to search for the good in other people, not just the bad things." As this year's anniversary of the atomic bombing approaches, Shun was one of two children chosen from 10,465 sixth graders in the city of Hiroshima who wrote opinion essays, to serve as representatives for the Children's Commitment to Peace. "Many people don't know the true nature of the tragedy. Rather than what's right or wrong, I want people to know the facts," Shun says. Through the pledge, he hopes to convey his message to the world. (Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video Department)
Kyodo News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 14, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan emperor, empress describe trip to Mongolia as "truly memorable" TOKYO - Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Sunday described their visit to Mongolia as "truly memorable" as they concluded a trip aimed at affirming the two nations' enduring friendship and commemorating war victims. "We were able to directly feel the rich history and culture of Mongolia, as well as its natural wonders," they said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency, recalling the first state visit to Mongolia by a Japanese emperor. ---------- Nearly 70% of A-bomb survivors concerned about nuclear arms use: poll OSAKA - Nearly 70 percent of atomic bomb survivors believe nuclear weapons could be used again, with many citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's weapons development, according to a Kyodo News survey conducted ahead of the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan. Many respondents were also not optimistic that last year's Nobel Peace Prize win for Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors, would help bring about a world without nuclear weapons, with more than 60 percent expecting little or no change. ---------- Sumo: Grand champions Onosato, Hoshoryu open Nagoya meet with wins NAGOYA - Onosato made a solid start to his yokozuna career, while fellow grand champion Hoshoryu overcame one of his most troublesome opponents Sunday as the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament opened at IG Arena. The 25-year-old Onosato, the first Japanese-born yokozuna since the January 2019 retirement of his stablemaster, the former Kisenosato, comfortably took care of new Mongolian komusubi Oshoma in the day's penultimate bout. ---------- Tennis: Oda fights back to win 2nd Wimbledon wheelchair crown LONDON - Japan's Tokito Oda won his second Wimbledon wheelchair tennis title in three years, coming from a set down to beat Britain's Alfie Hewett on Sunday. The top-seeded 19-year-old won 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 in a 2-hour, 16-minute final against the second-seeded host nation favorite at the All England Club. ---------- Taiwan rocket crashes in Japan's 1st launch backed by foreign capital KUSHIRO, Japan - A Taiwanese rocket crashed shortly after lifting off from a private spaceport in northern Japan, failing in what would have been the first successful launch from Japanese soil of a rocket developed with foreign capital. The 12-meter rocket dubbed "VP01" was launched by jtSPACE Co., a Japanese arm of a Taiwanese aerospace company, at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, according to the operator of Hokkaido Spaceport. ---------- Figure skating: Uno completes 1st ice show series, promises for 2nd NIIGATA, Japan - Former Olympic figure skater Shoma Uno said Sunday that there will be a sequel to the ice show he produced for the first time, which just concluded. The two-time world champion made the announcement on the final day of "Ice Brave" in front of more than 2,000 spectators at MGC Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Ice Arena in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo. Video: Skateboarder Yuto Horigome wins JOC award
The Mainichi
01-07-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
A-bomb survivor moved back to Hiroshima determined to share her anti-war message
HIROSHIMA -- Koko Kondo, an 80-year-old Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, was invited to give a peace studies lecture for students at Komyo Elementary School in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, one week before some of them visited Hiroshima on a school trip in late May. "It's difficult to watch the news every day. So many children are dying due to the bombs dropped in wars. I've been unable to stop the wars even though I'm one of the adults," Kondo said before a group of about 60 fifth and sixth graders at the school, where her adopted child once attended. After lamenting about the current global situation, she started recounting her own harsh life, choking up with emotion at times. Kondo's father, Kiyoshi Tanimoto (1909-1986), was a pastor at Hiroshima Nagarekawa Church. On Aug. 6, 1945, Kondo, then 8 months old, was exposed to the atomic bomb at a parsonage about 1.1 kilometers from the hypocenter. She was trapped under a building that collapsed in the blast, but survived because she was in the arms of her mother, Chisa. After World War II, young women with burns on their faces and other parts of their bodies due to the bomb's heat rays would gather at the church. Kondo said she could barely look at their faces. "A woman had her eyelids stuck to her forehead and couldn't close her eyes. Another woman had her lips fused to her chin," she reflected. "When I grow up, I will find out those who dropped the bomb, and I will be the one to take revenge," she once thought. Her resentment toward the United States grew, as a country that hurt women and created orphans. A major turning point came when she was 10. She and her family traveled to the U.S. to appear on an American TV program featuring her father, who devoted his life to providing relief to A-bomb survivors and peace movements after the war. During the program, the family met Robert Lewis, the former co-pilot of the Enola Gay bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He revealed, with tears in his eyes, that he had written in his flight log at the time, "My God, what have we done?" Kondo realized, "He's not the one I should be hating. The evil in the hearts of those who start wars should be hated." Kondo has spent many years sharing that realization at lectures and other occasions. Recently, she feels a sense of urgency, as the number of A-bomb survivors, or hibakusha, who can speak about their experiences is dwindling. She herself was diagnosed with a compressed spinal fracture this February and needs to wear a corset. At her talks, she is questioned more often than before, "Are you with someone to assist you?" She said with a wry smile, "I get asked even though I go everywhere by myself." This January, Kondo began a new chapter in her life. She moved back to Hiroshima, as her husband Yasuo, 80, retired after serving for about 40 years as a pastor at churches in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. His last stint was at Miki Shijimi Church in Miki, Hyogo Prefecture. "I'd like to keep on passing down my experience for at least five more years. That's why I've returned to Hiroshima, my original starting point," Kondo said. With the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima approaching this summer, her desire for peace has only grown stronger. In late May, the sixth graders from Komyo Elementary School in Takarazuka learned about the war during their school trip in Hiroshima, alongside Kondo. When it was time for the students to leave, Kondo hugged them and said, "I'm putting my trust in all of you. Please build a peaceful world." (Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video Department)
