ELIMINATE NUCLEAR
WEAPONS AND SAVE THE WORLD
Editor’s Note: Hibakusha,
literally meaning “explosion-affected people” are survivors of nuclear bombing
in Japan during World War II (1939-1945). It was in August 6, 1945 when the
first atomic bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and three days later in Nagasaki. The
explosions literally leveled the two cities. Hundreds of thousands instantly
vanished and burned to death and thousands more would later die from radiation.
The following is a testimony of Professor Sueichi Kido, a Hibakusha from Gifu
City, Japan given at St. James Episcopal Church, Elmhurst, New York on May 3,
2015. The informative event was hosted by the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry (MJM)
in New York, a member of Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries Network. – Fred Vergara
Photos: Public file photos of the bombing victims and devastation in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945 and photos of Professor Kido with Asian members of St. James Episcopal Church,
Elmhurst, New York. 5/3/2015 )
My name is
Sueichi Kido. I was only five years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki. Seventy years have passed. Looking back on those years, I realize
that I have three significant moments as a Hibakusha (a-bomb survivor).
The first
moment was on the 9th of August 1945 when I was exposed to the
A-bomb, and the second moment came in 1952 when I realized I was a Hibakusha.
The third moment came in 1991, when I became involved in the Hibakusha movement
and started learning a way of life as a Hibakusha.
When the
A-bomb was dropped, I was with my mother and neighbors on the street in front
of my house, two kilometers away from the blast center. I heard the roaring
sound of a bomber. One of our neighbors said, “Only American planes can sound
that loud.” As I look up in the direction of the sound of the airplane, I saw a
brilliant flash, and I was blown more than twenty meters away by the strong
blast. I immediately lost consciousness. My mother carried me in her arms,
fleeing to an air-raid shelter on Mount Inasa. My mother’s face and chest were
burned, but I do not remember what she looked like then at all, which is very
strange.
Half of my
face was also burned. There were so many injured in and around the shelter and
I could hear them groaning. My brother’s friend was brought in but he passed
away shortly from burns over his entire body.
On the following
day, we took a road that passed by ground zero to Michinoon. To carry us they
laid my mother on a plank of wood from a door and put me in a basket. The houses
were all burned down and the streets and rivers were full of bodies. Many were
dead. There were some who were alive. They were begging for water but there was
nothing we could do.
The next
day, I had a high fever of about 40 degrees Celsius and started experiencing symptoms
of radiation sickness like bleeding gums. I was not aware of what was happening
at all. I was weak, feeling scared at all times. I learned later that there was
a gag order to keep the atomic bombings secret.
When the US occupation
of Japan ended in 1952, the gag order on the A-bomb was lifted and the pictures
of the damage caused were released. I was terribly shocked to realize I was a
Hibakusha. I started feeling anxiety, thinking that I was going to die from
leukemia and that I should not have children. I was even told to hide the truth
that I was exposed to the A-bomb from anyone outside of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
I did not mean to hide it but I could not share my story with other people, not
even with my close friends from Junior High and High School.
I was still
in school when I first spoke of my experience and it took a lot of courage to
do so. I got married in 1973. My wife decided to marry me knowing that I was a
Hibakusha. I was so relieved when she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
In 1991, the
Gifu A-bomb Victims association was founded as a result of our coordinated efforts.
With this beginning, I became a member of Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of
A-and-H Bomb Sufferers Organization) and started to get involved in the
Hibakusha Movement. Since then, I have been learning what it means to live as a
Hibakusha and as a person.
Hidankyo was
founded with the aim “to save humanity from its crisis through the lessons learned
from our experience, while at the same time saving ourselves.” Since its
foundation, we have been calling for “No More Hibakusha,” despite our poor
health.
We have been
calling for the prevention of nuclear war and the elimination of nuclear
weapons and demanding state compensation. This goal had not been accomplished
yet but we are committed to building a strong campaign to prevent us from
making the same mistake again. That is our mission as Hibakusha rooted in
history.
Many Hibakusha have devoted untiring efforts to fulfill their mission by
talking about their experiences and wishes at home and abroad despite their old
age and ill health.
Hibakusha don’t
have much time left. As one of them, I am determined to dedicate the rest of my
life to sharing my experience; the life and death of Hibakusha and the goals of
our movement to keep reminding people around the world.
What happened in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki teaches us that if we use nuclear power as a weapon again, it will
destroy the whole of humankind. I sincerely wish that people around the world would
recognize what a nuclear bomb really brought us and they will listen and take
action to save the world.
No more Hiroshima! No more Nagasaki!
No more war! No more Hibakusha!
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