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Dedicated to those who survived the atomic bombings
only to suffer continued fear and anxiety because of the lasting danger from radiation
May the souls of the departed lie in peaceful repose
May those still living and suffering be beacons shining brightly so that all humankind
can see the evil of nuclear weapons

Copyright © 2007 by Nanao KamadaOne Day in Hiroshima − An Oral History
published by Japanese affiliate of IPPNW( International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War )JPPNW c/o Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association
1-1-1Kanonhonmachi, Nishiku, Hiroshima 733-8540, Japan
Tel: +81 82 232 7211 Fax: +81 82 293 3363
http://www.hiroshima.med.or.jp/kenisikai/ippnw/default.htm
E-mail: ippnw-japan@hiroshima.med.or.jp or onedayhiroshima@msn.com

Designed by Shift Project

Originally published in Japanese by Shift Project and Nanao Kamada, Hiroshima,2005

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By Nanao Kamada. M.DTranslation Editors Richard C. Parker
		 Rick Nelson   	Translators Keiko Ogura
		 Yoshie Ozaki
		 Megumi Shimo
		 Megumi Morita

No part of this book maybe reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN978-4-9903680-0-5
All rights reserved, 2007

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Foreword
Although the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima andNagasaki was chosen in a national poll of American journalists inthe year 2000 as the top news story of the 20th century, not much isever said about what it is like for those who experienced andsurvived the attacks. Furthermore, those countries that now possess
nuclear arms continually flaunt their overwhelming military power
and use the threat of their nuclear arsenals in order to maintain theireconomic advantage. Because the nuclear bomb is a weapon ofmass destruction with tremendous power to kill indiscriminately,much work needs to be done to limit their numbers and not allow
other countries to develop their own.
Having experienced the A-bombing and its suffering, Japan has a
mission to convey the reality of the damage caused by nuclear
weapons and speak out strongly against them ever being usedagain. Atomic bombs have the capacity to not only kill masses ofpeople instantly, but they also emit radiation that destroys the genesof people who managed to survive the initial blast. Not only do thebombs cause physical harm, but they also are a source of cripplingfear and anxiety to the survivors for the rest of their lives.

I wrote One Day in Hiroshima-An Oral History because althoughmost people are aware there are lingering after-effects fromradiation, few know that there are still survivors who continue tosuffer from second or third cancers because of radiation damage. It
is presented in three parts: “Past,” “Present” and “Future” withmany photos and technical explanations to help you get a better
understanding. It is an interview of an elderly woman who survived
the bombing in Hiroshima and she answers various questions about
her life after the attack. Her experiences were shared by manyothers and I hope this book helps you to understand the actual
situation of the survivors. Unfortunately, she passed away before it
was published.
It would be my greatest pleasure if this book contributes to peace
activities by many people from all over the world. I hope it
encourages you to start thinking about what you can do towardbuilding a more peaceful world without nuclear weapons.

At present, the people of Japan have enjoyed peace without having
to experience war for over 60 years and there are few countries in
the world that can say this. I think we can say that the atomic
bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were thecatalyst that led us to renounce war and establish a new
constitution to start the reconstruction of Japan. As a result we havebeen able to live in peace.

4 ●

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Contents
Q1: How did you come to live in this nursing home?… …………………………… 10[[ Past ]]Q1-2: Nursing Homes for the A-bomb Survivors… ………………………………… 11[[ Past ]]Q2: Where were you when the A-bomb was dropped?……………………………… 12

Q2-2: Disaster of the A-bomb… ……………………………………………………… 13

Q3: What was your family doing when the bomb went off?………………………… 14

Q3-2: Disintegration of Families due to the A-bombing… ………………………… 15

Q4: How does the A-bomb differ from regular bombs? … ………………………… 16

Q4-2: A-Bomb Energy…………………………………………………………………… 17

Q5: What is radioactivity?… …………………………………………………………… 18

Q5-2: Types and Properties of Radiation… …………………………………………… 19

Q6: Who was the first to discover radiation?… ……………………………………… 20

Q6-2: History of Radiation Damage… ………………………………………………… 21

Q7: What’ s the difference between Hiroshima’ s bomb and Nagasaki’ s?… …… 22

Q7-2: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombs' Differences…………………………………… 23

Q8: How many children lost their parents in the A-bombing?……………………… 24

Q8-2: Facilities for the A-bombed Orphans…………………………………………… 25

Q9: Was everyone A-bombed in this facility?… ……………………………………… 26

Q9-2: A-bombed Lonely-Elderly… …………………………………………………… 27

Q10: How much radiation were you exposed to?……………………………………… 28

Q10-2: Estimation of Radiation Dosage ………………………………………………… 29

Q11: What was the city like after the bombing?… …………………………………… 30

Q11-2: Preserving A-bomb Survivors’ Memories in Drawings… …………………… 31

Q12: How was your health after the A-bomb was dropped?… ……………………… 32

Q12-2: Acute Physical Disorders ………………………………………………………… 33

Q13: Why did you became sick after two weeks?……………………………………… 34

Q13-2: Radiation Dose and Acute Radiation Symptom… …………………………… 35

Q14: What is leukemia?…………………………………………………………………… 36

Q14-2: Erection of the “Children’ s Peace Monument”… …………………………… 37

Q15: When did leukemia become more common?… ………………………………… 38

Q15-2: A-bomb Radiation and Leukemia… …………………………………………… 39

Q16: What other cancers were seen besides leukemia?… …………………………… 40

Q16-2: Time of Occurrence of Malignant Tumors Vary with Illness… ……………… 41

42
Q18: Were babies exposed to radiation in their mothers’ wombs affected?… …… 44
Q19: What are cataracts?… ……………………………………………………………… 46
Q20: What is a keloid?… ………………………………………………………………… 48
Q21: Where are chromosomes located?………………………………………………… 50

Q17-2: Although Not Ill, Health Irregularities Are Seen Among Survivors

Q17: What other illnesses were seen besides cancer?… ……………………………

[[ Present ]]Q22: How many A-bomb survivors are there in Japan now?… ……………………… 52
Q23: How many A-bomb survivors are living overseas?… …………………………… 54
Q24: Don’ t you feel lonely at times?… ………………………………………………… 56
Q25: How do you spend August Sixth?… ……………………………………………… 58
Q26: How does radiation physically and mentally affect people?… ………………… 60
Q27: How did you begin teaching others about your A-bomb experience?… …… 62
6 ●Exposed to Radiation… ………………………………………………………… 43
Q18-2: Radioactive Effects on Prenatally Exposed A-bomb Survivors… …………… 45
Q19-2: Radiation Dose and Incidence of Cataracts… ………………………………… 47
Q20-2: Visible Effects of A-bomb Heat Rays… ………………………………………… 49
Q21-2: Frequency of Chromosome Aberrations is Proportional to Radiation Dose… 51[[ Present ]]Q22-2: Changes in A-bomb Survivors' Population… ………………………………… 53
Q23-2: Medical Examinations of A-bomb Survivors Living Abroad… ……………… 55
Q24-2: A Day at the Nursing Home and Yearly Events………………………………… 57
Q25-2: Key Points of the Peace Declarations…………………………………………… 59
Q26-2: Psychological Burden Borne by A-bomb Survivors…………………………… 61
Q27-2: Trend in Number of Publications Concerning A-bomb Experiences… ……… 63●

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Q28: Does radiation still cause cancer to A-bomb survivors?………………………… 64

Q28-2: High Incidence of Cancer in Recent Days……………………………………… 65

Q29: Why do survivors have to suffer from three cancers?…………………………… 66

Q29-2: Increasing Incidence of a Second Cancer……………………………………… 67

Q30: What do you do when you get sick?… …………………………………………… 68

Q30-2: Radiation Induced Diseases Designated by the National Government

Q31: What about hospital payments?…………………………………………………… 70

and Various Allowances… ……………………………………………………… 69
Q31-2: National Budget for A-bomb Survivors………………………………………… 71

Q32: Can survivors have X-rays?… ……………………………………………………… 72
Q33: Does everyone receive radiation in daily life?… ………………………………… 74
Q34: What was the Atomic Bomb Dome used for before the A-bombing?………… 76
Q35: Do any other A-bombed buildings remain besides the Dome?… …………… 78
Q36: When was the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims built?………………………… 80
Q37: How many monuments are there in Peace Memorial Park?… ………………… 82
Q38: Are there trees damaged by the bomb that still survive?… …………………… 84
Q39: Are the A-bombed buildings and trees the only things that still remain?… … 86

Q32-2: What Level of Radiation Are We Exposed to from an X-ray Medical
Examination?……………………………………………………………………… 73
Q33-2: Radiation Is Used in Many Fields………………………………………………… 75
Q34-2: Designation as a World Heritage Site…………………………………………… 77
Q35-2: Preservation of A-bombed Buildings…………………………………………… 79
Q36-2: Historical Changes in the Peace Memorial Ceremony … …………………… 81
Q37-2: A Map of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and its Surrounding Areas……… 83
Q38-2: Surviving Trees… ………………………………………………………………… 85
Q39-2: Excavation of Victims' Remains… ……………………………………………… 87[[ Future ]][[ Future ]]Q40: The number of A-bomb survivors is going to decrease, right?… ……………… 88

Q40-2: The Study of A-bomb Survivors Contributes to International Society……… 89

Q41: Were the children of A-bomb survivors affected?… …………………………… 90

Q41-2: Health Study of Children of A-bomb Survivors (Second-Generation)… …… 91

Q42: What can we do to stop the use of atomic bombs?…………………………… 92

Q42-2: Practical Examples of “Peace Study” by Junior and High School Students… … 93

Q43: What are adults doing to seek peace?… ………………………………………… 94

Q43-2: “Nuclear-Weapon Free Zones” Declaration… ………………………………… 95

Q44: What can we do to make the world more peaceful?… ………………………… 96

Q44-2: Telling the Effects of the A-bomb to the Next Generations– What Can We

Q45: Thank you for sharing your experience with me………………………………… 98

Do?… ……………………………………………………………………………… 97
Q45-2: Hiroshima and Japan’ s Roles for Building Peace… ………………………… 99[[ Resource Materials ]]Radiation Dose… …………………………………………………………………… 100
References… ………………………………………………………………………… 101
Material Sources… ………………………………………………………………… 102
Suggested Reading List…………………………………………………………… 103
Museum Special Services………………………………………………………… 104
Past Peace Declarations…………………………………………………………… 106
Index… ………………………………………………………………………………… 112
8 ●Active Groups for Peace … ……………………………………………………… 114
Acknowledgment…………………………………………………………………… 118
The words or phrases emphasized in bold type in the text are defined in detail infootnotes.
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Q1
A:

How did you come to live in thisnursing home?

When the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, I was at my house. I was
seriously injured but both my mother and my sister died that day. Later on, after myother sister married, my father and I lived together for many years. However, heeventually died of lung cancer and it was difficult for me to get used to living by myself.
In 1987, when I was 66 years old, I lived in a special nursing home in Hiroshima City.
Then, when I broke my leg and was in a hospital, I was lucky enough to join this special
home that is especially for A-bomb survivors- people who were exposed to the effects of
the atomic bomb when it was dropped. It’s been about seven years since I moved here.
How I came to live here begins on that day in 1945. It’s a long story, so why don’t you
get yourself comfortable and let me tell you what happened.

Nursing Homes for the A-bomb
Survivors

Q1-2

There are three types of nursing homes for the A-bomb survivors.

- General Nursing HomeA facility which provides care services for those who cannot receive daily care attheir homes for physical, mental or environmental reasons.

- Special Nursing HomeA facility which provides care services for those who require constant nursing
care, but cannot receive the care at their homes due to significant physical ormental difficulties.

- Short-Stay

A facility which provides short-term care services for those who are cared for by
their families, but who temporarily cannot receive care in their home because theirfamilies are not available because of accidents, sickness, or travel, etc.

These nursing homes are located in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following is an
explanation of the facilities in Hiroshima. The first nursing home, the “Funairi MutsumienHome” was founded in 1970 with a total of 150 residents, where 100 live in a general
nursing home and 50 in a special nursing home. Soon after 1970, the “Kandayama
Yasuragien Home” was established as a special nursing home for 100 residents. Since a
number of people were on the waiting list to enter these facilities, a special nursing home,“Kurakake Nozomien Home” for 300 residents was built in 1992. In 1983, “Funairi
Mutsumien Home” was renovated to become a general nursing home which could
accommodate 100 residents. Currently, Hiroshima provides the facilities of a general
nursing home for 100 people, special nursing homes for 400, and short-stay for 8.
The Hiroshima A-bomb Survivors Relief Foundation is responsible for thebusiness operation of these three nursing homes. As of the end of August 2004, morethan 780 people were on the waiting list, hoping to stay in these homes.

Nursing Homes for the A-Bomb Survivors
Established in 1970

FunairiMutsumien HomeFor 100 people

Established in 1982

Kandayama
Yasuragien HomeFor 100 people

Established in 1992

KurakakeNozomien HomeFor 300 people

Renovated
In 1983

Kurakake Nozomien HomeThe Hiroshima A-bomb Survivors Relief Foundation: Based on “The Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law”
national businesses, Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City have established nursing homes
and are responsible for their operations.

10 ●

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Where were you when the A-bomb
was dropped?

Q2
A:

I was in my house in Kako-machi, about nine hundred meters away from the
hypocenter, when the bomb went off. At that time, I was in the fifth grade at a girls’
school. On the day of the bombing, I was drafted as a volunteer for the government at anarms factory, but I had felt sick and gone home. At 8:00 in the morning the air-raid sirens
went off and soon after that the bomb was dropped.
My house was located near Sumiyoshi Shrine, but it and everything around there
was completely destroyed.
10 days before the A-bombing

4 days after the A-bombing(provided by the U.S. Armed Forces)(provided by the U.S. Armed Forces)

This photo was taken by U.S. Forces 10 days
Honkawa-cho
before the A-bombing.
The right side of the
大手町
Sumiyoshi Bridge clearly shows
my home. The
home was located four doors from the main street.

This photo was taken 4 days after the A-bombing.
Not a house can be seen. (See Q11-2, Q26-2 forpictures drawn by survivors.)

Q2-2

Disaster of the A-bomb

The city of Hiroshima, as a prefectural capital, used to play a key role as the center ofgovernment, economy, education, culture, and military. The population was approximately
350,000 and there were 76,000 buildings and houses in the city.
At 8:15, Monday morning, August 6th,1945, when the students were attendingmorning meetings and the business people were starting their work, an American military
B-29 airplane (Enola Gay) came and dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Approximately 140,000 people died in the bombing. Almost everything within a 2,000
meter-radius of the hypocenter was completely burned down, with about 50,000
buildings and houses totally collapsed and burned.
The burned area reached approximately 13,250,000 square meters (a thousand times
as large as a baseball stadium). Many important public facilities and services wereseriously damaged, such as the Hiroshima Prefectural Government Office, City Hall,
Hiroshima Station, telegram and post offices, schools, trains, gas and water supply
stations.

Dobashi-cho
Cenotaph Dedicated to the Victimsof the A-Bomb●●Hiroshima National Peace Memorial
Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Hiroshima International
Conference Hall●Hiroshima Peace

Nish

i He

iwa

Kawahara-cho

Memorial Park

Oha

●Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum(East Bldg.)

shi B

ridge

Heiw

aO

Nak

ajim

aS

Koseinenkin Hall
●

hinz

has

Brid
ge
Aster Plaza●●Chugoku ElectricPower Co.

Ko-machiKakomachi

Shin Sumiyoshi Bridg

e●Central Post Oﬃce

MotoyasuRiver
Shin Meijihi B●Naka Ward Oﬃce

Naka Ward

Ote-machi (4)BridgeSumiyoshi-cho
iyos●Shirakami Shrine
Pea
ce B
e
oule
vard

ridg

Ote-machi (3)aki

Honkawa River(Ota River)

Sum

NHK
●

hi B

Route 2

●Hiroshima City Hall

Kokutaiji-cho (1)

●

ridg

e

Meiji

ge
Brid

Kokutaiji-cho (2)Ote-machi (5)This map shows the current
location of my home. (Marked by the red arrow.)

12 ●Senda-machi

B29 airplane (Enola Gay): The nickname for the American B29 bomber that dropped the A-bomb in 1945. The
plane is currently on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C.
● 13

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Q3
A:

What was your family doing when
the bomb went off?

