Exactly 80 years ago, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan during of the Second World War. Hundreds of thousands of people died.
The Japanese who experienced and survived the dropping of the atomic bomb in the Second World War are called "Hibakusha", it reports Deutsche says.
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The intention was to force the Japanese government to capitulate three months after the Allied victory in Europe. About 230.000 people died in both explosions.
Today, there are fewer and fewer people in Japan who can testify from personal experience to what the detonation of an atomic bomb and its long-term consequences look like. According to the report of the local government, published in March, there are only 99.130 of them left - 7.695 less than last year. The average age of the survivors is 86,13 years.
Concerned that the extent and consequences of the devastation caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb could be forgotten, many organizations and individuals in Japan became involved with the intention of recording the experiences of the survivors and passing them on to new generations.
Volunteering for peace
One of them is Shun Sasaki. He is 12 years old and wants to contribute to the efforts to ensure that this dark chapter is never forgotten. Sasaki speaks English very well. From August 2021, he tells foreign visitors to the Peace Park in Hiroshima about war and atomic bombs
"When I was in first grade, I passed by the Atomic Bomb Dome and wondered why it was still there, even though it was destroyed," Sasaki told DW.
The so-called Atomic Bomb Dome used to be an industrial hall, which was burned to the ground in an explosion in 1945. Today, as a ruin in the modern cityscape, it reminds us of the need to abolish all types of nuclear weapons around the world. "I did some research on the internet, went to the Peace Museum and found out about the atomic bomb that was dropped here."
Great-grandson tells family history
Sasaki's great-grandmother experienced the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Her name was Yuriko.
"My great-grandmother was 12 years old when the bomb was thrown. She was at home, about 1,5 kilometers away from the center of the explosion," says her great-grandson today. "She didn't get burned, because she was in the house. But she was exposed to strong radiation. When she was evacuated, black rain fell on her."
The so-called "black rain" began to fall 20 minutes after the explosion. From the water vapor, which formed around the radioactive particles in the air, a greasy, oily rain was formed. It stuck to people's skin and clothes. She fell for hours.
Sasaki was never able to hug his great-grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. Colon cancer at the age of 60. She died at the age of 69.
What does dropping an atomic bomb mean?
Sasaki tells foreign visitors how the uranium bomb, called Little Boy, exploded almost directly above the present-day Atomic Bomb Dome (Peace Memorial), releasing the energy of about 15.000 tons of TNT.
Within a radius of 1,3 kilometers, almost all people died immediately. In total, an estimated 140.000 people died in the first atomic bomb explosion of the war - from severe burns or radiation exposure - during the war and in the years that followed.
"Many visitors tell me that they came to Hiroshima because they thought they knew what happened here and that only the city was badly damaged," says Sasaki. "After the visit, they still say they didn't know what really happened."
"Everyone tells me that something like that must never happen again. I think that wars happen because people don't know what war really means," says the young tour guide.
"An American told me after the visit that we have to ban all kinds of nuclear weapons. That made me happy. Because if he goes and tells someone else what happened in Hiroshima, and that person tells someone else, that's how we create lasting peace."
"We can't change history. But we can use our experiences with the atomic bomb explosion to change our future," adds the 12-year-old.
Worldwide campaign
Three days after Hiroshima, on August 9, 1945, the Fat Man plutonium bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Up to 80.000 people died from it - due to the detonation itself, as well as due to later consequences such as leukemia and other diseases caused by radiation.
"We are approaching the time when the hibakusha will no longer be among us," says Takuji Inoue, director of the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki.
"As a city that was hit by an atomic bomb, we are deeply concerned about the growing risk of the use of nuclear weapons. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as disturbing events elsewhere, are the cause of this concern."
The museum has launched a new international campaign to convey the "reality" of the atomic bomb attack. According to the initiator's belief, the understanding of what the atomic bomb explosion means and what it means for generations of people and for the city must be conveyed to people all over the world.
Campaign against forgetting
Inoue wants to see more people talk about what happened in 1945. He wants to collect more historical objects and documents related to the attacks, in order to convey the importance of keeping the peace through them.
"Hiroshima will go down in history as the first city to be detonated by an atomic bomb in a war," says Inoue. "Whether Nagasaki remains the second and last city depends on the future. It is in our hands."
On Wednesday (August 6) at 8.15:80 a.m., when the atomic bomb exploded XNUMX years ago, public life in Hiroshima will come to a halt. Civilian victims will be honored in the Peace Park. The "Children's Pledge of Peace" is part of the commemoration.
This year, young tour guide Shun Sasaki will give a speech. "I hope many people will come to Hiroshima. Together we will think about how to ensure peace," says the 12-year-old student.
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