Living with Hiroshima

Claiming "No More Hibakusha" in New York

On August 6, Hiroshima City holds its annual Peace Memorial Ceremony in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Peace Memorial Park. Under the Cenotaph the stone chest sits, whose front reads, "Please rest in peace. We shall not repeat the evil." It houses the books registering the names of the A-bomb victims. In November, 1952, Dr. Radhabinod Parl, an Indian judge at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, said, "It was not the Japanese who dropped the A-bomb. American hands have not been cleansed yet." His remarks aroused controversy over the use of "we" in the inscription. Today, it is generally accepted that the ardent wish not to repeat Hiroshima's tragedy is universal for human beings and that the inscription is a warning and lesson for all mankind. However, a few years ago, I started to think about whether it is right to hold the Peace Memorial Ceremony with the unknown A-bomb victims neglected.

In New York, in the spring of 2005, I met Shigeko Sasamori, who is a hibakusha and a member of the World Peace Mission. I told her about the neglected unidentified victims. She said, " As I live in the U.S., I don't know well about what's happening in Hiroshima recently. But I agree with you. We need to address this problem while hibakusha are alive."

On Sunday, May 1, it was clear and cool breezes were comfortable. There was an event in which people marched for peace from the U.N. building to Central Park. Ms. Sasamori and I were told that we were too old to join the march. We were waiting for it in Central Park at around one o'clock, but we started to walk the course backward rather than just waiting there. When we arrived at Carnegie Hall, we could hear the chants and see the people marching. At the front of the parade were the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and representatives of hibakusha groups. They carried banners with the words protesting against war and nuclear weapons. We waved greetings to the acquaintances and shrewdly joined the front. The press took pictures of the parade while their helicopters were whirling around above us. The parade rolled into Central Park and people tried to keep their own space in front of the special stage where Hiroshima's mayor, Nagasaki's mayor and representatives of hibakusha made speeches. Then, hibakusha including us went up to the stage and repeatedly cried out, throwing up our fists, "No More Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis. No more hibakusha. No more war."

Ms. Sasamori talked to Mr. Akiba, Hiroshima mayor, who was surrounded by the press after he stepped down from the stage. She said to him, " Mr. Akiba, it's been a while. Please take some time to listen to her," and introduced me to him. It was an unexpected opportunity and I got upset, but I told him, "Please add unidentified victims to the books kept in the stone chest." He brought out a notebook and took a note of my request. I had a hunch that my wish would come true.

When I returned to Japan, my daughter's family said, "You looked fine in Central Park. We saw you in the news."

march to Central Park (by Chugoku Shinbun)