At the time of the bombing, there were five in my family: my father, mother, two
younger sisters and myself. My father was running a sewing machine factory,
where machine parts were delivered to the Clothing Department which manufactured
military uniforms during wartime. He was bombed at his factory, two and a half
kilometers from the hypocenter, but didn’t get seriously injured. My mother wasn’t sofortunate. She was attending building demolition operations near the hypocenter
when the bomb was dropped. My father looked everywhere for her, but he couldn’t findher, not even her dead body.
    I was at home when my house collapsed. Fortunately, I survived thanks to thewindow frames knocking me over and propping up the wall, but my entire body was
pitted with the shattered glass. Even ten years after that, some pieces of glass werestill working themselves out of my body. I also took some extraction operations.
      My immediate younger sister was exposed to the bombing while she was working
in a student mobilization project at a military factory, just under three kilometers fromthe hypocenter. She luckily escaped serious injury. My youngest sister, a second
grader at another girls’ school, was also mobilized to work and was in Nakajima-cho,close to the hypocenter when it exploded. She was never found– not even a trace.
      The atomic bomb was used for the first time on August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, buteven now, if you were to visit the graveyards of Hiroshima on August Sixth and seethem crowded with friends, relatives and descendants honoring the dead in the
Buddhist way, you still could not imagine the grief and horrors of that single atomic
bomb.

Mother48 years old
Within 500m
participating in building
demolition operations
Not found

55 years old
2.5km
sewing machine factory

17 years old
900m
11th year student at girls' school

Sister15 years old
2.8km
10th year student at girls' schoolStudent mobilization

13 years old
Within 500m
8th year student at girls' schoolStudent mobilization
Not foundmy family at the time of the bombing
Building demolition operations: Destroying buildings for fire control and widening streets for evacuations.
Student mobilization: Everyone, even students, had to work in the war effort doing everything from heavy labor
to code breaking.

14 ●The degree of family disintegration (a situation where a family lacks unity because
someone in the family dies or lives away from home) was so significant that the true
figure has not yet been clarified. However, the results of collaborative research, “TheCampaign to Reconstruct Pre-Bombing Map of the Hypocenter Area,”1) which was
conducted by the Hiroshima University Research Institute for Radiation Biology
and Medicine, the Hiroshima Central Station of NHK (Japan Broadcasting
Corporation), and Hiroshima City, will be informative for this issue.
       In the table below, the horizontal frames show the distance from the hypocenterand the vertical frames show, in order from the top, the average number of family
members according to each family register, the average number of family members at
the time of the bombing, the average number of deaths within each family, and thepercentage of deaths within each family. Some people lived near the center of the
explosion, but happened to be away from home and were exposed to the effects inother towns. Some escaped the bomb by being far away from their homes. Of those
who lived within 500 meters of the hypocenter 64% lost family members.
       The farther the residences are located from the hypocenter, the smaller the numberof deaths within each family becomes.
       In the case of the elderly woman on the left page, she was exposed to the effectsof the bombing at her home, 900 meters away from the hypocenter. She lost 2 family
members out of 5. Many similar cases are considered to have been seen at that time.
Death Rates within Families

Average numberof registeredfamily members
Average numberof family members
at the bombing
Average numberof deaths withinfamilies
Percentage of deaths
within families

4.88

4.85

4.78

4.83

4.69

3.54

3.51

3.65

3.89

3.74

2.28

1.82

0.86

0.72

0.42

64.4%

51.9%

23.6%

18.5%

11.2%

Within 500m
of Hypocenter

500-1,000m

1,000-1,500m

1,500-2,000m

2,000-3,000m（％）

Sister

MyselfQ3-2

Within 500m
500-1,000m
1,000-1,500m 1,500-2,000m
2,000-3,000m（Hypocenter） （bumed area） （bumed area） （bumed area）（partially-bumed）

My family at the time of the bombing

FatherDisintegration of Families due tothe A-bombing

70
60
50
40
30
20

Percentage
10of deaths
within families 0

Hiroshima University Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine: Established in April 1961 for the“study and application of treatment and prevention of injury caused by A-bomb radiation”
Percentage of deaths within families● 15Contents

Q4
A:

How does the A-bomb differ from regular bombs?

Well, there were huge air raids in Tokyo. Especially on March 10, 1945,
thousands of bombs were dropped and about 100,000 people lost their lives.
Whole areas of the city were burned to the ground.
      We had air raids all over Japan, such as in Yokohama and Nagoya, but theHiroshima and Nagasaki A-bombs were different from the bombs dropped on other
cities. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just a single nuclear bomb was dropped. Thesebombs contained the destructive power of thousands of regular bombs, but wereconcentrated in one huge explosion.
      Hiroshima’s bomb also significantly differs from the bombs used in air raids on
Tokyo or other cities because it was an atomic bomb. Genetic damage due to radiation
still remains even sixty years after the bomb was dropped.
      Atomic bombs and regular bombs are completely different.

Q4-2

A-Bomb Energy

Uranium 235 was used in the A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which was equivalent to
15 thousand tons of TNT. Different from other types of bombs, the bomb is characterized
by a burst of fierce heat rays and radiation in addition to the initial blast. Of the energy
emitted by the explosion, it is said that approximately 50% was in the form of the blast,
35% was heat rays, and 15% was radiation. (See the pie chart below)

1. Blast

An immense shock wave traveled from the blast. At the hypocenter the blast
reached a speed of 440 meters per second. (The location on the ground directly
beneath the point where the bomb exploded is called the hypocenter. The pointof explosion in the air, 580 meters above the city, is called the epicenter.) In thearea of 3 kilometers away from the hypocenter, the speed was estimated to beapproximately 30 meters per second.

2. Heat Rays

In the case of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the temperature in the epicenteris estimated to have reached several million degrees centigrade. One second
after detonation, a fireball with a radius of 200 meters was generated whose
surface temperature reached 7,000 to 8,000 degrees. People exposed on thestreet within 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter sustained fatal burns. Even at
3.5 kilometers away, people suffered burns on exposed skin, which later caused
the development of keloids (See Q20).

3. Radiation
The photo shows Tokyo at the time of
the air raids.
( provided by the U.S. Armed Forces.)

The uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima released massive amounts ofradiation, which can be identified as two types. One is the initial radiation(approximately 5% of the total energy) emitted in the air within a minute of the
explosion, and the other is the residual radiation (approximately 10% of the totalenergy) emitted later on the ground for a limited time.

A-Bomb Energy
Heat Rays

Initial Radiation1)

The enlarged photo of the upper
photo, showing burned out urban area
similar to Hiroshima.
( provided by the U.S. Armed Forces.)
Genetic (Genes): Factors in chromosomes that influence physical features and behavior. The genes aretransmitted from parents to children.

16 ●Residual Radiation 2)"Ashes of Death" (fallout)"Induced Radiation"

Blast1) The base component of initialradiation includes gamma rays
(approximately 90%) and neutron rays(about 10%). (See Q5-2)
2) The residual radiation is further
divided into two additional categories.
One is primarily non-ﬁssionable
Uranium 235 (fallout) and was called
the "ashes of death." It ﬂew in all
directions and damaged people who
survived the initial explosion. The otheris "induced radiation" in which neutronrays interacted with the nuclei of soil
or building materials and induced
radiation.

Uranium: A metal element used for nuclear fuel via a chained fission reaction in nuclear energy production.
Uranium ore is found in pitchblende and carnotite.
Keloids: Scars from burns or cuts that become swollen after recovery. They have a copperish and shiny color,
1) The base componentof initial stabbing
radiationpain
includesgamma(SeeraysQ20(approximately
rubbery hardness,or itchiness.
for details.) 90%) and neutronrays (about 10 %). (See Q5-2)● 172) The residual radiation is further divided into two additional categories. One is primarily
non-ﬁssionable Uranium 235 (fallout) and was called the ﾒashes of death.ﾓ It ﬂew in all directions anddamaged people who survived the initial explosion. The other is ﾒinduced radiationﾓ in which neutron

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Q5
A:

Q5-2

What is radioactivity?

Let’s use fire from a piece of coal as an example. Suppose the coal is burning
red and a person is warming his or her hands over the fire. This person gradually
feels warm because of the heat rays produced by the coal. These heat rays areequivalent to “radiation,” a flow of very tiny particles. The coal itself is burning with aflame, and this coal corresponds to radioactive materials. The burning coal has theproperty to produce heat rays (radiation), and this property is called “radioactivity.”
The unit of the amount of radioactivity is expressed in becquerel(Bq), the amount of radiation in Gray (Gy), and radiation dosage
which affects a person's body in Sievert (Sv). In some cases,
however, irrespective of radiation types, radiation dosage on a
person's skin surface is expressed in Gray.

Types and Properties of Radiation

Energy flow exists in the air as electric and acoustic waves. Radiation is a kind ofenergy flow that travels through space.
      The substance of radiation is an atom-nucleus (elementary particle), such as
photons, electrons, protons and neutrons. Electric waves and microwaves (as in
microwave ovens) are photons that, in a broad sense, can be categorized into the sameradiation group. Radiation (ionizing radiation) can ionize air or water when it strikes them.
      Below are the types of radiation and examples of their daily use. (See Q33-2)

Type of Radiation and Examples of Use

Radiation dosage perparticular organ or thesum of all radiation
dosages in a person(Unit: Sievert, Sv)

Radiation Type

Properties

Examples of Use

Alpha ray(α ray)Heavy particle which carries a positive charge.
Blocked below 1 mm within human bodies.
Blocked by a piece of paper in the air.

Smoke detectors

Beta ray(β ray)Light particle (electron) which carries a negative
charge.Blocked by several meters in the airand several millimeters within human bodies.

Luminous paint dial

Gamma ray
(γray)

Electromagnetic wave (similar to lights orelectric wave in properties.) The power isweakened by lead plate or concrete.

Cancer treatment,
Sterilization

No electrical particle with a quarter weightNon-destructive
inspection of
shipyard

Neutron ray of alpha rays.

Attenuated by concrete or water.

Coal(radioactive material)(Unit: Becquerel, Bq)

Heat Rays(radiation)(Unit: Gray, Gy)

αrayprotons

paper(Alpha)neutrons

βray
The property of releasing radiation is called “radioactivity.”
The unit of the amount of radioactivity is expressed in Becquerel (Bq),the amount of radiation in Gray (Gy), and radiation dosage which affects
a person’s body in Sievert (Sv). In some cases, however, irrespective ofradiation types, radiation dosage on a person’s skin surface isexpressed in Gray.

(Beta)

electrons

γray(Gamma)electromagnetic waves

Neutron ray

neutrons

aluminumlead
concrete

water

Radioactive materials: Materials which spontaneously release radiation, particularly when the nuclide is not
identified or the materials are the mixture of a number of radioactive nuclides.

18 ●

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Q6
A:

Who was the first to discoverradiation?

When you receive regular check-ups at school, your teacher may say, “You’ll
have a roentgen exam (often called an X-ray.) X-rays were first discovered by aperson named Roentgen.
It was in the evening on November 8, 1895 at the University of Wurzburg inGermany. A physics professor named Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen was studying vacuum
discharges in glass tubes which had high levels of vacuity, and he noticed that thephotographic plate, which happened to be placed two meters away, was glowing withlight.
The emission of this light stopped when he turned off the electricity, so Dr. Roentgenthought something invisible must have been transferred that made the photographic
plate radiate light. He named this invisible thing an “X-ray” in the sense that he didn’tknow what it was.
In December the same year, when Dr. Roentgen presented this discovery at an
academic conference, everyone wassurprised and proposed that this new
type of ray should be named a“Roentgen Ray” after the finder. But Dr.
Roentgen was not happy about thename, and he called it an “X-ray” for his
e ntire l i fe . In a dd i ti on , so me o nerecommended that Dr. Roentgen obtaina patent, but he didn’t apply for one andsaid, “An X-ray is not mine but
everyone’s.” Thanks to his generosity,
this X-ray is still being used all over theworld. However, the use of X-rays also
caused many people to be sick since thehorrifying properties of an X-ray were notknown. (See right page.)
In 1901, Dr. Roentgen received thefirst Nobel Prize in Physics for his great
discovery.
X ray figure of spine

Vacuum discharges: Electrical discharges which occur under low pressure between two electrodes in a vacuum.
Nobel Prize in Physics: A prize awarded by the Nobel Foundation, whose founder was Alfred Nobel, a Swedish
chemist who invented dynamite and cherished the desire for world peace and scientific progress.
The prizes are presented in six categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature,peace, and economics.
Radium materials: A metallic element discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie. It was the first known radioactive element.
Osteosarcoma: A type of bone malignancy that mainly develops in shoulders or knee joints. It often metastasizes to thelungs.
Angiographic drug: A drug used with X-rays, and is injected into blood vessels. The drug is used to diagnose
blood vessel disorders or malignancy.
Nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl: On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl Nuclear Plant reactor No.4 exploded in the
Republic of Ukraine, near Kiev City, in the former Soviet Union. Due to this accident, radioactive
materials were dispersed over 82,000 square kilometers of land including neighboring Belarus andRussia.

20 ●

Q6-2

History of Radiation Damage

2)

Soon after the discovery of X-rays, it was repeatedly revealed that X-rays cause
considerable damage in human bodies. A report in 1898 said that X-rays caused red
and swollen skin. A report in 1900 said they generated skin cancer. While anotherreport in 1911 said they caused leukemia.
The figure below illustrates the history of major radiation damage since the discoveryof X-rays. The upper portion of the graph shows dates, radiation types and purpose of its
use, and below each date the graph indicates damages caused by the radiation.
X-Rays used in abortion, as an alternative to surgery, were not successfully utilizedin treatment. Instead, they affected fetuses and caused various birth abnormalities as
seen in children with microcephaly. In the 1920’s, it became obvious that many workers
who used luminous paint at clock face factories, which used radium materials, hadsuffered osteosarcoma. Among the 253 workers involved, 54 (equivalent to 22% of thetotal workers) died of bone malignancy by 1966. In the 1930’s the radioactive element
thorium was being used as an angiographic drug for sick and wounded soldiers inWorld War II. This treatment spread to Germany, Denmark, Portugal, and Japan. Dueto the aftereffects, the number of patients with liver cancer and leukemia increased.
According to research conducted in Japan up to 1992, of the 264 patients who received
angiographic treatment, 69 people (26.7%) died of liver cancer, and 5 (1.9%) died ofleukemia.
The radiation damage from the A-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in1945 will be explained later, but the total number of immediate deaths in both cities
reached a little below 200 thousand. Furthermore, 300 thousand and several tens of
thousands, respectively, were exposed to radiation, making the explosions the largest
scale radiation damage in history.
After 1950, nuclear and hydrogen bomb tests were conducted on the ground, in theair, or underground, such as on Rongelap Island or in Semipalatinsk, which caused a
critical problem for the residents exposed to radiation. In addition, radiological accidents
occurred, including the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl and approximately 1,600
accidents induced by radioactive materials for medical use.
100-Year History of Radiation Injuries
Discovery of the X-ray
Miscarriage (X-rays)
Luminous paint (radium)

1920
Leukemia

Angiographic (thorotrast)

Atomic Bomb (uranium, plutonium)
Hydrogen Bomb (plutonium, americium)
1940
Ural Nuclear Explosion (strontium)

Congenital anomaly
1960
Osteosarcoma
Nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl
Liver cancer
Goiania (cesium)
1980
Leukemia,
Thyroid cancer,
Breast cancer,
etc
2000
Thyroid cancer(urinary organ cancer)
Congenital anomaly
Thyroid cancer● 21

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Q7
A:

What's the difference between
Hiroshima’s bomb and Nagasaki’s?

