|
|
|
| |
| |
Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
October 7, 2007
|
|
| site design imagesparkle.com |
| August 9, 2007 |
Under the Mushroom Cloud: Hiroshima survivor Michimasa Hirata tells his story on Peace Boat |
|
| |
 |
| Mr. Hirata remembered the victims of Japan’s atomic bombings, including this young boy waiting to cremate his brother |
In the few seconds between the blinding flash of light and the deadly shock wave that annihilated Hiroshima city, Michimasa Hirata’s father pulled him into the family’s underground shelter. The life-saving action protected his son from the blast just two kilometers away, but could not shield the nine year old from the horrors of its aftermath. As they walked through the wasteland of the hypocenter to reach Michimasa’s mother, the two witnessed the devastation close up: buildings turned to rubble, trees reduced to stumps and 140,000 ordinary people killed. Everything in view was destroyed. “It was a sea of flames,” recalls the now elderly Mr. Hirata. “We could suddenly see right down to the sea”. |
site design imagesparkle.com |
 |
| Guest educators Iñigo Arbiol Oñate and Michimasa Hirata (right) discuss the importance of sharing survivors’ memories |
Sixty-two years later, Mr. Hirata joined Peace Boat to remember the bombing of his hometown on August 6, 1945. He is part of a network of hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who share their experience to promote peace and help prevent tragedies from being repeated. “We don’t want to think about the hell we went through, but we don’t want any more victims either. This is why we raise our voices,” he explained to participants. With many of the hibakusha getting older, their numbers are decreasing. Soon there will be no more direct survivors left to tell their story, he warned. |
| |
 |
| An in depth explanation of atomic bombs helped participants appreciate their destructive capacity |
Mr. Hirata gave a scientific introduction to the atomic bombs’ impact, showing what makes them so lethal. Their brutal effect is threefold, he explained. First, the intense ray of light and heat – more than 2000°C at its centre – which burns straight through flesh. Moments later, the unimaginable force of the blast wave flattens everything in its path at 400 metres per second, even sucking eyeballs from their sockets. But least visible is the radiation released by the bomb. Thousands were exposed as they rushed into the centre, searching for loved ones. They had no idea they would be contaminated by the unseen fallout. Hundreds of thousands more were affected by drinking contaminated water and eating food they had grown. |
| |
 |
Michimasa Hirata took his message of “no more nuclear weapons” to New York at a Nagasaki memorial concert organised by Peace Boat |
At first, blood spots appeared on some people’s skin; others were vomiting and their hair began to fall out. Later came the insidious growth of cancer. And still today, survivors continue to suffer the long term effects of complex atomic radiation diseases. Mr. Hirata’s friend and colleague, who was expected to join the Peace Boat, died earlier this year as a result of delayed radiation illness. Moreover, many survivors must struggle to support themselves even as they battle with sickness. Extremely narrow criteria and a complicated procedure to be officially recognised by the Japanese Government means the vast majority of hibakusha are cut off from any state care, explained Mr. Hirata.
Despite their great threat to humanity, nuclear weapons have not disappeared. Following the wider arms race of the Cold War, Mr. Hirata revealed how warheads are still increasing at the regional level, giving the escalation between India and Pakistan as a current example. Currently, around 27,000 nuclear warheads exist in the world. Adding this to the fact that atomic bombs are now ten times as powerful as those used during World War II, Mr. Hirata led his audience to a frightening conclusion: nuclear weapons across the globe have the potential to wipe out humankind several times over. |
| |
 |
Continuing his campaign to abolish nuclear warheads, Mr.Hirata joined Peace Boat’s Global University protest at the UK’s weapon base in Faslane. Photo: BANg! |
Knowing the danger they pose, Mr. Hirata called on everyone on the Peace
Boat to take action. As part of his campaign against nuclear weapons, he
organized the first gathering of hibakusha at the United Nations
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2005, which calls on nuclear states to
disarm. Equally, he hopes more people will help bring attention to the
cause. “I want people to know about this threat, particularly younger
generations” he urged, “when you get off this boat, form groups to
protest against it!” He has already moved one younger participant to
spread the experience of the hibakusha. Her grandmother was only five
minutes walk from the Nagasaki bombing, but is anxious about sharing her
story in public. Using the modern media of video and web streaming, her
granddaughter hopes to find a way to pass on her grandmother’s
experience to today’s youth. “This is what I can do” she states. By
keeping their stories alive, Mr.Hirata and the remaining hibakusha also
hope to inspire others to ask what they can do to rid the world of
nuclear weapons once and for all. And there is one thing we can all do:
“If you are moved by the words of hibakusha, please tell one more person
their story" says Mr.Hirata. "I am counting on you”.
Find out more about work of hibakusha at the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations website: www.ne.jp/asahi/hidankyo/nihon/rn_page/english/index_english/index_english.html
|
| |
|
|
|
