80 Years On: Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivor Calls on Youths to Inspire Movement
Tokyo, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)--Terumi Tanaka, a 93-year-old survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing 80 years ago and current co-chair of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Nihon Hidankyo, has called on younger generations to create a movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons that "inspires others."
Tanaka has spent over half a century spearheading a movement for peace by hibakusha, or survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of the western Japan city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and of the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki three days later, during the closing days of World War II.
Tanaka was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, which killed five of his relatives, among numerous other victims.
After first becoming involved in the hibakusha movement around 1970, Tanaka served as secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, formally called the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, for about 20 years before assuming his current post of co-chair in 2017.
With 80 years passing since the atomic bombings and the number of those who experienced them at firsthand dwindling, Tanaka said, "The era of hibakusha themselves working to share their experiences and talking about nuclear weapons is coming to an end."
"We are now at a time of major transition from our conventional activities based around our testimonies," he said.
Voicing expectations for younger generations, Tanaka said, "The important thing for them is to act based on our testimonies."
"I hope that they put their heads together and pour their energy into creating a movement that inspires others," he said.
In December last year, Tanaka delivered a speech at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Norway, describing the abolition of nuclear arms as his "heartfelt desire."
The Nobel Peace Prize is "a key award with global influence," Tanaka said. "We need to work to spread our message once again on what nuclear weapons are," he added.
While the award has piqued interest within Japan over the hibakusha movement, this has not been enough to encourage more people to join it, Tanaka said.
"We'll create a structure under which people who are interested (in such a movement) can thrive," he said.
On no nuclear weapons having been used since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Tanaka said, "Hibakusha have worked strenuously to create a 'nuclear taboo.'"
But he added, "We can't say with confidence that nuclear weapons will never be used again."
"A nuclear war would end the human race," he said.
"Abolishing nuclear weapons is the biggest challenge for humankind and the most important task for me," Tanaka said.
In this landmark year, Tanaka remains busy giving lectures to people across the country.
He said he wants young people to "understand how Japan ended up in war and then became a peaceful country."
"I hope they think about what kind of country they want Japan to be," Tanaka added.
END
