Latest news with #HiroshiNishioka
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- General
- Kuwait Times
Restored Nagasaki bell rings in 80 years since A-bomb
NAGASAKI: Twin cathedral bells rang in unison Saturday in Japan's Nagasaki for the first time since the atomic bombing of the city 80 years ago, commemorating the moment of horror. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, three days after a nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After heavy downpours Saturday morning, the rain stopped shortly before a moment of silence and ceremony in which Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki urged the world to 'stop armed conflicts immediately'. 'Eighty years have passed, and who could have imagined that the world would become like this? 'A crisis that could threaten the survival of humanity, such as a nuclear war, is looming over each and every one of us living on this planet.' About 74,000 people were killed in the southwestern port city, on top of the 140,000 killed in Hiroshima. Days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that often came with being a hibakusha. Ninety-three-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, who was just three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the spot where the bomb exploded, told ceremony attendees of the horror he witnessed as a young teenager. 'Even the lucky ones (who were not severely injured) gradually began to bleed from their gums and lose their hair, and one after another they died,' he recalled. 'Even though the war was over, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror.' Nagasaki resident Atsuko Higuchi told AFP it 'made her happy' that everyone would remember the city's victims. 'Instead of thinking that these events belong to the past, we must remember that these are real events that took place,' the 50-year-old said. On Saturday, 200-300 people attending mass at Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral heard the two bells ring together for the first time since 1945. One of them, 61-year-old Akio Watanabe, said he had been waiting since he was a young man to hear the bells chime together. The restoration is a 'symbol of reconciliation', he said, tears streaming down his face. The imposing red-brick cathedral, with its twin bell towers atop a hill, was rebuilt in 1959 after it was almost completely destroyed in the monstrous explosion just a few hundred meters away. Only one of its two bells was recovered from the rubble, leaving the northern tower silent. With funds from US churchgoers, a new bell was constructed and restored to the tower, and chimed Saturday at the exact moment the bomb was dropped. - AFP
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Restored Nagasaki bell rings in 80 years since A-bomb
Twin cathedral bells rang in unison on Saturday (August 9, 2025) in Japan's Nagasaki for the first time since the atomic bombing of the city 80 years ago, commemorating the moment of horror. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 a.m., three days after a nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After heavy downpours Saturday morning, the rain stopped shortly before a moment of silence and ceremony in which Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki urged the world to 'stop armed conflicts immediately'. 'Eighty years have passed, and who could have imagined that the world would become like this? 'A crisis that could threaten the survival of humanity, such as a nuclear war, is looming over each and every one of us living on this planet.' About 74,000 people were killed in the southwestern port city, on top of the 140,000 killed in Hiroshima. Days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. 'Invisible terror' But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that often came with being a hibakusha. Ninety-three-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, who was just three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the spot where the bomb exploded, told ceremony attendees of the horror he witnessed as a young teenager. 'Even the lucky ones (who were not severely injured) gradually began to bleed from their gums and lose their hair, and one after another they died,' he recalled. 'Even though the war was over, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror.' Nagasaki resident Atsuko Higuchi told AFP it 'made her happy' that everyone would remember the city's victims. 'Instead of thinking that these events belong to the past, we must remember that these are real events that took place,' the 50-year-old said. On Saturday, 200-300 people attending mass at Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral heard the two bells ring together for the first time since 1945. One of them, 61-year-old Akio Watanabe, said he had been waiting since he was a young man to hear the bells chime together. The restoration is a 'symbol of reconciliation', he said, tears streaming down his face. The imposing red-brick cathedral, with its twin bell towers atop a hill, was rebuilt in 1959 after it was almost completely destroyed in the monstrous explosion just a few hundred meters away. Only one of its two bells was recovered from the rubble, leaving the northern tower silent. With funds from U.S. churchgoers, a new bell was constructed and restored to the tower, and chimed Saturday at the exact moment the bomb was dropped. 'Working together for peace' The cathedral's chief priest, Kenichi Yamamura, told AFP 'it's not about forgetting the wounds of the past but recognising them and taking action to repair and rebuild, and in doing so, working together for peace'. He also sees the chimes as a message to the world, shaken by multiple conflicts and caught in a frantic new arms race. Nearly 100 countries were set to participate in this year's commemorations, including Russia, which has not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Israel, whose ambassador was not invited last year over the war in Gaza, was in attendance. An American university professor, whose grandfather participated in the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, spearheaded the bell project. During his research in Nagasaki, a Japanese Christian told him he would like to hear the two bells of the cathedral ring together in his lifetime. Inspired by the idea, James Nolan, a sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, embarked on a year-long series of lectures about the atomic bomb across the United States, primarily in churches. 'In tears' He managed to raise $125,000 from American Catholics to fund the new bell. When it was unveiled in Nagasaki in the spring, 'the reactions were magnificent. There were people literally in tears', said Nolan. Many American Catholics he met were also unaware of the painful history of Nagasaki's Christians, who, converted in the 16th century by the first European missionaries and then persecuted by Japanese shoguns, kept their faith alive clandestinely for over 250 years. This story was told in the novel 'Silence' by Shusaku Endo, and adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2016. He explains that American Catholics also showed 'compassion and sadness' upon hearing about the perseverance of Nagasaki's Christians after the atomic bomb, which killed 8,500 of the parish's 12,000 faithful. They were inspired by the 'willingness to forgive and rebuild'.