First, the dates of the A-bombing are different. Hiroshima was bombed on August
6th and Nagasaki on August 9th.
The plane was an American B-29 and the crew originally planned to drop the bombon Kokura in Northern Kyushu, but they were unable to identify the location due to thickclouds, and dropped it on Nagasaki City instead. Also, Uranium 235 was used in
Hiroshima’s bomb whereas Plutonium 239 was used in Nagasaki’s.
The radiation released at the time of explosion in Nagasaki was mainly gamma
rays, but some neutron rays also wereComparison
emitted in Hiroshima’s. The point ofof the A-bombs' Characteristics
explosion in the air (epicenter) was
Nagasaki
Hiroshimacalculated at 580 meters above theDates ofground in Hiroshima, and 500 meters inAugust9, 1945
August6,
1945
Explosion
Nagasaki. According to the report, theType of
Plutonium 239Pu
Uranium 235U
Nucleuspower of the explosion was equal to fifteen
Point ofthousand tons of TNT in Hiroshima, and503±10m
Explosion 580±15m
twenty one thousand tons in Nagasaki.
ExplosivePower

15±3ktQ7-2

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombs'
Differences

Uranium was used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in contrast to Nagasaki’s
plutonium bomb. However, there was no major difference in the energy released between
Hiroshima’s 15 thousand tons and Nagasaki’s 21 thousand tons. With regard to thecomponents, Hiroshima’s bomb released a larger amount of neutron rays.
The distribution of induced radiation indicates some areas in Nagasaki whereradiation accumulated (Nishiyama area) due to geographic conditions.
As for radiation damage to the human body, major gaps have not been identified
between Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Hiroshima, however, there are more people withchromosomal abnormalities, who seemingly look healthy, than in Nagasaki. (See Q21-2.)
Both cities have similar incidences of leukemia, but the types of leukemia suggest
Hiroshima has a higher incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia than Nagasaki, with theacute-chronic ratio of 1 to 1. (See Q14 and Q15.) Although this phenomenon has not
yet been clarified, Hiroshima’s bomb released approximately 10-percent neutron rays
together with gamma rays, which may have caused the difference.
Mitsubishi Arms Factory
Saigo Dormitory

21±2ktMitsubishi Arms Factory
Ohashi Plant
Saibu Gas Ohashi Factory

Prefectural Nagasaki Technical School

Josei Women's Practical High School
Urakami Catholic Church

Shiroyama National Primary School

500m

Nagasaki Medical College

Hypocenter

Chinzeigakuin School

The Little Boy bomb
(Hiroshima Bomb)(Weight: approx. 4 tons,
Diameter: 70cm, Length: 3m)
Materials declassified by the
U.S. government on December
6, 1960.

Urakami First Hospital

Yamazato National Primary School

Municipal Nagasaki Commercial School

2,000m 1,500m 1,000m

Junshingakuin School

Mt. Kompira

Nagasaki Medical College Hospital

Mitsubishi Young Men's Technical School
Prefectural Keiho Middle School

Urakami Station

Fuchi National Primary School

Mitsubishi Arms Factory
Morimachi Plant

Municipal Nagasaki Hospital
Mt. Inasa
Mitsubishi Shipyard Inasa Lumbermill
Inasa National Primary School

3,000mZenza National Primary School
Nishizaka
National Primary School
Fukuoka Prisoners' Camp(No.14 Branch)
Nagasaki Station

Asahi National Primary School
Mitsubishi Electric Nagasaki Factory

The Fat Man bomb
(Nagasaki Bomb)(Weight: approx. 4.5 tons,
Diameter: 150cm, Length: 3.2m)
Materials declassified by the
U.S. government on December
6, 1960.

22 ●Nagasaki City Hall
Shinkozen
National Primary School

Meganebashi Bridge

completely destroyed &burned downburned down

Katsuyama
National Primary School

Nagasaki Prefectural Office
Nagasaki Harbor

Dejimacompletely destroyed

Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
The map shows thehalf destroyed
effects of the disaster
caused by the A-bomb
Ohura Catholic Church
dropped on Nagasaki.
Reprinted from “Medical Effects of the A-bomb in Nagasaki” by the Scientific Data Center for the Atomic Bomb Disaster,
School of Medicine, Nagasaki University.3)● 23

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Q8
A:

How many children lost theirparents in the A-bombing?

Children who lost their families during the war became orphans, called “warorphans.” Among them, those who became orphans due to the A-bomb are called“A-bomb orphans.” The A-bomb orphans included children who lost their parents in the
A-bombing, but unfortunately had no relatives to take them in. The orphans also include
those who escaped death by having left Hiroshima in a group or with relatives, but losttheir parents who had stayed in the city. Other children became street children because,even though a parent was alive, the parent couldn’t make a living due to injuries. These
poor children were also considered A-bomb orphans. The number of A-bomb orphans
has not been precisely calculated, but is said to have been between 4,000 and 5,000.
Let me tell you about my friend’s case. She had nine members in her family. Amongthem, her parents and four brothers and sisters died in the A-bombing. My friend and heroldest brother survived because of a school evacuation that day. ("School evacuations"were when classrooms of students were relocated as a group to live in the countrysidewhere it was safer.) Her younger brother also survived as he was in the basement of abuilding. However, being just three children, they could not make a living and eventuallybecame orphans. The oldest brother found a live-in job at a neighbor’s house, whereas
my friend and her younger brother were taken in by relatives. However, her brother could
not adjust to the life at the relative’s and entered an orphanage on Ninoshima Island.
There are many similar stories like this. The following picture shows the situation of
my friend’s family after the bomb. The people in the pictures bordered with black died. It is
hard to imagine how one bomb could cause so much suffering.

Oldest sister
22 years old,while working,not found

Father45 years old,
600m from the hypocenter,died on September 10th

Mother45 years old,
600m from the hypocenter,died on August 6thYoungest brother

Q8-2

Facilities for the A-bombed
Orphans

Hiroshima City provided a “Lost Children’s Shelter” at the Hijiyama National Elementary
School for children who lost their families and were left alone because of the
A-bombing. The number of orphans being housed was more than 150.
The ”Hiroshima War Orphan Support Center” was established through efforts byteachers and Buddhists “Shinsei Gakuen” and by the “Hiroshima Prefecture Sibling
Support Foundation,” both of which opened by the end of 1945. Then, 6 shelters werebuilt as the following table shows, but the occupancy load limit was approximately 600,
only 10% of the total need.4) The remaining orphans found shelter from the rain andwind at their relatives or by doing live-in jobs at employers’ houses.
The photo at the lower left depicts 5 children from the Hiroshima War Orphan
Support Center on route to the ceremony to become Buddhist monks at Nishi Honganji
Temple in Kyoto. Eight years later, a grown up and respected priest, reads a sutra aloudin front of his juniors from the orphanage as seen in the lower right photo.

Orphanage (Hiroshima)
Names of orphanage

as of June 1953

Opening

Occupancy load limit

Shinsei Gakuen

Oct. 1945

70

Hiroshima War Orphan Support Center

Dec. 1945

80

Hiroshima Prefecture War Orphan Support Center
Ninoshima Gakuen

Sept. 1946

180

Hikarino-Sono, House of Setsuri

Aug. 1947

80

Hiroshima Monastery

Apr. 1948

92

Roppo Gakuen

Jan. 1949

96

3 years old,
600m from the hypocenter,died on August 6th

At the time of the bombing
Third oldest brother

Secondoldest sister

5 years old,
600m from the hypocenter,died on August 6th

19 years old,died on September 6th

Oldest brother15-year-old student,
school evacuation

Second oldest brother
Youngest sister12-year-old student,
school evacuation(my friend)

8-year-old student
500m from the hypocenter,in the building's basement

Street children: Children who did not have regular homes

24 ●

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Q9
A:

Was everyone A-bombed in thisfacility?

Yes. Only those who were exposed to the A-bomb live here. The A-bomb
survivors are categorized in four groups:(1) Direct A-bomb Survivors: those who were in Hiroshima City within four kilometersfrom the hypocenter. (Group One)
(2) Those who entered the city after the A-bombing to look for relatives or friends andwere within two kilometers from the hypocenter by August 20th. (Group Two)(3) Those who were exposed to radiation when disposing of the dead or taking part in
rescue activities. (Group Three)(4) Children whose mothers were in the above-mentioned groups that were pregnant
and were delivered by May 31, 1946.

Three hundred A-bomb survivors live in this facility now. The number of Direct A-bomb
Survivors is 179, the Second is 97, and the Third is 24.
The map below shows the places where 64 people out of the 179 were A-bombedwithin two kilometers of the hypocenter. You can see how close some of the people
were to the hypocenter at the time of the bombing.

Q9-2

A-bombed Lonely-Elderly

There are some unfamiliar phrases used regarding the A-bombs of Hiroshima andNagasaki. “A-bombed lonely elderly” is one of them, which can be categorized into
two types.
One is the “complete lonely-elderly” and the other is the “semi-lonely elderly.” Thephrase “complete lonely-elderly” refers to old people who lost their spouse and children
with no relatives. Some of them are bomb survivors and some escaped the bomb due
to evacuation. The “semi-lonely elderly” phrase indicates the old who lost family
members, except for their grandfather or grandmother and small children and had
difficulty living properly. This type of the elderly also includes those who were forced tolive alone away from their families after the bombing because of family matters.
According to the Elderly Household Survey as of November 1st, 1985, the bombed
lonely elderly amounted to 11.6% in Hiroshima City (households without being bombed
showed 3.7%), and 8.2% in Nagasaki City (households without being bombed, 4.7%.)
Approximately 8% of the 65-year-olds and older were bombed lonely-elderly. In the
1995 A-bomb Survivors Survey, 19.6 % turned out to live alone, which amounted toabout 20% of the total. This survey also shows 37% live with one family member, but
most of them are old couples and few live with their children. (See the figure below.)
Recently, the number of semi-lonely elderly seems to be increasing.
Sickly lonely-elderly or old couples tend to feel anxiety. There was a period in thepast when a number of the old committed suicide. A survey conducted by the Japan
Confederation of A- and H- bomb Sufferers Organization in June 1975 showed that
31 elderly allegedly committed suicide which were reported nationwide for the five
years from January 1st, 1970 to the end of April, 1975. Among them, Hiroshima had 25
suicide victims, 8 of which were lonely-elderly. The major motive for their suicide is said
to be the burden of disease.
The Hibakusha aging issue, including the lonely elderly, needs to be supported not
only by government economic assistance, but also by mental health support that
includes medical and nursing consultation operations and residents’ efforts to talk withor listen to the elderly.

Percentages of Household Sizes

over 6 people

Surveyedin 1985
Surveyedin 1995

One person

2 people3 people

11.6%

27.9%

18.7%

4 people 5 people
17.4%

unknown
3.7%

10.2% 10.5%
0.4%

19.6%

37.2%

17.6%

10.4% 6.3% 8.3%

From the Atomic Bomb Survivors Field Survey Report 1995 (Survey of Survivors)

Locations within two kilometers of the hypocenter where 64 residents of this facility were living.

26 ●The Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organization: Promoting abolition of nuclear weapons,
supporting survivors and providing counseling (also known as Hidankyo). The only nation-wideorganization for survivors.
● 27

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How much radiation were you
Q10 exposed to?

A:

A university professor told me that I had been exposed to an estimated 1,300
millisievert (mSv) of radiation, including both gamma and neutron rays. (Seedata on page 100.) A researcher once wanted to know where and what kind ofbuilding I was in when I was exposed because my house had been photographedfrom the air by the American army (See picture in Q2), and the exact distance fromthe hypocenter could be calculated. The radiation dosage of 1,300 mSv is about thesame amount as when you have an X-ray on your stomach for 130 times in a row (ona skin dose basis.)
After the A-bombing, I felt nauseous and had diarrhea. I suffered hair loss about
two weeks after the bomb and stayed in bed for about three months. This condition iscalled “acute radiation symptom.” (See Q13 and 13-2.)
The picture at the lower right shows a chromosome (see Q21 and Q21-2) and thearrows point to the damaged parts. The graph at the lower left shows the distancefrom the hypocenter and the radiation dosage (DS86) at that point. You can see thatthe farther you were from the hypocenter, the less radiation you were exposed to.

Radiation Dosage(DS86)
10,000Hiroshima

1,000

Chromosome Abnormality

Q10-2 Estimation of Radiation Dosage
1. Method of Physical Dose Estimation

The method for physical dose estimation, called the “Dosimetry System (DS86)”,5) wasestablished in 1986. The DS86 is entirely based on calculations, whereas the previouslyused “T65D” method is based on particular experimental data from Nevada, in the U.S.
This DS86 ensures accuracy by reflecting the following elements in the calculation
formula: first the bomb power, (the Hiroshima bomb was 15 thousand tons), the amount,energy, and angle of radiation released, mechanism of propagation, shielding bybuildings, and the degree the radiation reached each human organ. However, the report
also states that this calculation formula bears an “uncertainty” of approximately 25%.

2. Method of Biological Dose Estimation

When radiation passes through cells, it damages the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
When cells need to be increased in accordance with body needs, the DNA of thenucleus will be doubled and become filamentous chromosomes to be divided into twocells. (In other words, one cell becomes two by cell division. See Q21.) In this process
where chromosomes are formed, damaged chromosomes can be identified.
These chromosome aberrations increase with the radiation dose reaching thecells, which means the less the exposure, the less the damage. Thus, the radiationdose can be estimated by measuring the number of chromosome aberrations, whichcounts the number of “dicentric” chromosomes immediately after the exposure toradiation and the number of “stable-type” chromosome aberrations per 200 cells, 30
to 50 years after the exposure.
The photo at the lower left shows chromosomes immediately after exposure toradiation, in which a lot of abnormality can be verified. The figure at the lower right isa diagram of the rate of chromosome aberrations and radiation dose 30 to 50 years
after the A-bomb exposure.
Chromosome Abnormality in Acute Phase

10
1

0.01

Gamma Rays
Neutron0.001
500 1,000
1,500 2,000 2,500
Distance from the hypocenter (m)The marked chromosomes show abnormalities.

Rate of chromosome aberrations

Neutron and gamma ray exposure

(%)
60

100

0.1

Rate of chromosome aberrations
and radiation dose
Rate of chromosome aberrations=3.0+9.1 X dose
95% Confidence interval

50
40
30
20
10
1

2

3
4
DS86-GEN

5

Sv

Dicentric: Chromosome with two or more constricted parts. See the chromosome with a star mark in the left figure.

28 ●

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What was the city like after the
Q11 bombing?

Preserving A-bomb Survivors’
Q11-2 Memories in Drawings

Well, many people wrote books and spoke about their experiences on video, but I
think the experience was beyond description. Read the following text. It describes
the wounded people who were brought to a Naval Hospital. It’s unimaginable…

The Hiroshima Broadcasting Station, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), conducteda campaign called “The People’s Pictures: Drawings of the A-bomb Aftermath” andcollected 2,225 drawings by A-bomb survivors from 1974 to 1975.6) Twenty-eight years
later, in the summer of 2002, NHK, the Chugoku Shimbun and other organizations
co-hosted another campaign in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to collect “A-bomb drawings.”
In the second campaign, 1,388 and 300 drawings were received from Hiroshima andNagasaki respectively, making the total number 3,863. The project was triggered when
Mr. Iwakichi Kobayashi, a 77-year-old survivor, brought his drawing titled “AroundYorozuyo Bridge” to NHK on May 15, 1974. The drawing was striking and had a powerthat appealed to people’s minds. It was telling that there was a spectacle still remaining so
vivid in the survivors’ minds after almost 30 years. The campaign staff thought of asking
survivors to draw the unforgettable scenes they had witnessed as a way to pass theirmemories down to future generations during their lifetime.
Some of the drawings collected were exhibited in major cities in Japan together with
documentary photographs and other articles. It created a sensation and the following
words were found in the remarks from the people who saw the exhibition. “Never had I
seen an exhibition like this that displayed such unskilled drawings. These drawings stirred
my deepest emotions like none ever before.” 7)A:“Meanwhile, I heard the sound of a car’s horn in the darkness, then a militarytransport vehicle and a truck arrived. The wounded were crammed in thetransport vehicle, but the truck was worse. On the open-top loading space, as
many people as possible had been piled on top of each other. I couldn’t tell ifthey were dead or alive. All the people’s hair was burned and crimped. Theirclothing was ragged and their exposed skin was terribly burned and soaked withblood. As I shined my flashlight over them, I could see countless pieces of woodchips, glass and metal shards stuck into their faces, backs and limbs. I couldn’t
believe they were human beings. A coal tar-like substance was oozing fromevery single person’s face and body.”“A foul odor struck my nose. It was an odor particular to burn injuries thatsmells like roasted, dried-cuttlefish mixed with the stench of death. I started tocarry one of the piled up bodies. The first person was terribly burned and it wasdifficult to tell if it was a male or female with only a flashlight. My hands kept
slipping because of blood from the person’s burns and the coal tar-like sticky
liquid. However, I managed to unload the first person. The next person was
swollen up with blisters. It was hard to believe that this was a human being. I
couldn’t tell the person’s age, but it was a man. After I carried him down,something gave out a cry. There was a dead baby under him. The baby musthave been crushed by the wounded people piled on top of each other while they
were going over the rough mountain path. The baby’s body was cold.” (Masao
Shiotsuki, My First Assignment was Mercy Killing – Testimony of August 9, 1945,
Kobunsha, 1978)
There are books resources for children and young adults that describe what the city
was like after the atomic bomb was dropped . There are even movies and animation onvideotape. (refer to p104.)

