“Nuclear weapons destroy humans indiscriminately, regardless of nationality or race.

You are not pardoned if you are a good person.

Nuclear weapons drag everybody into its realm of destruction.

A country is not necessarily safer if it deters foreign attacks by possessing nuclear arsenals.

Possessing nuclear weapons is a threat, in and of itself.

The survival of mankind is contingent on the abolishment of nuclear weapons.”

“My father was exposed to the atomic bomb, 4.1km from the hypocenter. The distance put him outside of hibaku range – meaning, he was considered a hibakukeikensha (atomic bomb witness), not a hibakusha (atomic bomb victim). Still, three out of the four siblings he was with during the bombing eventually died from cancer. I cannot help but suspect that it was due to nuclear radiation. People tell me that I am overanalyzing – that it was due to age, or perhaps excess drinking. I do not think this is the case.

I was born and raised in Hiroshima, so the atomic bomb was always a part of my class curriculum. Every summer, on August 6, we would listen to hibakusha stories, interview people at the Peace Memorial, write essays about world peace. But it was always handed to me. I never felt compelled to learn on my own or ask my father about what had happened that day.

I currently work at a nursing home. Naturally, many of the residents are hibakusha. Though some have opened up to me about their experiences regarding the atomic bomb, most do not speak of it. Those that do often suffer from various stages of dementia, and are no longer able to recount their memories. Through working with the residents, I realized for the first time that this is a rapidly aging community, that soon we will no longer be able to hear first hand accounts of hibakusha.

In recent years I have dedicated my time to become a legacy successor to honor my father, who has since passed away.”