Hidankyo Leader Tanaka Interacts with Artists

Tokyo, July 31 (Jiji Press)–Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Victims’ Associations, or Nihon Hidankyo, talked with young artists at a live music club in Tokyo on Friday, discussing peace across generations. “We need to hurry to build global friendships in the face of 12,000 nuclear warheads,” Tanaka, 94, said during the event, titled “Dialogue for Peace.” Also attending were singer Kom_I, a 34-year-old third-generation hibakusha atomic bomb survivor, and musician Saho Terao, 44, who wrote a book based on testimonies of war survivors. When Kom_I asked, “How did you feel when you saw the devastated city of Nagasaki?” Tanaka recounted losing five relatives in the southwestern Japan city, saying, “Is there such a way to kill? I thought this was what the future of war would look like.” The event was organized by Mitsuhiro Hayashida, 34, who is involved in peace education in Nagasaki, which was flattened by a U.S. atomic bombing in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. About 10 years ago, Hayashida collaborated with Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on the Hibakusha International Signature Campaign to promote the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Hayashida said that while the award was expected to boost the movement for nuclear disarmament, “I couldn’t see the movement spreading as much as I had expected.” He also said that the event was aimed at drawing the attention from people who are not interested in nuclear disarmament. “Listening to the story of 94-year-old Tanaka, who knows how atomic bomb survivors stood up for humanity, will be a clue to creating the future,” he added. Proceeds from online streaming of the event will be used to support nuclear abolition activities. A second such event is scheduled for October in Nagasaki. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]