Around Temma-cho on August.7 (by Fumie Ishikawa) Nakajima hon-machi on August.8 (by Sagami Ogawa)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)

30 ●August 6 ( by Yozo Tanaka)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)August 7 (by Hiroko Yamamoto)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)August 7 (by Ichiro Yamada)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)August 7 "Bodies of A-bomb Victims with Bulging
Bellies: Floating and Drifting" (by Kenjiro Mukai)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)● 31

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How was your health after the
Q12 A-bomb was dropped?

A:

I was somehow alive– thanks to the window frame that prevented my house fromcrushing me– but I was soaked with blood and learned later that pieces of glass
had lodged themselves all over my body. My father came to rescue me and took me to a
relative’s who lived in a town called Itsukaichi. A doctor there who lived nearby came tosee me and took out all the bits of glass that he was able to, but I still felt tingling pains.
After a couple of years, a piece of glass worked its way out from my skin all by itself. The
last one to come out was about ten years after the bombing. Still some remain inside mybody.
My aunt would go to the mountain to collect an herb called dokudami and brewed it
for me. She always said, “Dokudami is good for your health. Drink as much as you can.”About two weeks after being exposed to radiation, my hair started to fall out. I
remember when I woke up in the morning I would always see lots of hair on my pillow. I
was mostly in bed for about two years.

Q12-2 Acute Physical Disorders
Physical disorders caused by the effects of the A-bomb can be divided into acutedisorders (Acute Radiation Symptoms), which developed within 4 months from theexposure to the radiation, and late disorders (late effect), which appeared after that. Acutedisorders are furthermore divided into 3 phases.
Phase 1: Two weeks, beginning immediately after exposure to the end of the 2nd week
Death resulting from shock or from burn injuries and by acute radiation exposure.
Symptoms: thirst, weakness, nausea, fever, diarrhea, vomiting blood, blood
discharging, blood in the urine (death in about 10 days.) (Dr. Takashi
Nagai notes that mental derangement symptoms such as stupor,
excessive irritability and, amnesia were also seen.) 8)
Phase 2: Six weeks, from the begining of the 3rd week to the end of the 8th week
(2nd month)
Death by malfunction of bone marrow which generates blood, by ulcerative
bleeding from intestines and by bacterial infection
Symptoms: In addition to the symptoms of phase 1, loss of hair, bleeding fromgums, genitourinary bleeding, hemorrhage beneath the skin, stomatitis,sore throat, decreases of the red and white blood cells and platelets,
pneumonia and severe enteritis.
Phase 3: Eight weeks, from the beginning of the 3rd month to the end of the 4thmonth (December)
Symptoms: Sufferers from symptoms seen in phase 1 and 2 start to recover inthis phase. Decrease in sperm count and menstrual disorders are stillobserved. Development of keloid skin lesions begins.

Hair loss (material provided by US Forces)

Symptoms and Death Rate

(%)
40

Dead
30

The figure shows the death
rate and appearance ratioof each symptom seen
during the acute phase.
The death rate peaked
from the 4th to the 7th
week after the exposure.37)

Hair loss

Hemorrhage beneath the skin
Swelling of mouth and throat

20

10
0

10

20

30

40

50

Number of days after bombing

60

70

X-ray pictures of a survivor’s right arm taken 55 years after the bombing

32 ●

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Why did you became sick after two
Q13 weeks?

Radiation Dose and AcuteQ13-2 Radiation Symptom

Many people who appeared healthy and were able to care for the injured became
sick about ten days after the bomb was dropped. Those people were free fromimmediate injury but had been exposed to radiation. Their bone marrow cells (where
blood is made in the bone) were damaged by the radiation and unable to produce blood
anymore.
The number of white blood cells and platelets (figures at upper left and upper right)
made before being exposed to radiation gradually begins to decrease and in about two
weeks, the human body will not be able to function normally. At that time, the bonemarrow is unable to produce blood (figure to lower right).

Each element of the energy from the bomb, the explosion, heat rays and radiation,affected the survivors’ health. Their symptoms seem to have appeared in diverse ways
as the interrelation of those elements varied.
However, from the effects caused by radiation exposure itself, such as nuclear
reactor accidents or mishandling of radioactive sources, it is possible to estimate theexposure dose by carefully observing physical symptoms, because the physicalsymptoms that appear are well related to the exposure dose. In particular, the rate ofdecrease in the lymphocytes is a useful reference.

A:

platelets

white blood cells
red blood cells

Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets froma healthy person

Illustration of the left photo
A soldier with hair loss one month after
A-bomb exposure (provided by US Forces)

Radiation Dose and Appearance of Symptoms/Abnormality
Radiation Dose (mSV)

0-500

500-1,000 1,000-2,000 2,000-6,000 6,000-10,000 10,000-20,000

Systemic symptoms

Normal bone marrow

Bone marrow exposed to radiation (provided by US
Forces)White blood cells: There are mainly five types of cells in the blood, including cells that kill germs and cells related
to the immune system or allergies. Normally, there are from 4,000 to 8,000 cells in 1 cubic
millimeter.
Platelets: Blood cells that work to stop bleeding. Unlike white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells do not havea nucleus. Normally, there are from 150 to 200 thousand plateles in 1 cubic millimeter.

34 ●Physical symptoms
appearing later——

Fatigue

Hair loss

Bleeding

Diarrhea
Fever

Appearance of nausea
and vomiting

—

—

3hrs

2hrs

1hrs

30min

—

Slightdecrease

50%
Decrease

Drastic
decrease

500/μlor less0

Blood abnormality
Lymphocyte● 35

Contents

Q14 What is leukemia?

Erection of the “Children’s Peace
Q14-2 Monument”

Leukemia is cancer of the blood. It’s a health disorder in which the number ofmalignant and irregular white blood cells increases. While the number of abnormal
white blood cells increases, the amount of red blood cells and platelets decreases andthe sufferers tend to have anemia and bleed from their gums. Leukemia can be
described as acute or chronic, and by cell type whether it is lymphatic or myeloid. Until
about twenty years ago, when bone marrow transplant technology and effective
medicines were developed, almost all the sufferers of any type of leukemia died.
Sadako Sasaki’s classmates and children from all over the nation raised money tobuild the Children’s Peace Monument. It was built to comfort not only the soul of Sadako,
who died of leukemia, but all the children who died because of A-bomb related illnesses.
The picture below at the upper left shows acute myeloid leukemia cells and below it
is a photo of someone who suffers from a swollen spleen (from the center to the left) andenlarged liver (left)— often seen among sufferersof chronic myeloid leukemia.
The upper right picture is a note written by
Sadako. She was writing down her red and whiteblood cell count from the day she washospitalized. In the picture below it, you can see
the paper cranes that Sadako folded while she
was in hospital.

Sadako Sasaki was exposed to the radiation at her house, 1.6 km from the hypocenter,when she was 2 years old. She fell sick in the autumn of 1954 and was admitted to the
Red Cross Hospital of Japan on February 21, 1955.
At that time, her white blood cell count (WBC) had risen to 37,400, which was fivetimes higher than the average, and unusually shaped leukemia cells were found inlarge numbers. Two months later, her WBC count came down to normal at 4,400 withthe help of medicine, but the medicines became ineffective in July, so she started toreceive repeated blood transfusions. However, she passed away on October 25. Fourdays after her death, 39 of her junior high school classmates gathered to discussestablishing a monument determined to “give meaning to Sadako’s life.” On November
11, they began passing out leaflets at the site of the national meeting of junior highschool principals to ask for support.
On January 18, 1956, about 100 representatives from elementary schools, juniorand senior high schools in Hiroshima City attended the first preparatory committee atNoborimachi Junior High School, Sadako’s school, for the establishment of theChildren’s Peace Monument. They decided to raise funds for the monument bycollecting contributions on the streets.
The monument was unveiled on May 5, Japan’s Children’s Day, 1958. On the topof the monument, a statue of a girl is holding up a paper crane. It was designed for
Sadako, who had been folding paper cranes every day, believing that she would getwell if she folded one thousand of them. A bell hanging inside the monument was
donated from Nobel prize physicist, Dr. Hideki Yukawa. On the surface of the bell, thefollowing words are engraved; “Peace on the Earth and in the Heavens.” The inscription
carved on the stone beneath the bell of the monument reads, “This is our cry, this is ourprayer, for building peace in the world.”
The inscription on the Children’s Peace Monument reads: “With the support of friends
nationwide, we elementary school pupils and junior and senior high school students in
Hiroshima City have worked together to establish this monument to console the soulsof all the children who died from the Atomic bombing and to speak out for world peace.
The Hiroshima Society of School Children for Building World Peace, May 5, 1958”

A:

Acute myeloid leukemia cells

The record of the number of white blood
cells and red blood cells that Sadako had
begun to keep after she was admitted tohospital. (Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum)liver

spleenThe outline of a swollen spleen (right side of thephoto) and enlarged liver (left)— often seenamong sufferers of chronic myeloid leukemia.

36 ●Paper cranes folded by Sadako while she was in hospital.
(provided by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)● 37

Contents

When did leukemia become more
Q15 common?

A:

Well, the first case of leukemia related to the atomic bomb was found (diagnosed
at Kyushu University Hospital) in November 1946. The victim was in Nagasaki
when it was bombed. In Hiroshima, It was found in 1947, and after that many people
started to develop the illness. The cases of leukemia peaked in 1952, especially amongchildren. I’ve heard that the number of cases slowly began to lessen after that.
As you may know, Sadako developed leukemia in 1954. The development ofleukemia among adults usually appeared later than in her case and I heard that it
tended to continue until about 1988. The total number of leukemia patients had risen to
about 300 by 1985.
The figure below shows the number of acute or chronic leukemia cases who had
been exposed to the effects of the A-bomb within a 2km radius. The risk of developing
leukemia was ten times higher in 1961 and three and a half times higher on averagecompared to people who weren’t exposed. How horrible!

Q15-2 A-bomb Radiation and Leukemia
Characteristics of leukemia among A-bomb survivors are: 9)(1) The incidence rose in direct proportion to the amount of radiation dosage.
(2) The younger the age at the time of exposure, the greater the risk forleukemia.
(3) The incidence peaked during 1952-1953, which was 7-8 years after
exposure.
(4) The incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia was significantly higher in
Hiroshima than in Nagasaki.
Being exposed to radiation does not necessarily increase the incidence ofleukemia. The effect varies with the type of radioactive ray.
For example, osteosarcoma is frequently seen among people repeatedly using
luminous paint (cobalt/beta ray), such as in clock face factories. The incidence rateof liver cancer increased during World War II because a blood vessel contrast
medium (thorotrast/alpha ray), that was used for diagnostic evaluations, was used onsick and wounded soldiers. In the case of the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl(radioactive iodine, strontium, cesium) in 1986, no leukemia was seen, but theincidence of pediatric thyroid cancer rose.

Number of leukemia cases among Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors
by year of onset (exposed within 2km)Type of leukemia and age at the time ofbombing (ATB) and years from exposure

18

Age ATB

16

10

acute

8
6
4
2
0
1945

chronic
1950

1955

1960

Acute or chronic leukemia: Details described in Q14.

38 ●

1965

1970

1975

1980

15-29 30-44

0

5

10

Age ATB

Risk rate

No. of cases

12

The figure on the right shows therelationship between the age ATB
and the incidence or risk rate of acuteleukemia (top) or chronic myeloid
leukemia (bottom), and the years
from the age ATB to the developmentof the diseases. It illustrates thatleukemia develops earlier as the age
ATB gets younger, and that the risk
rate for acute leukemia remains highcompared to chronic myeloid
leukemia.

Risk rate

14

Acute leukemia

0

15

20

25Years

Chronic myeloid leukemia
15-29

5

10

15

20

Years after exposure

25Years

Luminous paint: Glowing paint. Adding traces of a radioactive substance, such as radium, to a substance oforganic fluorochrome or zinic sulfide mixed with a slight amount of copper makes it glow in thedark. Luminous paint takes advantage of this phenomenon.
● 39

Contents

What other cancers were seen
Q16 besides leukemia?

Time of Occurrence of Malignant
Q16-2 Tumors Vary with Illness

About ten years after the bomb was dropped, a doctor noticed how manysurvivors were developing cancer and started to investigate. Other doctors in
Hiroshima city joined this investigation, and they found out that the risk of developing
cancer was indeed high among those exposed to the radiation. The cancers, thought
to be triggered by radiation, are cancers of the thyroid, breast, lung, stomach, colon,
skin, meningioma (a type of brain tumor) and others. People who were exposed to ahigher radiation dosage and those who were exposed at a younger age, were more
likely to develop cancer when they reached the cancer-prone age. My father also diedof lung cancer seventeen years ago.
In the upper left is a photo of stomach cancer and the upper right is colon cancer.
At the lower left is a case of skin cancer and the lower right is a CT scan ofmeningioma. Developing cancer is a fear all survivors of the bomb never get over.

When you have been exposed to radiation, cancer will not appear in all the organs at
the same time.
Closely studying the incidence of cancer in each organ, it was found that when thehuman body is exposed to a vast amount of radiation at a single time, such as by an
A-bomb, the time of the occurrence of cancer differs from organ to organ.
Five years after exposure, leukemia is seen particularly among children. Next
comes thyroid cancer at about 10 years after exposure, and the incidence rates ofbreast and lung cancer, stomach and colon cancer, skin cancer and meningioma (atype of brain tumor) increase respectively 20, 30 and 40 years after the exposure.
This increase in the incidence of specific cancers is not in an accidental order. It
happens because human cells have different sensitivities to radiation. In general,
organs with frequent cell divisions, regeneration and propagation are very sensitive toradioactive rays. Cancers of the skin or brain tumors appeared decades after exposure
because cell divisions are not frequent in those tissues. With some of the illnesses,
such as leukemia and thyroid cancer, significant increases were not seen after 1990
and 1975, respectively.
The figure below shows the timing of significant increases of malignant tumors
among A-bomb survivors by illness.

A:

1945

Year of development of malignant tumors
1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

Leukemia

Stomach cancer

Thyroid cancer

Colon cancer

Breast cancer
Lung cancer
meningiomaof a survivor
exposed close
to hypocenter

Skin cancer (Provided by Naoki Sadamori)

40 ●Gastric/Colon cancer
Increase observed
at 5% significance level
Increase suspected

Skin cancer
Meningioma

Meningioma● 41

Although Not Ill, Health
Irregularities Are Seen Among
Q17-2 Survivors Exposed to Radiation

What other illnesses were seen
Q17 besides cancer?

A:

1 Immune Compromise: Lymphocytes that can be divided into “T” cells andWell…the following disorders were often seen:

・Microcephaly- Among people who were in their mother’s womb when the bomb was
dropped, some of them turned out to have very small heads. (See Q18 and Q18-2.)・Cataracts (See Q19 and Q19-2.)
・Hyperparathyroidism
・Keloid burns and scars (See Q20 and Q20-2.)
・Stunted growth- The weight and height of people who were under eleven years
old and exposed to radiation did not increase at the same rate as those who
were unexposed.
・Increasing mortality from brain or blood vessel disorders- Researchers who werelooking up the names of diseases of the dead found out that people who were
exposed to a radiation dosage of 1,500 mSv or higher had more strokes or heartdiseases, which are related to blood vessels.

