Hiroshima, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Duc Nguyen, who was born conjoined with his older brother, Viet, in Vietnam, held talks with a hibakusha atomic bomb survivor during his visit to the western Japan city of Hiroshima on Friday. Duc told Chieko Kiriake, a 96-year-old hibakusha, that he was saddened by ongoing wars in various parts of the world. He stressed the importance of learning from history and preventing wars from recurring. Duc, 45, was born in an area in Vietnam that was sprayed with Agent Orange, a defoliant used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. The effects of Agent Orange continue to this day, with new illnesses being discovered even as time passes, Duc said at a press conference later. “We must do everything we can to protect peace so that nuclear weapons and Agent Orange are never used again,” Kiriake said. Earlier on Friday, Duc visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and wrote in the guest book, calling for people to work together to build a peaceful world. He also laid flowers at the cenotaph for the victims of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Duc visited Japan to attend a charity concert supporting victims of Agent Orange. This was his 59th trip to Japan and his first to Hiroshima Prefecture since 2018. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