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Nagasaki marks 80 years since atomic bombing with renewed calls for nuclear abolition
NAGASAKI, Japan — The southern Japanese city of Nagasaki on Saturday commemorated the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing that killed tens of thousands, as aging survivors urged the world to ensure it is the last city to suffer such an attack. The United States dropped the plutonium bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, killing 70,000 people by year's end, three days after Hiroshima was devastated by an atomic blast that killed 140,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its decades-long military aggression across Asia. About 2,600 people, including representatives from more than 90 countries, attended a memorial ceremony at Nagasaki Peace Park. At 11:02 a.m. — the moment the bomb detonated — a bell tolled and participants observed a minute of silence. Survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, 93, recalled that many who escaped initial injuries later suffered from bleeding gums, hair loss, and radiation-related deaths. 'Never use nuclear weapons again, or we're finished,' he said. Mayor Shiro Suzuki, whose parents survived the attack, pledged to make Nagasaki 'the last atomic bombing site now and forever,' and to work with global citizens toward abolishing nuclear Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to push for dialogue between nuclear and nonnuclear states, centering on the Non-Proliferation Treaty ahead of its 2026 review conference in New criticized Japan's refusal to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, citing reliance on the U.S. nuclear the average age of survivors exceeding 86 and their number dwindling to fewer than 100,000, activists are digitizing their testimonies for younger generations.'We must keep records of the atomic bombing damages of the survivors and their lifetime story,' said Teruko Yokoyama, whose two sisters died from radiation-linked ceremony ended with the release of doves, a symbol of peace, while church bells in Nagasaki's Urakami Cathedral rang in unison — one restored after going missing following the expressed hope that their stories will inspire a world without war. — Agencies
The Star
3 days ago
- General
- The Star
Restored Nagasaki bell rings in 80 years since A-bomb
NAGASAKI, Japan (AFP): Twin cathedral bells rang in unison Saturday in Japan's Nagasaki for the first time since the atomic bombing of the city 80 years ago, commemorating the moment of horror. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02am, three days after a nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After heavy downpours Saturday morning, the rain stopped shortly before a moment of silence and ceremony in which Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki urged the world to "stop armed conflicts immediately". "Eighty years have passed, and who could have imagined that the world would become like this? "A crisis that could threaten the survival of humanity, such as a nuclear war, is looming over each and every one of us living on this planet." About 74,000 people were killed in the southwestern port city, on top of the 140,000 killed in Hiroshima. Days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. People attend an early morning mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Nagasaki on Saturday, Aug 9, 2025. -- PHOTO: EPA via The Straits Times/ANN - 'Invisible terror' - But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that often came with being a hibakusha. Ninety-three-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, who was just three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the spot where the bomb exploded, told ceremony attendees of the horror he witnessed as a young teenager. "Even the lucky ones (who were not severely injured) gradually began to bleed from their gums and lose their hair, and one after another they died," he recalled. "Even though the war was over, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror." Nagasaki resident Atsuko Higuchi told AFP it "made her happy" that everyone would remember the city's victims. "Instead of thinking that these events belong to the past, we must remember that these are real events that took place," the 50-year-old said. On Saturday, 200-300 people attending mass at Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral heard the two bells ring together for the first time since 1945. One of them, 61-year-old Akio Watanabe, said he had been waiting since he was a young man to hear the bells chime together. The restoration is a "symbol of reconciliation", he said, tears streaming down his face. The imposing red-brick cathedral, with its twin bell towers atop a hill, was rebuilt in 1959 after it was almost completely destroyed in the monstrous explosion just a few hundred meters away. Only one of its two bells was recovered from the rubble, leaving the northern tower silent. With funds from US churchgoers, a new bell was constructed and restored to the tower, and chimed Saturday at the exact moment the bomb was dropped. People attending mass held in memory of bomb victims at Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city. -- PHOTO: AFP - 'Working together for peace' - The cathedral's chief priest, Kenichi Yamamura, told AFP "it's not about forgetting the wounds of the past but recognising them and taking action to repair and rebuild, and in doing so, working together for peace". He also sees the chimes as a message to the world, shaken by multiple conflicts and caught in a frantic new arms race. Nearly 100 countries were set to participate in this year's commemorations, including Russia, which has not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Israel, whose ambassador was