The figure on the left shows the prevalence of hyper-parathyoidism increasing in
proportion to radiation dosage, and the figure on the right describes the mortality
rates from brain or blood vessel disorders. You’ll notice that survivors exposed to aradiation dosage of 1,500 mSv are likely to die from a stroke or rupture of an artery.
I’ve heard that there are also many survivors who appear healthy, but in fact havephysical and functional abnormalities, but not clearly defined disease.
Prevalence of hyperparathyroidism

Mortality rate from non-malignant disease(brain/vascular disorders)
3.5

Male

1966-85

2.5

FemaleRelative risk

Prevalence

1.5

Age at the timeof bombing (ATB):<40

3.0

(%)
2.0

1.0

“B” cells play an important role in immunity.
a) Compromised function of T lymphocytes: According to research using PHA, areagent used to measure the sensitivity of “T” lymphocytes against foreign objects,
the reaction of the lymphocytes in people who were exposed at the age of 15 orlater showed a slowdown. A decline in the actual count of suppressor killer T
lymphocytes (CD8+ cells), which directly attack foreign substances, was also seen.
b) Abnormal function of “B” lymphocytes: A normal human body is infected by theEB virus at up to 3 years old as a temporarily skin inflammation, but nothingusually happens after that. But in the case of people exposed to vast amounts ofradiation who cannot suppress the increase of the EB virus due to the weakened
function of “T” lymphocytes, they may be in a recurrent infection state. As a result it
was found that the number of their antibodies (anti-EB antibodies) was high.
2 Acquired Gene Abnormality: According to the level of exposure dose,
chromosome aberrations could be seen even in a seemingly healthy person. Defectin chromosome means defect in gene.
a) Not ill, but have chromosomal aberrations. (Refer to Q21-2)b) Tumor mass grew in a mouse when DNA from bone marrow cells from a seemingly
healthy A-bomb survivor was injected into it.10) There are genes called RAS in ourcells and they usually act in a normal behavior, but if part of these genes mutates, it
is known that they are able to cause/develop cancers. To verify this, treated DNA
extracted from bone marrow cells of A-bomb survivors was injected into immunecompromised mice. The shots were made to their groins of the right forelimb andthe left hind leg, both soft parts of their bodies. They developed tumors in 3-4 weeks.
It was confirmed that mutated human RAS genes were seen in those tumors.
Conducting follow-up research among the survivors who were positive for the test, one
developed brain cancer 3 years later, one developed leukemia 4 years later and one
developed breast cancer 9 years later, excluding one who died from stroke a year later.
Transform Activity in Healthy Survivors

2.0
Case

1.5

0.5
0

0-0.009 0.01-0.499 0.50-0.999

Dose (thyroid dose, Gy)

1+Partially modified figure 1, page139 of Effects of
A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body9)

0

0

1

2

3

4

Dosage ATB(Gy)56Partially modified figure 2, page 326 of Effectsof A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body 9)Hyperparathyroidism: An illness in which cancer or hypertrophy is seen in the parathyroid which is behind thethyroid, and produces excessive parathyroid hormones. Calcium is diverted to the blood resulting in
weakened bones and kidney stones.

42 ●A mouse with tumor mass

Estimated Number of tumor
masses developed/ Detected
dosagenumber of points
defective genes(Sv)of injection

4<

1/4

N-ras

SM 3.0

3/4

N-ras

HY
TS

2/4
4/4

N-ras
K-ras

IK

1.0

0.5

Contents

3.6
3.9

Clinical course
after experiment

Cerebral apoplexy
1 year after initial exam(AIE)
Refractory anemia 2 yrs AIE
Acute leukemia 4 yrs AIE
Brain tumor 3 yrs AIE
Breast cancer 9 yrs AIE

The table shows the estimated dosage and cancer development of
seemingly healthy survivors whose DNA developed tumor masses in mice.

Immunity: An ability to resist pathogenic organisms and toxins that have entered the body and remain healthy.
T lymphocytes: A type of white blood cell. It detects foreign substances.
B lymphocytes: A type of white blood cell. It generates a substance that neutralizes toxins from foreign substances.
EB virus: A virus identified by Dr Epstein and Dr Barr in 1964. Ninety eight percent of the Japanese will beaffected by this virus by age three, but if being affected for the first time at an age over 20 years
old, it will develop into infectious mononucleosis.
● 43Contents

Were babies exposed to radiation in
Q18 their mothers’ wombs affected?

Radioactive Effects on Prenatally
Q18-2 Exposed A-bomb Survivors

It seems so. Many babies died before reaching one year of age. Measuring theirheight, weight, head and chest girth every year until they became seventeen
years old, it was found that their average sizes were smaller than unexposedchildren’s. Especially, there were many children with microcephaly, which means they
had unusually small heads and severely limited mental development. Many children
also developed cancer after they grew up. These symptoms were seen in proportion to
the radiation dosage their mother had been exposed to.
As for microcephaly, it is said to have a strong relationship to the mother’s period ofpregnancy (weeks eight through fifteen). I heard that there were well over two
thousand babies who were born by mothers who were exposed to radiation within
three kilometers of the hypocenter (prenatally exposed A-bomb survivors, details
described in Q18-2).
You can see in the photo below an average twelve-year-old boy standing next to aboy with microcephaly who is just under sixteen. The patient’s mother was exposed toradiation about one kilometer away from the hypocenter in her eighth week ofpregnancy. The figure to the right shows the percentage of microcephaly by radiation
dosage. You can see microcephaly appears depending on the length of pregnancy
and dosage.

Prenatally exposed A-bomb survivors are those children who were exposed to theradiation when they were in their mothers’ wombs on August 6 and born by May 31,
1946 or earlier. The main effects on them are as follows:A:

Frequency of severe mental retardation(%)
70

Severe mental retardation60

8-15 weeks

50

All ages

40
30
20
16-25 weeks

100

0 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.50

1.00

Uterine dose (Gy)

1.50

(Otake and others, 1989)

1. High Mortality Rate Among Newborn and Infants: This tendency was particularly
seen when the mother was exposed to the radiation within a 2km radius and had
suffered acute radiation symptoms (such as hair loss and a bleeding tendency-See
Q12-2 and Q13-2) . The mortality rate rose to 26.1%. (Yamazaki J.N 1954) 11)
2. Frequent Cases with Microcephaly: According to research performed in 1972,
there were 48 cases of microcephaly in children prenatally exposed in Hiroshima
and 15 cases in Nagasaki. Microcephaly means that a person’s headcircumference is smaller than twice the standard deviation for his/her age. There
were 10 cases in Hiroshima and 4 in Nagasaki where both small head size andmental retardation were seen. The incidence of microcephaly was frequent whenthe mother was exposed within the 18th week of pregnancy and the frequency
became higher in proportion to the radiation dose. (Miller & Blot 1972) 12)
3. Growth Impairment: Body measurements of 1,608 prenatally exposed A-bomb
survivors were taken every year on their birthdays from ages 9-17 years old.
According to the results, a decrease in head circumference, height and weight wereseen among children whose mothers were exposed to radiation within a 1.5km
radius in comparison with children who did not have a small head size. Observing
their growth process from 9-17 years old, a decrease in those figures was similarly
seen at the age of 17 as at the age of 9, while their growth increment over theseyears was similar to that of children not exposed to radiation.13) It could be said thatprenatally exposed A-bomb survivors had grown similarly as non-exposed children
although they were carrying developmental disturbances from an early phase.
4. High Risk of Cancer (ad interim report): Statistics from 1950-1984 show that 13
out of 920 (group exposed over 0.01 Gray) developed cancer, which is statisticallysignificant, compared
Growth and Development
to the control group.
This group had not yet (cm) of Survivors Exposed at a Younger Age (kg)
Average weight
Average height
62
reached the cancer170
MaleFemale168
60
prone age and the166
58
incidence of cancer is
16456
anticipated to increase,162
but it could not be said
54
160
for certain. (Yoshimoto
52
158
156
1988)14)
50
154
152
150
148

Partially modified figure 2, page 233 of Effects of
A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body9)

An average 12-year-old boy (left) and a boy with microcephaly at the age of 15 years and 8 months (right). (Reprinted
from The Medical Effects of the Nagasaki Atomic Bombing, Scientific Data Center for the Atomic Bomb Disaster)

44 ●Modified figure 1, page 309 of
Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on
the Human Body9)

48
46
ABCD

ABCD

ABCD

Age at the time of bombing (years)

ABCD

ABCD

ABCD

44

Age at the time of bombing (years)

Based on measurements conducted in 1966-68
Group A consists of persons not in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing (ATB).
Groups B, C and D were respectively exposed to 0-0.009Gy, 0.01-0.99Gy and 1Gy or greater (T65D)● 45

Contents

Q19 What are cataracts?

Radiation Dose and Incidence ofQ19-2 Cataracts

When you develop a cataract, the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. There are“senile cataracts” that come from aging, “diabetic cataracts” that some diabetic
patients develop, and “traumatic cataracts” when the lens is damaged. There are also“radiation cataracts” that are caused by radiation.
In the picture in the lower right, you can see where the lens is. It’s located in thefront part of the eye ball.
In the upper left is a photo of a cataract in the eye of a 45-year-old who was
exposed at 950 meters from the hypocenter when the person was twelve years old. As
in the description of the picture in the upper right, the black spots and the clump of
spots in the middle of the eye is a “radiation cataract.”
The lower left photo shows the eye of the same person ten years after the picture
above it was taken. Do you see how the eye has black from about four to seveno’clock? This is a “senile cataract.” People who were exposed develop “senile
cataracts” at an early age. This person probably has to undergo surgery. Now it ismuch easier to have an operation, but it was very difficult in those days.

The first A-bomb related cataract in Hiroshima was found in the autumn of 1949. The
diagnosis was given to a 22 -year- old male who was exposed to the radiation from thebomb when he was riding on a streetcar 780m from the hypocenter, which was heading
south.15) Research into A-bomb related cataracts has been conducted from time to time.

A:

Illustration of the left photo

The black spots
and the black partin the center is theradiation cataract.
lens

A cataract from a 45 year-old person who was
exposed to the effects of the atomic bomb 950m
from the hypocenter at the age of 12

46 ●A-bomb related cataracts started to be seen several years after exposure and it isthought that all the possible cataracts had developed from 1957 to 1961. The
incidence rate of cataracts among survivors within a 2km radius is assumed to beabout 20%. In addition, the incidence of cataracts is likely to be higher for survivors
exposed during their infancy.
Kamada’s research had been indicating that an A-bomb related cataract hastens
the senile cataracta 2), and it was proved right with research from 2000-2002
conducted by the RERF, observing 837 subjects individually.20) The incidence of
A-bomb related cataracts is high among survivors who were not in shadow or wereclose to the hypocenter and had suffered acute radiation symptom.

light reflection

Frequency of atomic bomb cataracts among
survivors exposed during infancy

uvea
retinairis

Ten years after the picture above was taken when
the person was 55 years old (senile cataract has
progressed as well as radiation cataract in thecenter).

1949-1955 research (Hirose16)): 16.2% of the survivors within a 1,300m radius fromthe hypocenter
1956-1958 research (Masuda - Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital17)): 79 out of 723 or
10.9% of the survivors within a 2km radius
1957-1961 research (Doto- Hiroshima University Hospital18)): 80 out of 364 or 21.9%of the A-bomb survivors within a 2km radius
1958-1959 research (Toda - Hiroshima University Hospital19)): 31 out of 107 or 28.9%of the A-bomb survivors within a 2km radius during their infancy were foundto have an onset of cataracts.

lens

(%)

vitreum

60
50

optic nerves
to brainA-bomb cataract

40
The figure shows the correlation
between frequency of atomic
bomb cataracts among survivors
exposed during infancy anddistance from the hypocenter.
The incidence increases as the
distance decreases.19)

30
20
10
0

1.0 1.0−1.2 1.2−1.4 1.4−1.6 1.6−1.8 1.8− 2.0km● 47

Contents

Q20 What is a keloid?
A:

When the atomic bomb exploded, a great amount of heat rays was released
with the radiation. Parts of the body which were directly exposed to heat rays
and radioactive rays were seriously burned, but by December of that year, mostpeople had recovered from their burns and were very relieved. However, their burns
started to swell from about January of 1946. A keloid is defined as “an overgrowth oftissue with a rubbery consistency at the site of a skin injury with a copper-colored shiny
surface that causes stinging pain or itchiness.”21) Normally burns rarely develop
keloids, but sixty to seventy percent of the burns caused by the bomb did.
People had a hard time because when they removed the elevated part, soon a
new keloid grew. Surgery eventually became more effective for restoring range of
motion around the joints but there was little doctors could do to restoring cosmetic
damage. People with keloids on their face or arms were embarrassed to be seen in
public and they must have been suffering mentally. I felt so sorry for them.
Some people still seem to have stinging pains and keloids sometimes turn red
after forty to fifty years. The upper photo is of keloids on a patient’s left hand six
months after the bomb. The lower photo is of a female patient with keloids seen on her
nose, chin and both hands. How horrible…

Keloids on a left arm six months after thebombing (male) (Provided from US Forces)

Keloids seen on nose, chin and both arms
(female) (Provided from US Forces)

48 ●Q20-2 Visible Effects of A-bomb Heat Rays

Shadow of railings on the bridge floor of the
Yorozuyo Bridge. It remained white where the rays
were blocked by the railings. (from US Forces B-105)

Ruins of a steel reinforced theater 800m north of
the hypocenter. (Photographed by Shunkichi
Kikuchi, provided by his bereaved family.)

A shadow of a valve etched on the wooden wall of
Yoshijima-cho prison, approx.2.1km from the hypocenter(from US Forces B-117)
A roof and ladder etched on a gas tankwhere they were in shadow retained their
original black color. (from US Forces B-127)

A burned orange (photographed by Shunkichi
Kikuchi, provided by his bereaved family)● 49

Q21 Where are chromosomes located?
A:

It is said that there are sixty trillion cells in the human body. Each of the sixty
trillion cells has a nucleus that carries a substance that develops into a gene
called DNA. Chromosomes replicate in both cells when a cell divides into two and canbe seen with a microscope. Let me explain it to you in detail.
Normally, each cell nucleus does a particular job. Cells in bone marrow where
blood is produced, and epithelial cells in intestines or skin, are used everyday, so newcells have to constantly be made by cell division to cover the number of the cells used.
That is why divisions are frequently seen in those cells.
The figure shows how a cell divides into two. Chromosomes are shaped inmetaphase. You can see that a cell divides into two cells with each having the sameamount of DNA. The upper part of the figure is a close-up of chromosomes in
metaphase. The amount of chromosomes is the same among animals or plants of thesame species. The number of chromosomes in a human being is forty-six.

Radioactive rays damage DNA or cut the strands (vertical blue line in the upper left
figure below) just as some chemicals do, but what is particular in radiation is that it
cuts two strands at once. In many cases the radiation cuts two strands next to eachother. This would not be a problem as long as the disconnected DNA strands werereconnected to the same places, but if the two strands are reconnected in a wrong
way, abnormal shapes will be seen in the chromosome.
Research on chromosomes of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has
been held from about 1963, observing their peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL),
B-lymphocytes, bone marrow cells, skin cells, etc.
The figure on the upper right below shows the percentage of PBL T-cells withchromosome aberrations (Hiroshima, Nagasaki,) 22) The figure to the left on bottom
describes bone marrow cells with chromosome aberrations 20-25 years after the
exposure. Seeing the number of cells with chromosome aberrations and the frequency
of aberration per cell, both in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those percentages become
higher as radiation dose gets higher. In addition, the frequency of abnormal cells washigher among survivors in Hiroshima than in Nagasaki.
This might be related to the fact that the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was auranium bomb of which the amount of neutron rays was higher than the bomb droppedon Nagasaki. The characteristics seen in survivors’ chromosome aberrations areshown in the figure at the bottom right.
DNA Structure Damaged by Carcinogencenter bodyspindle fiber

A

T

C

G

C

G

A

T

G

C

DNA
strand breakBase damage

Molecule
cross-link break

DRUG

T

DNA: Details described in Q10-2.

50 ●interphase

metaphase

anaphase

Frequency of aberrant cells (%)

telophaseprophase

50

Mired inA

Phosphoric acidinterphase

Radiation

Sugar

T

A

G

C

A

T

C

G

C

G

A

T

A G Base

Hiroshima50

DepyrimidineDNA
double-strand breaks
Depurination

Damage to sugar
Molecule cross-link

Nagasaki

40

40

30

30

20

20

10

10

0
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

0
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

DS86 bone marrow dose (Gy) DS86 bone marrow dose (Gy)E(p | d)=1.01+7.2d
E(p | d)=1.04+5.4d+1.4d2

Chromosome aberrations
in bone marrow cells

100

E(p | d)=1.30+5.1d
E(p | d)=1.4+1.1d+3.3d2

Percentage of chromosome aberrations(%)

Chemical substancecentromere chromosome(two chromatids)
nucleusContents

Frequency of Chromosome
Aberrations is Proportional to
Q21-2 Radiation Dose

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

less than0.5

Distance from the hypocenter(1983 Kamada)

Characteristics of Chromosome
Aberrations Among Healthy
Atomic Bomb Survivors

1 Correlates well with the amount of dosage
for a long period as stable chromosome
2 Persists
aberrations
3 Observable in every tissue that was exposed
4 Maintains aberrations also at the stem cell-level(e.g., bone marrow, intestines, mammary glands)

Modified figure 6, page 254 of Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body 9)
Bone marrow cells: A general name for white blood cells (such as neutrophils and monocytes) or red blood cells
residing in bone marrow, where blood is produced, at their younger stage.
● 51

Contents

How many A-bomb survivors are
Q22 there in Japan now?

