Nagasaki Hibakusha Angry at World Leaders amid Conflicts

Nagasaki, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)–An 87-year-old hibakusha expressed her anger at world leaders on Sunday, the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki, at a time when the international situation is increasingly severe in spite of her wish for peace. “Is my memory of living with a cross for 81 years at the sacrifice of my grandmother’s life just an old story?” Chiyoko Motomura, who survived the nuclear attack on Aug. 9, 1945, in the closing days of World War II, said in her message at a peace memorial ceremony held in the city Sunday for those killed in the bombing. She read out the message for peace on behalf of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors. Motomura was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb when she was 6 years old, at the veranda of her house about 4.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. “A huge fireball exploded in front of me,” she said. Motomura’s grandmother, who was by her side, quickly threw herself over the granddaughter, so Motomura was almost unhurt. But the grandmother suffered serious injuries, with countless glass fragments piercing her back. She died in March 1946. Being unable to receive sufficient medical treatment, she could not lie on her back until her last breath. Motomura’s aunt once told her, “If you hadn’t been there, your grandmother wouldn’t have been injured.” Motomura said she could not forget the words as if they were “a cross” although she knew that her aunt did not intend to hurt her feelings. Motomura worked as a barber after the end of the war. She joined the Nagasaki Prefecture Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Handbook Friends Association in 2009 and has continued talking about her atomic bombing experience in and outside of Japan. In December last year, Motomura visited the United States and interacted with Dorinda Nicholson, 90, who survived the former Japanese military’s December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. When asked if she has a grudge on Japan, Nicholson replied that the United States made Japan suffer more and that she and Motomura are comrades, according to Motomura. Motomura said, “I realized once again that people can understand each other only through dialogue.” Deploring the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Motomura said, “Can’t they see young children wandering around barefoot while crying.” “Peace is to protect life, and life should be given priority over anything else,” Motomura said. “For the rest of my life, I will keep calling for peace and wishing that war will never happen again.” Nicholson, who is visiting Nagasaki, listened to Motomura’s message for peace firsthand. After the peace memorial ceremony, Motomura and Nicholson hugged each other again and again in tears and rang the Bell of Nagasaki together at the ceremony venue. Motomura said she read her message at the ceremony, wishing that people around the world will recognize that life is important. Nicholson said she is proud of Motomura, adding that they will continue pursuing peace together. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]