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The Mainichi
3 days ago
- General
- The Mainichi
'Last generation' hibakusha testimonies surge at Hiroshima, Nagasaki memorial halls
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of personal accounts written by A-bomb survivors being donated to the government-run memorial halls in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in recent years. The number of submissions of memoirs to the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims from April through the end of July has surged to about 2.5 times that of the same period last year, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned. This surge is believed to be driven by a call from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which oversees the memorial halls, for testimonies during fiscal 2025, which marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Another reason appears to be a growing sense of urgency among A-bomb survivors, or hibakusha, whose average age now exceeds 86, to pass on their experiences. Thirty-six personal accounts were sent to the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims in fiscal 2021, 69 in fiscal 2022, 79 in fiscal 2023 and 81 in fiscal 2024. In Hiroshima, 51 memoirs were presented to the memorial hall in fiscal 2021, 69 in fiscal 2022, 91 in fiscal 2023 and 89 in fiscal 2024. As of the end of July this year, 60 testimonies had already been submitted in Hiroshima, compared to the 23 turned in during the same period in 2024. The aging of the hibakusha, along with growing global nuclear threats, is believed to be encouraging efforts to preserve the tragic experiences of the bombings. A representative at the Hiroshima hall explained, "Many letters that come with the written accounts say things like 'I wrote this because we are the last generation who can speak about the bombing.' They likely feel a strong desire to leave these for future generations." The memorial halls aim to collect and preserve materials related to the atomic bombings. The one in Hiroshima stores around 150,000 personal accounts, while the one in Nagasaki houses about 130,000. Visitors can read these testimonies using the search systems at the facilities, and some are also published on their official websites with permission from the authors. (Japanese original by Deockwoo An, Hiroshima Bureau and Kana Nemoto, Osaka City News Department)
Japan Times
28-04-2025
- General
- Japan Times
80 years on, Japan's government seeks testimonies from all hibakusha
With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the welfare ministry this month began collecting testimonies from the roughly 106,000 hibakusha survivors of the nuclear attacks. It is the first time in 30 years that the government has sought cooperation from all hibakusha over testimonies. A ministry official expressed hopes for "receiving as many testimonies as possible amid the aging" of those who survived the atomic bombings of the two cities in August 1945 in the closing days of World War II. A leaflet seeking testimonies is being sent to survivors with hibakusha certificates across Japan by mail through prefectural governments. The ministry is also collecting portraits of deceased hibakusha, clothing exposed to the atomic bombs and photographs taken around the time of the bombings. Collected items will be stored at the national peace memorial halls for atomic bomb victims, located in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Among them, those for which consent is given from owners will be displayed to the public. A leaflet seeking testimonies being sent to survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings with hibakusha certificates | The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare / via Jiji Efforts to gather testimonies began in 1995, when the ministry asked for cooperation from all of the roughly 320,000 hibakusha who were alive at the time. After that, testimonies were solicited from some randomly selected survivors in 2005 and 2015. A total of around 100,000 people have so far submitted their testimonies, which have been made into books for display at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims and the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. The aging of many hibakusha prompted the ministry to seek testimonies from all surviving victims again this time. The number of certified hibakusha has been on the decline since peaking at 372,264 at the end of March 1981. The figure stood at 106,825 at the end of March 2024, with the average age at 85.58. The number of hibakusha may fall below 100,000 by the next update in June. "We decided to cover all hibakusha this time as we aim to convey the reality of the atomic bombings," a ministry official said, adding that solicitations for testimonies will continue next year and beyond.