Changes in A-bomb Survivors'
Q22-2 Population

About 270,000 A-bomb survivors live in Japan now. The registration of A-bomb
survivors started in 1957, I think, and almost 200,000 A-bomb survivors
registered that first year; however, there were many survivors who didn’t registerbecause they feared it would ruin their daughters’ marriage prospects if people knew
they were A-bomb survivors.
The registration of A-bomb survivors first became known to the wider public
because of surveys conducted in the national census in 1965 and 1975. About
400,000 A-bomb survivors registered in 1982. However, these numbers still don’t
include those who had died before the first registration started. Other investigations
showed that about 133,000 survivors had already died by then. Through other data
and materials, we found that over 544,000 people were exposed to the A-bomb 23) andabout half of them are alive at present.
The distribution chart on the left shows the A-bomb survivors who are alive, and thebar graph on the right shows the top ten prefectures where most A-bomb survivors areliving now, other than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not the
only places where A-bomb survivors live, and many survivors are living in otherprefectures as well. Wherever you go in Japan you can find A-bomb survivors.

Some A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki fled to outlying areas and some ofthem returned to their hometowns after their military service. This resulted in survivors
being scattered all around the country. How many died from the atomic bombing in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How many survived? In what living conditions do thosesurvivors live now? It is very important to verify the reality of their situations with the
A-bomb survivors in order to reveal the whole picture of the atomic bombings.
A lot of surveys have been conducted and the results from the major ones are as
follows:

A:

Distribution chart
for all A-bomb survivors(as of March, 2004)

Hiroshima

279,174 Prefecture
survivors 45.4%
Nagasaki Prefecture
26.2%(Hiroshima and Nagasaki excluded).

(number of people)

10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0

(as of March, 2004)

number of A-bomb survivors

August, 1946

Survey on human suffering in
Hiroshima city

October, 1950

Nationwide survey on A-bomb
Atomic Bomb Casualty 283,508 survivors
survivors(incidental to national census) Commission (ABCC)

Hiroshima City

General Comments
320,081 deaths including
missing people

Survey on actual condition ofNovember, 1965 A-bomb survivors(incidental to national census)

Ministry of Healthand Welfare

277,955 survivors

Survey on actual condition ofNovember, 1975 A-bomb survivors
Basic survey, living survey,
anecdotal survey

Ministry of Healthand Welfare

October, 1985

Survey on actual condition of
A-bomb survivors
Survey on survivors, survey
on A-bomb victims(incidental to national census)

Questionnaire sent to 357,141
survivors based on the A-bomb
Survivor Health Book register book.
293,693 responded (82.2%)

Ministry of Healthand Welfare

Questionnaire sent to 361,672 survivors,
and 313,499 responded (86.7%).
The number of the dead was 173,925.
11,929 new deaths were confirmed bythis survey.

Survey on actual condition ofNovember, 1995 A-bomb survivors(incidental to national census)

Ministry of Healthand Welfare

Questionnaire sent to 324,072
survivors and 248,553
responded (76.7%)

The Hiroshima City government comprehensively analyzed the results of these surveys and also the results ofsurveys at related facilities and announced that the total number of A-bomb survivors was 541,817 as of 1995.23)

Change of Population of A-bomb Survivors(Person)

Fu

ku

ok

To
k

a

yo

Sa
O
A
C
sa Kan Hyo Yam hib ich ka
ya itam
ka
i
g
ag
ag a
m
aw o
a
uc
a
hi
a

O

National census: a survey of the basic attributes of the entire population such as age, household members,
employment, housing, etc., conducted every 10 years.

52 ●Name of survey

Population of A-bomb survivors

Other prefectures
28.4%

Number of A-bomb survivors by prefecture

Responsibleorganization

Year

400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000

01957 1960 1965

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003

● 53

Contents

How many A-bomb survivors are
Q23 living overseas?

A:

As of December 2003 about 2,200 A-bomb survivors were in South Korea,
about 1,100 survivors in North America, and about 180 in South America (mostly
in Brazil and Argentina). It is also estimated that 1,500 survivors are in North Korea.
The survivors in North and South Korea were exposed to the A-bomb while they werein Japan, often by force, to work in shipbuilding plants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in
accordance with the National Mobilization Order during World War II. All of the
A-bomb survivors in North and South America are Japanese who emigrated to theUnited States or South America (mainly Brazil) after the war or came to live there after
marrying foreigners.
The building in the upper photo below is the A-bomb Survivors Welfare Center in
Cholla-Namdo, South Korea, and the building in the lower photo is Nipo-Brasileira
Hospital in Sao Paulo. A-bomb survivors living in South Korea and Brazil can receive
support and medical treatment in those facilities.

Medical Examinations of A-bomb
Q23-2 Survivors Living Abroad
A-bomb survivors living in North America:

Since A-bomb survivors had fears that they could develop A-bomb diseases, medical
examinations for those survivors were provided for the first time in April 1977 forhumanitarian reasons. The Hiroshima Medical Association and Radiation Effects
Research Foundation played a central role in the examinations. Since the second
examination in 1979, physicians in Hiroshima have set up a team to give medical
examinations to A-bomb survivors living in North America every two years with acommission from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
These medical checkups have been carried out mainly in San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Seattle, and Honolulu. As shown in the following chart, 40 to 50% of the
1,100 survivors in North America have received a medical examination.

A-bomb survivors living in South America:

The same as for A-bomb survivors in North America, medical examinations for A-bomb
survivors in South America have been provided, in principle, once every two years since1985 with the aim of providing them with a health checkup and counseling relating to
the aftereffects from the atomic bomb, and to help eliminate their psychological fears.
The Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Hiroshima Prefectural
Government, and Nagasaki Prefectural Government have carried out these medical
examinations with physicians from university hospitals, Red Cross Hospitals, and otherhospitals in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and send doctors to South America. Brazil,
Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru are the main countries where these medical
checkups are given. There are a little less than 180 survivors in South America and 50
to 60 % of them have received medical examinations as shown in the figure below.

A-bomb survivors living in South Korea:

A-bomb Survivors Welfare Center(South Korea)

National Mobilization Order: forcing people (mainly from the Korean Peninsula) to move to Japan to work insupport of the war effort.

54 ●The number of people receiving a medical examination

Nipo-Brasileira Hospital (Brazil)

It is said that there are about 2,200 Korean survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. In 1990, Japan’s Prime Minister and the South Korean President had ameeting and expressed that both governments offer 4 billion yen each as funds for an
assistance project to A-bomb survivors in South Korea. With the funds as a major
financial source, the Korean Red Cross Society conducted the project following theassistance system for A-bomb
Number of A-bomb Survivors who Received
survivors in Japan. After that,
Medical Examination in North and South America(Person)it was decided that a medical
600
North America
examination by JapaneseSouth America
500
physicians would be provided
in South Korea from July
400
2004 as an important pillar in300
the assistance project inJapan for survivors living
200
overseas. Doctors and health100
counseling nurses are sentfrom Nagasaki prefecture.
0
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
● 55

Contents

Q24 Don’t you feel lonely at times?

A Day at the Nursing Home andQ24-2 Yearly Events

Well, I don’t have any children, but many junior and senior high school students
come from all over Japan to visit our nursing home to comfort us or study about
peace. Also, my younger sister visits me sometimes and talks to me. That’s why I
usually don’t feel lonely.
We have a special event each season and a birthday party every month. We also
have club activities including music and making pottery, so we are usually busy andseldom feel lonely.
But we do feel very sad when our friends leave the nursing home to be admitted
to the hospital because of a disease related to the bomb. No one could understand the
deep sadness we feel when this happens. Atomic bombs should never be used again.
We should never have another A-bomb experience anywhere in the world, with all its
widespread, never-ending grief.

Residents at the nursing home start each day at 6 o’clock when they get up, and finish
off the day at 9 o’clock at night when the lights are turned off. However, they spend
their time during the day in their own way. Some of them might have breakfast at 10
o’clock. Also they can take a bath everyday other than Saturday and Sunday if theylike, even though they usually take a bath twice a week. Club activities at the nursing
home include Ikebana (flower arrangement), tea ceremony, Taisho koto (Japaneseharp), making pottery, and knitting. Each club has its activity once or twice a month.
The figure below shows an example of a schedule of “a typical day at the nursing
home.”A:

A Day at the Special Nursing Home (24 hours)
0:00

21:00pm
lights-out time
bedtime18:00pm

dinnerafternoon morning

lunch
noon

Residents dressed like hina dolls (emperor andempress dolls) at a Japanese Doll Festival

Monthly birthday party

Practicing Ikebana (flower arrangement)

Pounding rice cake at the end of the year

56 ●6:00ambreakfast
7:30amtaking a bath,rehabilitation,
8:00ammedical examination

taking a bath,club activities,
meeting visitors
15:00pm
coffee break

wake-up

10:00amcoffee break

Annual Events at the Nursing Home
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
AugustSeptember
OctoberNovember
December

Events*
Hatsugama (First tea ceremony)
Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival celebrating spring)
Hina Matsuri (Japanese Doll Festival)
Cherry blossom viewing party, Day trip
Family day
Overnight trip
Visit Memorial Cenotaph
Summer festival
Respect for aged day, Moon-viewing tea ceremony
Overnight trip
Family and pets day, Day trip
Year-end party, Mochi (rice cake) pounding, Christmas party*Birthday party every month● 57

Contents

Q25 How do you spend August Sixth?

Key Points of the Peace
Q25-2 Declarations 24)

When I was more energetic and healthier I used to visit my ancestors’ grave inthe early morning before it got hot. Many families who lost loved ones on August
Sixth visit their graves then. Those who lost a family member on that day but couldn’t
find a body visit the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound in Peace Memorial Park before a
special ceremony starts.
These days on August Sixth, I have breakfast at seven thirty and watch a TV
program at eight o’clock. At times government officials visit us around ten in themorning. For the last fifteen years Kotaro Yamamoto, Kousetsu Minami, and Kohei
Otomo have been coming to the nursing home in the afternoon every year and singing
for us. But in the evening
when the darkness begins to
set in, we feel sad and lonely
when we remember the lossof our families. These days
especially that memory has
become a heavier burden
because of my poor physicalcondition. All life is precious
and we should not have any
more wars.

The Hiroshima mayor has delivered the Peace Declaration every year at the Peace
Memorial Ceremony since 1947. On the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing in
1995, children’s representatives, who were elementary school students at the time,
began delivering the Commitment to Peace at the ceremony.
The Peace Declaration reflects the social conditions of the times and includes the
Mayor’s thoughts strongly. (The shortest peace declaration (Japanese version) was
delivered in 1952 with 327 Japanese characters and the longest one was in 2003 with
1671 Japanese characters.) Let’s see the key points of the Peace Declarations.

A:

The inscription of the date of death, August 6th, 1945 can be seen
on many gravestones in Hiroshima.

Key Points of the Peace Declarations Delivered by Previous
and Present Mayors of Hiroshima
Year

1947
1959
1960
1971

1973
1976
1980
1982
1985
1990
1991

Burial mound for the unidentified(A-bomb Memorial Mound)

1996
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003

Residents at the nursing home arewatching a TV program of the Peace
Memorial Ceremony on the morning ofAugust 6th.

58 ●Key point

First Peace Declaration. The mayor emphasized rejection of war and appealed for world peace in the declaration.
The horror of radiation effects on the human body was emphasized.
Mayor called for “prohibiting all nuclear weapons and abolishing wars completely.”
For the first time, the mayor raised the issue of the importance of conveying to posterity the idea of“in order that themeaning of war and peace may be handed down infallibly to the coming generations, education for peace should
be promoted with vigour and cogency throughout the world.” It was in 1993 when the issue was raised again in the
declaration.
“Solidarity and co-operation of the entire world” was appealed for.
Mayor strongly criticized nuclear powers; raising specific names for the first time with the mention that“the nuclear
powers of the world led by the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
Mayor made a significant request to the Japanese government saying “the Government of Japan should take theinitiative in advocating......”
Concept for“solidarity of cities throughout the world” was announced. Three years later in 1985, first World
Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity was held.
Included other issues besides the nuclear issue with the mention that“sharing our planet's finite resources in thespirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, we must eliminate starvation and poverty.”
Support for A-bomb survivors who were outside Japan was called for with the mention of, “support for thosehibakusha residents on the Korean Peninsula, in the United States, and elsewhere......”
Referred to the responsibility of Japan as a victimizer with the mention of, “Japan inflicted great suffering anddespair on the peoples of Asia and the Pacific during its reign of colonial domination and war.”
Mentioned necessity of “the extensive documentation on the bombing be archived.”
Language style changed to be less formal. The three contributions A-bomb survivors have made were honored,
and especially the mayor expressed his deepest gratitude to them for one of their accomplishments, they effectively
prevented a third use of nuclear weapons. Also referred to in the preamble of the Constitution.
Six reconciliations in the declaration are distinctive. “The road to reconciliation, human reconciliation, symbol ofreconciliation, reconciliation by helping to resolve conflict and animosity, global reconciliation, a genuine
reconciliation.”First peace declaration in the 21st century was worked out under the concept of humanity: humanity, a city ofhumanity, a century of peace and humanity, make reconciliation and humanity top priorities.
Emphasized “the path of reconciliation severing chains of hatred, violence and retaliation,” and urged President
Bush to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the first time.
Called for taking emergency action to promote the abolition of nuclear weapons toward the NPT Review
Conference in New York in 2005.

Refer to History of Peace Declaration page 106 – 111● 59

Contents

How does radiation physically andQ26 mentally affect people?

Psychological Burden Borne
Q26-2 by A-bomb Survivors

At the time, I couldn’t do anything other than escaping by myself immediately
after the atomic bombing. I couldn’t even rescue a small child who was callingfor help. To feel remorse won’t get me anywhere, but…..
Now I fear I’ll develop cancer because of my weakened body. Some residents inthis nursing home have developed breast cancer or lung cancer, so it is probablethat I might too…..
In another facility, an A-bomb survivor committed suicide because of the fear ofcatching a disease. Radiation is terrible. It continues hurting the body and soul formany years.
I understand that the Great Tokyo Air Raids and the Great Hanshin Earthquake
also gave terrible damage to many people, but the damage caused by the atomic
bombing is quite different. It continues for many years. The nursing home staff andmy relatives take good care of me, so I know I should do my best to get over it. I am
sorry to be so grim.
The residents here also publish a haiku collection every year. Some of them
depict their feelings of suffering from that terrible experience.

Dr. Takashi Nagai began relief operations for A-bomb survivors at an early stage, and he
identified “instant death, external injuries, burns, and psychological disorders” as the four
immediately occurring disorders in his report. From his report, we can see that the symptomsof psychological disorder; stupor, excessive irritation, and amnesia in A-bomb survivors wasquite strong from the beginning. Dr. Robert Lifton, professor of Psychiatry at Yale University,interviewed A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima in 1962 to investigate how the bomb experience
had remained in their memory.25) He made a detailed report regarding the psychologicalinfluence seen on the bomb survivors. His report can be summed up as follows:A:

1. Remorse and the feeling of guilt:

A feeling of guilt that only they survived while leaving family members and students who werecalling for help to suffer alone, a strong regret that they did not rescue them, although, in fact, it
was really impossible for them to do that. A feeling of guilt that they have led their present lives
pretending they are not A-bomb survivors (if they have declared that they were, they could nothave gotten married or been employed). Such feelings could be changed to a feeling of apology
and atonement and could provoke an act of offering water to the memorial monument for mobilized
students because they were not able to give any water to them at the time of the A-bomb.

2. Infinite fear:

A fear that they might suffer the same fate as their family members or friends who died of
A-bomb diseases. A fear that radiation could affect their children when they married and hadchildren. We could easily see that such fears caused suicides among A-bomb survivors andcontinued until around 1975.