not invited last year over the war in Gaza, was in attendance. An American university professor, whose grandfather participated in the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, spearheaded the bell project. During his research in Nagasaki, a Japanese Christian told him he would like to hear the two bells of the cathedral ring together in his lifetime. Inspired by the idea, James Nolan, a sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, embarked on a year-long series of lectures about the atomic bomb across the United States, primarily in churches. - 'In tears' - He managed to raise $125,000 from American Catholics to fund the new bell. When it was unveiled in Nagasaki in the spring, "the reactions were magnificent. There were people literally in tears", said Nolan. Many American Catholics he met were also unaware of the painful history of Nagasaki's Christians, who, converted in the 16th century by the first European missionaries and then persecuted by Japanese shoguns, kept their faith alive clandestinely for over 250 years. This story was told in the novel "Silence" by Shusaku Endo, and adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2016. He explains that American Catholics also showed "compassion and sadness" upon hearing about the perseverance of Nagasaki's Christians after the atomic bomb, which killed 8,500 of the parish's 12,000 faithful. They were inspired by the "willingness to forgive and rebuild". - AFP
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor Urges N-Arms Never Be Used; 93-Year-Old Tells of Gruesome Scenes Witnessed at 13
Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, 93, read out the 'Pledge for Peace' at the peace memorial ceremony as a representative of survivors in Nagasaki City on Saturday. Nishioka, the oldest person ever to serve as the representative, devoted most of his speech to his own experience of the atomic bombing and appealed for nuclear weapons never to be used. Ahead of the ceremony, he had said: 'There are very few people left who know what the atomic bombing was like. So I would like to talk about what I know as much as I can.' On August 9, 1945, Nishioka, then 13 years old, was in the medical supply room of a middle school in Nagasaki, about 3.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. The echoing roar of an American B-29 bomber drew him to the window, where he was enveloped in a light that seemed to blend orange and yellow. 'I thought, 'A bomb has been dropped on the school's tennis court,'' Nishioka said in his speech. 'I lay flat on the floor.' He was struck by the blast wave, and classmates who had fallen on top of him were drenched in blood as their flesh was pierced with numerous shards of glass from the shattered windows. On the way home, he saw evacuees streaming away from the area where the center of the blast had been. 'A man with his entire body covered in blood. A mother holding a baby as she walked, with blood streaming from the baby's face. A person whose arm, hanging limply, appeared to be severed.' Facing countless injured people, Nishioka recalled that 'my senses became numb, and I did not even feel pity for them.' The next day, he joined the rescue activities at another middle school, closer to the hypocenter. The uniformed bodies of many students who had been crushed under the school building were laid out on the sports ground along with the bodies of teachers who also died in the bombing. On his way back, he saw many bodies scattered on the road. An injured person begged him for water. 'I might die myself,' the young Nishioka thought. Afraid that the water bottle hanging from his waist might be taken, he had no choice but to shake off the person's arms, which were stretched out for help, and move on. 'Even now, when I recall the moment, my heart still aches.' He left Nagasaki and moved to Tokyo to attend university. He got a job at a major trading company, and worked on trade with the United States, among others. When he retired about 30 years ago, an acquaintance who is also a hibakusha atomic bomb survivor urged him to speak up, saying, 'Anybody who was in Nagasaki [at that time] needs to tell the world.' He visited the United States and spoke in English about the damage caused by the atomic bomb. Seeing how intensely the audience listened to his testimony, he realized the importance of sharing his story. He began his activities as a storyteller for the atomic bomb survivors' association in Kanagawa Prefecture and has continued to give lectures on the atomic bombings at schools. At the same time, he was also feeling powerless due to the idea that a single voice would not make nuclear threat disappear. However, when Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), to which his association belongs, was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize last year, he felt encouraged to keep going. On Saturday, he said in his speech: 'We should never stop the movement that leads toward peace. We should keep moving forward, and have more people join us. This is what we are aiming for.' Nishioka collaborated with a Kanagawa prefectural government project that utilizes AI in storytelling activities, pre-recording testimony plus answers to anticipated questions. These materials are already used in school education, and he feels they are effective tools in anticipation of an era when there are no longer any living atomic bomb survivors. At the ceremony on Saturday, ambassadors from countries that possess nuclear arms, including the United States and Russia, were listening to Nishioka's words. Amid the deteriorating international situation surrounding nuclear weapons, he concluded his speech with the following words. 'Nuclear weapons should never be used. Everything will be over if they are used. Let us protect this beautiful Earth.'