3. Escape from memories of the A-bomb experiences:

Those who witnessed the horrible scenes from hell feel strongly that they never want to meet thesame situation again so they create a mental barrier. Their intentions to keep the barrier lead totheir unusual fear and rejection to lightning and strong flashes of light, their act of keeping awayfrom A-bomb survivors with keloids, and their rejection of recalling those days and talking about
it to the others.

4. Respect and sense of awe towards the deceased:

A-bomb survivors judge their own behavior or other survivors’ actions with a measure of to what
extent they have respect and sense of awe towards the deceased. For example, they harshly
criticize behavior featuring or capitalizing on A-bomb experiences or insulting the deceased to attract
attention from other people. To sincerely console the spirits of the deceased is the very least they
can do to atone for their guilt feelings. They offer the deceased every courtesy from such feelings.

Cover of Sumire, a haiku collection, which is
published every year.

Some haiku poems from the Sumire haiku
collection

Dr. Takashi Nagai: He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and was within three years of death inJune 1945 when he was working as an associate professor in the radiology department ofNagasaki University School of Medicine. On August 9th of the same year, he was exposed to the
A-bombing in his office in the university hospital 700 meters from the hypocenter. Although he had
been in a severe physical condition, he had conducted relief activities for the A-bomb survivors fortwo months and he submitted a report with a detailed description of injuries among A-bomb
survivors. He died in May 1951 at the age of 43. “Konoko wo Nokoshite (Leave These Children)”is one of his books.

60 ●Around 2:00pm on August 6th (Hisao Kato)(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)In front of Shirakami Shrine, date unknown(Masato Une)
(Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)● 61

Contents

How did you begin teaching others
Q27 about your A-bomb experience?

Trend in Number of Publications
Q27-2 Concerning A-bomb Experiences

Well, when I was 64 years old, I suffered from heart disease and stayed in a
hospital for a while. That was the same period as the first Iraq war. In the hospital
watching TV, I saw many people die in the war everyday. I saw many children get hurtin the war, too. I felt terrible and I didn’t know how I could handle such feelings again.
Then, I came to think that we should not have war in any country or between races
or religions. A patient in the bed next to me was also an A-bomb survivor. We started
sharing our own experiences of the war with each other little by little, and gradually thatmade my feelings soften and opened me up. At the same time, my anti-war opinions
became stronger.
I came to this nursing home in 1997, and since then I have talked about my A-bomb
experience to students from all over Japan who visit here to study about peace. I
always tell them that all war is bad. You should learn from the start how to get alongwith not only your friends and people around you, but also people from different races,
nationalities, and religions.

General Douglas MacArthur came to Japan as the Supreme Commander of theGeneral Headquarters (Occupational Forces) on August 30th, 1945 and enforced apress code starting on September 19th that provided for strict censorship of publishedand broadcast reporting related to the A-bomb.
Every newspaper company had to obtain prior permission for their articles
concerning the A-bomb before printing. Most of the news reports were not permitted
and they were partly cut, forbidden, or suspended. Gradually such news reports werereduced. Not only news reports, but also books, poems, and all other literature
regarding the A-bomb were considerably restricted.
The press code was suspended after the Japan-US Security Treaty was signed
on September 8th, 1951.
The figure below shows the trend by year 26) in the number of A-bomb experience
stories written by A-bomb survivors between 1946 and 1995. A-bomb survivors beganwriting about their A-bomb experiences in notes about 10 years after the bombing andthe movement reached a peak on the 50th anniversary of the Atomic Bomb. A subsidy
system for publishing such stories was established by the city government; however,since 1996 with the aging of A-bomb survivors very few books have been published.
The Hiroshima Nursing Homes for A-bomb Survivors have been publishing thebooklet named “Shihi (Written Monument)” since 1981 to help the residents leave their
A-bomb testimonies. The fifth volume of the booklet was published in 2005.

A:

Trend by Year of A-bomb Survivors Published Book
stories

6,000
5,000

Total 3,779 stories

4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1946

1955

1965

1975

1985

1995

Front cover of the fourthvolume of “Shihi (Written
Monument)”

Modified figure 2 on page 392 of “The general catalog of books andmagazines carrying A-bomb experience stories from 1945 to 1995”.
provided by US Forces

62 ●Japan-US Security Treaty: This treaty was signed between the US and Japan in September 1951 at the sametime as the San Francisco Peace Treaty. The presence of US troops in Japan was determined
under the treaty in order to ensure security in Japan’s unarmed condition after the withdrawal ofoccupation forces from Japan when the Peace Treaty was ratified. Some parts were revised in
1960, and since then it has been extended automatically.
● 63

Contents

Does radiation still cause cancer to
Q28 A-bomb survivors?

High Incidence of Cancer in Recent
Q28-2 Days

Yes, it does. Cases of leukemia and thyroid cancer are decreasing, but many
A-bomb survivors are still likely to suffer breast or colon cancer. Most of the
A-bomb survivors who develop breast cancer were twenty years old or younger at thetime of the bombing.
One of my friends was exposed to the atomic bomb near the hypocenter and she
suffered burns on her face and arms. Then, at the age of 57, she suddenly developed
uterine cancer, then breast cancer nine years later. At the age of 69, she suffered froma brain tumor (meningioma). (Please refer to Q28-2.)
Similarly, other A-bomb survivors have multiple cancers, developing thyroid, colonand brain tumors at certain ages. Many A-bomb survivors suffered, or are suffering,from their second or third cancer.

The incidence of leukemia and thyroid cancer, which was the highest five to ten years
after the A-bombing, has decreased recently to the same level as non-exposed
people. However, it has become clear that an increase in skin cancer 27) andmeningioma 28) among the survivors began around 40 years after the bombing.
(Please refer to the photo on the lower right of Q16.)
Outbreaks of skin cancers occurred around 40 years later when the red in the keloids
that were formed from the exposure to the A-bomb began fading. Meningioma is abenign brain tumor; however, even though it is benign, it has to be treated with surgery
as a malignancy when the tumor becomes large in the limited volume of the cranial bone.
As explained in Q16-2, the occurrence of cancer in the skin and cranial membrane
had not been expected because they don’t have many cell divisions. However, further
statistics revealed that the incidence of the cancers has increased in proportion to the
exposed dose of radiation. They are clearly the seventh and eighth most frequent
radiation-related tumors respectively.
The upper figure shows the incidence of skin cancer by year, and the lower figure
shows the situation for meningioma. Both of them began increasing around 1975.

A:

Survivors with Triple Cancers(based on the abnormality rate of chromosomes)
1945 : Facial burn scar
Upper right arm and forearm burn scar
1988 : Surgery of uterine cancer (at age 57)
1991 : Surgery of left breast cancer (at age 60)
1999 : Meningioma (at age 68)(based on the abnormality rate of chromosomes)
1973 : Bilateral damage to hearing
A-bomb cataract
1985 : Thyroid cancer surgery (at age 51)
1991 : Constrictive lung disorder1996 : Colon cancer surgery (at age 62)
1998 : Glaucoma
2001 : Meningioma surgery (at age 67)

40

Incidence of Skin Cancer by Year
Incidence of Skin Cancer by Year40

under 2.0km
2.0km
under 2.5km
under 2.5km
3.0km
and over30
30

3.0km and over

20
20
10
10
0
0

1965

1970

1969

1974

1980

1985

1979

1984

1987

1980
1984

1985
1987

20

Incidence of Meningioma by Year
Incidence of Meningioma by Year20

A-bomb survivor
A-bombsurvivor
Non-A-bomb
survivor
Non-A-bomb survivor

10
10

0
0

5.3±2.95.3±2.9

7.4±3.5
7.4±3.5

1.0±0.1
1.0±0.1

2.8±0.1
2.8±0.1

1975
1979

1980
1984

1975
1979

64 ●

1975

1975
1979

1970
1974

1965
1969

Modified figure 7, page 562 from reference 27
Incidence
Incidenceof meningiomaof meningioma(per(per100,000)
100,000)

Exposed to the A-bomb at Honkawa
Elementary School (410 meters from the
hypocenter) at age 11
Estimated radiation dose of 4,900 mSv

Incidence
Incidence
rate/100,000
rate/100,000
A-bomb
A-bombsurvivors/year
survivors/year

Exposed to the A-bomb at former Hiroshima
Central Telegraph and Telephone Bureau(530 meters from the hypocenter) at age 15
Estimated radiation dose of 3,800 mSv

10.1±4.3
10.1±4.3

4.3±0.1
4.3±0.1

14.9±7.1
14.9±7.1

5.6±0.1
5.6±0.1

1980

1985

1990

1984

1989

1992

1985
1989

1990
1992

● 65

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Why do survivors have to suffer
Q29 from three cancers?

Increasing Incidence of a Second
Q29-2 Cancer

As I said earlier (in Q21), the radiation that the A-bomb survivors were exposed
to was over the whole body and damaged the chromosomes. Abnormal
chromosomes inevitably bring gene abnormalities. We understand that cancer
develops when several genes become abnormal. In the case of colon cancer, it is said
to be caused by seven related genes becoming abnormal.
A-bomb survivors were exposed to radiation on many parts of their body (organs),
and the radiation caused damage to many of their genes at one time. So on the
grounds that their genes would become cancerous (fifth and sixth genetic aberrations)they were already seriously injured. But also they develop cancers on various parts of
their body easier and faster when they are exposed to things like tar from cigarettes or
curative medicines for cancer (some medicines are harmful to genes) compared toother people who were not exposed to radiation. It is so terrible to have cancer once,
let alone three times. That’s why we definitely should never allow nuclear arms to be
used in war.

Doctors29) from Nagasaki University have reported that the number of A-bomb
survivors with a second cancer increased in the 1990s. Based on the results ofpathological specimens collected for 31 years from 1968 to 1999, they found that1.) with increasing age, the rate of incidence of a second cancer becomes higher and
2.) the rate has become higher among those who were exposed to radiation within 2.5
kilometers.
The second cancers include stomach cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, skincancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer in descending order of rate of incidence.
The most common cases of the combination are the occurrence of stomach cancer
after developing colon cancer, colon cancer after stomach cancer, lung cancer after
stomach cancer, and liver cancer after colon cancer.29) Statistics on single cancers
among Japanese demonstrated that stomach cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer andliver cancer have occurred most frequently among both men and women as the four
major cancers.
We cannot say that non-exposed people will not have a second cancer. Statistics
regarding the combination of these cancers have not been investigated because there
are very few cases of developing a second cancer among them. As explained in Q29,
we can understand that the incidence rate of second cancers among aging people ishigh from the fact that they have more chances to encounter substances that may
damage their genes as they age.

A:

Survivors with Triple Cancers

1982 : Mediastinal tumor surgery (at age 40)
1995 : Thyroid cancer surgery (at age 53)
1998 : Left breast cancer surgery (at age 56)

1996 : Uterine cancer surgery (at age 66)
1997 : Right lung cancer surgery (at age 67)
2000 : Malignant lymphoma surgery (at age 70)

A-bomb survivor exposed to radiation at age 3, thendeveloped three cancers.

A-bomb survivor exposed to radiation at age 15, thendeveloped three cancers.

Trend by Year of A-bomb Survivors
with Two or More Cancers
120
100
80

under 2.5km
2.5km and over

60
40
20
0

1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996

Incidence by Gender and Age in A-bomb
Survivors with Two or More Cancers
Incidence/100,000/age

Exposed to the A-bomb inside
a Japanese-style house in Hakushima
Higashinaka-machi(1.7km from the hypocenter) at age 15(estimated radiation dose 100mSv)

Incidence/100,000/year

Exposed to the A-bomb outside
in Funairi-cho(1.0km from the hypocenter) at age 3

120
100
80

Total (n=569)
Female (n=253)
Male (n=316)

60
40
20
0

1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999

year

Breast cancer tissue in an A-bomb survivor at age 56

66 ●Tissue of malignant lymphoma in an A-bomb
survivor at age 70

AgeModified figure 1 on page 34 and figure 4 on page 35 from reference 29● 67

Contents

Q30 What do you do when you get sick?
A:

Usually every two weeks a doctor examines us to check on our general physicalconditions. We also have health checkups twice a year under the “Health
Checkup system for A-bomb Survivors” and once a year we have detailed examinations
for lung and breast cancer, and multiple myeloma. Not only general physicians but also
specialists like eye doctors, psychiatrists, dermatologists, orthopedists, and urologists
visit our nursing home once or twice every month to treat the residents with diseases.
First of all, once we are diagnosed with disease, a specialist examines us. Then if it
is necessary, the physician writes a referral to send the patient to a nearby general
hospital. According to the nurses, however, some residents get sick suddenly and they
are taken to the hospital by ambulance. Such cases happen about thirty times a year.
I’ve also heard that the number of hospitalizations among our 300 residents withdiseases is about 200, including residents hospitalized more than once.
The charts below show the kinds of diseases among the A-bomb residents. We cansee from the charts that the residents have about nine to ten diseases on average.

Radiation Induced Diseases
Designated by the National
Q30-2 Government and Various Allowances
The radiation induced diseases designated under the ordinance of the Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare are listed in the table below; however, when the diseases
are not clearly related to radiation, they are excluded. A-bomb survivors can receive anallowance according to the type and extent of the disease.
Allowance
Classification(1) Special Medical
Allowance(2) Special
Allowance(3) Atomic Bomb
Microcephaly
Allowance(4) HealthManagement
Allowance

Most common diseases of residents
1.Circulatory system(cardiac disease, hypertension, etc.)…………… 20.7%

2.Digestive system(gastric ulcer, esophagitis, hepatitis, etc.)……… 18.5%
3.Severe dementia, insomnia……………………… 17.2%
4.Bone and joint disorders(spondylosis deformans, lower back pain, etc.)… 12.3%
5.Ophthalmic disorders……………………………… 6.0%

Other diseases

Dermatologic
disorders
Ophthalmic
disorders

A combined
total of 2,870
diseases among
300 residents Digestive

Bone andjoint disorders

68 ●systemSevere dementia,
insomnia

Survivors who are suffering from diseases or injuries designated by the
Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare to be attributable to atomic bombradiation (certified patients).
Survivors who have received the certificate mentioned above by Minister
for Health, Labor, and Welfare, and have been cured of the diseases or
injuries.
People afflicted with microcephaly due to A-bomb radiation (excluding
those who haven't had physical or mental disorders specified under theordinance by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)Those suffering from any diseases with disorders below specified under
the ordinance by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Disorders specified by Ministerof Health, Labor and Welfare
1. Hematopoietic disturbances
2. Liver function disturbances
3. Cell proliferation disturbances
4. Endocrine disturbances
5. Cerebrovascular disturbances
6. Circulatory disturbances
7. Kidney function disturbances
8. Visual disturbances due tolens opacity

6.Dermatological disorders ………………………… 5.9%
7.Other diseases(pneumonia, diabetes, urinary disorders, etc.)… 19.4%

Circulatory
systemPeople Eligible for Allowance

9. Respiratory disturbances
10. Motor disturbances(5) Health
Allowance(6) Nursing Aid
Allowance

Major diseases

Aplastic anemia, Iron deficiency anemia
Liver cirrhosis etc.
Malignant tumors, Myeloid leukemia etc.
Diabetes, Thyroid disease, etc.
Sub-arachnoid hemorrhage, Cerebral
hemorrhage, Cerebral thrombosis, Cerebral
embolism, etc.
Hypertensive heart disease,
Chronic ischemic heart disease, etc.
Chronic nephritis, Nephrotic syndrome, etc.
Cataract
Pulmonary emphysema, Chronic interstitial
pneumonia, etc.
Osteoarthritis, Osteoarthritis of the spine,
Osteoporosis, etc.

11. Gastrointestinal disturbances
Gastric ulcer, Duodenal ulcer, etc.
due to ulcers
Those exposed and also the fetuses of those who were pregnant at thattime, less than 2km from hypocenter at time of A-bomb. However, a person
who corresponds to any of the following among the people above canreceive a higher amount of the allowance.
1. People who have had physical disorders specified under the ordinanceby Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
2 People over 70 years old who don't have a spouse or any children or
grand children, and also are living alone.

- Those A-bomb survivors who need nursing care because of mental or
physical disorders specified under the ordinance by Ministry of Health,
Labor, and Welfare, and have received nursing care.
- (When people who have received special disability allowances specified
under the law concerning special child-care allowance receive the nursing
allowance, provision of the special disability allowance is controlled.
- When expenses for nursing care have paid.
- When expenses for nursing care have not paid (only for severely disabled
persons)● 69

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Q31 What about hospital payments?

National Budget for A-bomb
Q31-2 Survivors

The medical examination for A-bomb survivors is very important, because it canhelp them find a disease at an early stage. We receive notification saying thatsurvivors should have a medical examination as soon as possible, and the national
government pays all of the expenses for the medical checkup. This system began in
1957. Indeed, there are many cases of a disease being found among survivors at an
early stage through the medical checkup. This is important because the sooner you finddisease the easier it is to treat.
When we get a disease, we can go to hospitals designated by the national
government and the hospitals charge the government for the medical expenses ofsurvivors. They can charge for both out-patient treatment and regular hospitalization.
Prefectures other than Hiroshima and Nagasaki have few hospitals designated by thenational government to do this. If we have a medical examination at a hospital that is
not designated by the government, we have to pay for the medical expense byourselves on a temporary basis. After that we can go through a procedure to ask thegovernment to pay us back. I understand that the survivors who are not living in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki can have a hard time traveling to designated hospitals andpaying their medical expenses even though it is a temporary inconvenience. For thisreason I feel grateful to be in Hiroshima.
The picture below on the left is the cover page of the A-bomb Survivor HealthBook, and the one on the right is of a page with the results of a general medical checkup.

About 150 billion yen has been allotted for support measures for A-bomb survivors.
The amount of the expenditure has increased year by year, however, since 1998 thetrend is toward a reduction in these funds. Sixty seven percent of the budget has beenspent on Special Medical Care, Health Management, and Nursing Aid Allowances.
Twenty six percent of the budget for medical treatment has been paid to medical
institutions when A-bomb survivors had a disease and received medical treatment.
The remaining 7% has been expended for health and welfare programs (nursing-careinsurance, assistance programs to enable A-bomb survivors living overseas to visit
Japan, and other programs), research and investigation (mainly subsidies for the
Radiation Effects Research Foundation), and healthcare programs for the elderly.
The upper chart below shows the budget by year and the lower chart shows thebreakdown of the fiscal 2004 budget.

A:

Budget by Fiscal Year for A-bomb Survivor Support(100 million yen)
2,000

Budget amount

1,500
1,000
500
0
1961, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2004

Budget Breakdown for Fiscal 2004
Subsidy to promote elderly healthcare 1.3%
Research andExpense to console
investigation 2.3%
A-bomb victims
0.5%
Health andwelfare programs
2.9%

Medicalexpenses
26% 150 billion

yen

Various
allowances
67%

The A-bomb Survivor Health Book is granted to survivors who have two witnesses that can certify one was
exposed to either of the atomic bombs. The Health Book provides for regular examinations, various
allowances, and other medical benefits.

70 ●

● 71

Q32 Can survivors have X-rays?
A:

Well, I don’t want to have anything that does more damage to the genes, but thosetests can help doctors find the presence of disease or cancer even before we areaware of something being wrong. If cancer can be found through a full examination withthe proper equipment– even though it uses radiation– we can receive medical treatment
at an early stage, and that early intervention could save one’s life. I think it is worth having
it even if the radiation could further damage the genes.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to take that sort of test unless it was absolutely
necessary and strongly recommended by a doctor.
An examination using radiation should be accepted only when the information
obtained by the examination to evaluate the disease is much more essential than theadverse effects of radiation. This problem is illustrated in the picture below.

What Level of Radiation Are We
Exposed to from an X-ray Medical
Q32-2 Examination?

Contents

Radiation, including X-rays, is used in the medical field for diagnostic purposes. Thesedays it is widely accepted that the level of radiation exposure is 0.06 millisievert (mSv)
for each chest X-ray and 4 to 7 mSv for a computerized tomography examination,although it varies according to the type of device or method which is used for theexamination. (Please refer to Q33.)
Radiation is also utilized in general examinations of the stomach. We are exposed
to radiation when we have these examinations and the level of radiation exposure fromeach stomach examination is 10 times as much as from an X-ray of the chest. It is very
unusual for people under 40 years old to develop stomach cancer, so it is notrecommended for people without symptoms to have stomach examinations every year.
The table below shows the level of radiation exposure from medical examinations
using X-rays in Japan.

Which is the lesserof two evils?

Side-effects of radiation(Loss)
Medical Examination(Gain)A MRI figure

Level of Radiation Exposure from Medical Exams in Japan(Effective dose equivalent)

Level of radiation exposure

Type of medical exam

(mSv/times)

X-ray of the chest
Computerized tomography exam

0.06
Chest

6.9

Abdomen

4 to 7

General exam for tuberculosis and lung cancer

0.05

General exam of the stomach

0.6

Source: T. Maruyama, et al: Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Vol. 43 No. 1/4 213-216 (1992)
T. Maruyama: Life and Radiation, National Institute of Radiological Sciences Environmental
Seminar series No. 22 (1995)(in Japanese)

72 ●

● 73

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Does everyone receive radiation in
Q33 daily life?

A:

Yes, they do. One kind occurs naturally and the other is man-made. Naturalradiation includes cosmic and gamma rays which are emitted from naturalradioactive materials into the body, or found naturally on the earth. As for cosmic rays,
if we take an airplane on a round trip between Tokyo and New York, we receive thesame amount of radiation as the total amount of radiation received from four chest
X-ray examinations. Man-made radiation includes gamma rays emitted from scatteredradioactive materials in the air by the atomic and hydrogen bomb tests conducted
before. It also includes radiation that is used for medical examinations (X-rays andgamma rays). We are all exposed to various amounts of radiation. The picture below
shows radiation related materials.
The permissible radiation exposure limit is one millisievert (mSv) each year of
one’s life. It refers to the maximum permissible dose of radiation one is naturally
exposed to. One mSv of radiation exposure cannot cause any disease. We areexposed to less than three mSv per year even when we don’t have any X-rays oroverseas trips by airplane.

Radiation in daily life
Natural radiation

Natural radiationin Guarapari,Brazil (one year)

Effective dose
equivalence(mSv)

Man-made radiation

Diagnosis by chest X-ray computed tomography(CT scan)From the cosmos
0.38
From the earth
0.46
From the human body 1.54

Permissible radiation dose forgeneral public (per year)
excluding radiation frommedical treatment

Natural radiation per person (per year)*world average
Kanagawa

Gifu

Differences in natural radiation in Japan (per year)*The biggest difference in average value
by prefecture

Air travel between Tokyo and New York (round-trip)*Increasing level of cosmic radiation by altitude

Medical field:

In the diagnosis of diseases, various types of radiation are used for chest andstomach radiographic examinations that are performed in regular healthcheckups. Also they are used for detailed computerized tomography exams ofvarious parts of the body and contrast studies of the brain, heart, liver, and otherorgans. In the treatment of diseases, irradiation by X-ray, gamma rays of cobalt
60, and heavy particles are applied widely to cancers in various parts of the
body. Gamma rays are also used for sterilization of medical equipment.

Science and engineering fields:- Sulfur is added to natural rubber latex and irradiated to make resilient rubber.
This process produces thin and strong rubber gloves, contraceptives, andother useful daily commodities.
- When silicon is exposed to neutrons, its electrical conductivity is improved
creating superior silicon for semiconductors. It has excellent uniformity forelectric resistance and can be used widely in the field of household appliances.
- Exposing high-molecular silicon to electrons in the manufacturing processcreates a fiber with a high quality electrical insulation and heat resistance.
The material is used for the exterior walls of space ships and for a wide
range of daily commodities as well.
- Automobiles are manufactured with about 30,000 parts. Radiation is used in
extremely effective ways in the process, such as for producing radial tires,
heat-resisting electrical wires, and abrasion and friction tests.

Agricultural field:

Radiation is used for strain improvement in agricultural crops, disease and pest
control, and sterilization of food. It can be also utilized to control budding of
potatoes so that they can be stored for a long time period.

As you can see, radiation is closely and widely related to our lives in every aspectincluding clothing, food, and housing, either directly or indirectly. The photos below
show some examples of its utility. (Source: ATOMICA,30) atomic energy encyclopedia)

Radiation use in theengineering field

Radiation use in agriculture,
forestry and fisheries

Stomach radiography(one time)

Silicon fiber

Medical gloves

Air filter

Radial tires

Black spot resistant pears

Maximum permissible levels of radiationin areas surrounding light-water nuclear power plants(per year)

From the UN Scientific Committee report in 1993/ National Institute of Radiological Sciences(From the Title List of ATOMICA)

74 ●Q33-2 Radiation Is Used in Many Fields

Variation in flower color
Source: Title List of ATOMICA● 75

Contents

What was the Atomic Bomb DomeQ34 used for before the A-bombing?

Designation as a World
Q34-2 Heritage Site

Before the bombing the building was called the “Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial
Promotion Hall,” and was used to promote the export of regional specialty
products from Hiroshima prefecture to areas across Asia, such as Dalian, or present
day Shanghai. The building was built in 1915 as the “Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial
Exhibition Hall,” and it attracted many sightseers because of its European style design.
The building began to be called the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall
from 1933 and was used as a museum for art shows and other expositions.
The atomic bomb exploded almost directly over the building and because of that it
was able to withstand the blast. Everything at an angle to the force of the explosion
was knocked over.
People started to call it the “A-bomb Dome" around 1953. In 1966 a nationwide
fund-raising campaign was begun to raise money for reinforcement work to ensure its
preservation. In 1967 the first reinforcement work was completed. Since then,reinforcement work has been done twice.
At present it is registered as a World Heritage Site. I hope the building will always
be used as a reminder of the horrors of war.

After the A-bombing (provided from US
Forces)

It took a long time before the Atomic Bomb Dome was designated as a World Heritage
Site. First of all, there was a discussion about whether the Dome should be preservedat all. Also, even though the Dome was included in the design concept of Peace Park,
the Hiroshima City and Prefecture governments had not determined their direction
concerning the Dome. In June 1958, the national government expressed its opinion
regarding preservation. In 1964, a council composed of survivors began a campaign for
the “Preservation of the Dome.”
In January 1965, the Hiroshima Paper Cranes Association submitted a petition, which
included many people’s signatures and donations collected through their fund-raising
activities, to the mayor of Hiroshima calling for the preservation of the Dome. After that,the Hiroshima Tourist Association also urged preservation of the Dome, and it led to a
bigger campaign for the preservation involving the Hiroshima mayor. In response, theHiroshima City government decided to collect donations for expenses for preservation
work in 1966.
The preservation work (first reinforcement) was completed in August 1967 using
the donations to reinforce the building. Because damage to the Dome appeared again
20 years after the first reinforcement, the Hiroshima City government decided in 1987
to conduct a second reinforcement and asked for donations again for the permanent
preservation of the Dome. Many people throughout Japan and the world responded tothe appeal and about 400 million yen, far beyond the target of 100 million yen, wascollected. The reinforcing work (second reinforcement) was completed in April 1990
costing a total of 200 million yen.
The movement toward designating the Dome as a World Heritage Site began in
1986. The Japan Society for Archaeology and the Hiroshima Paper Cranes
Association began a petition drive toward designating it as a special historical site. On
the occasion of Japan ratifying the Convention concerning the Protection of World
Cultural and Natural Heritage, in 1992, Hiroshima City submitted an “Opinion Paper
Seeking Registration on the World Heritage List for the A-bomb Dome.” The petition
was adopted by the House of Councilors and then by the House of Representatives in
1994. However, the Dome first had to be designated as a National Cultural Asset or
Historical Site. Following submission of the application for designation as a historicalsite in March 1995, the Dome was designated as a Japanese Historical Site in June of
the same year. This led to the national government’s formal submission to UNESCO
for its nomination of the Dome for registry on the World Heritage list. As a result of
these efforts, the Dome was registered in December 1996 as a symbol of the “vow toseek the abolition of nuclear weapons and bring peace to humankind.”
A major point of difference between the Dome and the other World Heritage Sites isthat the Dome gives us a serious warning of what could happen in the future besides
witnessing what happened in the past. The registration of the A-bomb Dome as a
World Heritage Site conveys this strong message to people all over the world.

World Heritage: Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by theGeneral Conference of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 1972.
Universal and worthwhile natural and cultural heritage sites in member countries are registered on
the World Heritage List by UNESCO

National government’s opinion: “The A-bomb Dome, in which the tragedy of war has been engraved, should benever removed. It should be redesigned as a principal axis of Peace Park and be preserved
permanently.”A:

Industrial Promotion Hall before the
A-bombing (provided from US Forces)

76 ●

● 77

Contents

Do any other A-bombed buildings
Q35 remain besides the Dome?

Preservation of A-bombed
Q35-2 Buildings

There were many A-bombed buildings before, but only a few now. Two examplesof buildings that remain in whole are the former Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch(380 meters away from the hypocenter) and the main building of the former Hiroshima
University, Faculty of Science (1,420 meters away from the hypocenter).
The Bank of Japan building was built in 1936 and both its external and internal
appearances were very uncommon at that time because of their Grecian and Romanstyles. The blast and radiation was blocked out on the first and second floors because
all of the windows were shuttered. The third floor was severely damaged, however,
because the windows were open. As of 1972 twenty people who were inside thebuilding during the bombing had managed to survive. Six of those twenty people arestill alive. We can only guess that the well-built building was able to shut out theradiation.
The building was repaired and extended twice from 1945 to 1948 and from 1969
to 1970. Since 2000, many peace and A-bomb related events have been held in thebuilding under the control and management of the Hiroshima city government.

In a surviving record, it is said that about 140 ferro-concrete buildings were in
Hiroshima. Among those buildings, about 40 collapsed from the bombing and 40 were
repaired after the bombing, but were torn down 10 to 30 years later. Regarding theother 40 bombed buildings, most of each building was rebuilt keeping one or more of
the remaining parts without changing their appearance.
The A-bomb Dome speaks loudly, as a symbol of peace, of the hollowness of war andthe preciousness of peace to overseas visitors and to students who come to Hiroshimaon school excursions. It is of great significance. On the other hand, the former Bank ofJapan, Hiroshima branch, has been used for events such as fine art, music, literature,
drama, and others as a place to express the importance of lasting world peace. It has
been a precious place where citizens can come in contact with an A-bombed building.
Major buildings which were exposed to the bomb within one kilometer are listed in
the table below.31) Besides these, there are still over 10 buildings that were exposedto the bomb beyond one kilometer. It is important to create an environment where
those buildings can be preserved as long as possible so that their bomb stories can beconveyed to future generations.

A:

Major Buildings within a Kilometer of the HypocenterPre-bomb name(date of construction)
Fuel Hall(March 1929)

Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch built in 1936
(provided by US Forces)

Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch immediately after
the A-bombing (provided by US Forces)

Inside a room on the third floor. This room washeavily damaged because all the windows wereopen (provided by US Forces)

Bank of Japan, Hiroshima Branch, at present

78 ●Distance fromhypocenter(km)

Post-bomb name(remarks)

Survivor
numberas of 1972

0.17

Rest House in Peace Park (September 1982)

1

Imperial Bank Hiroshima Branch(February 1925)

0.36

Hiroshima Andersen (April 1967)

0Bank of Japan, Hiroshima Branch(August 1936)

0.38

Transfer of control and maintenance of the building
to Hiroshima city government (June 2000)

20

Honkawa National School building(July 1928)

0.41

Fukuromachi National School(January 1937)

0.46

Fukuya Department Store(March 1938)

0.71(Only the basement has been preserved.)(Basically it was rebuilt but has been partially preserved.)(It was repaired and the building has been preserved.)

Peace Museum (April 1988)

Only some parts of the building (basement and a part of thefirst floor) have been preserved.

Fukuromachi Elementary School

2
4

The building was repaired and extended (The exterior appearanceof the present building has retained some aspects of the building
before the A-bombing).

Rest House in Peace Park (Former Fuel Hall)
Basement

Former Hiroshima University, Faculty of Science,
BLDG 1, 1,420m from hypocenter● 79

Contents

When was the Cenotaph for the
Q36 A-bomb Victims built?

Historical Changes in the Peace
Q36-2 Memorial Ceremony

The official name of the cenotaph is the Memorial Monument for Hiroshima, Cityof Peace. It was unveiled on August 6, 1952. The arch-shaped cenotaph wasbuilt based on a design by Isamu Noguchi and Kenzo Tange, who were also involvedin the design and establishment of the facilities in Peace Memorial Park.
The Peace Memorial Ceremony is held every August Sixth in front of themonument and the register of the A-bomb victims is kept inside the arch-shaped
cenotaph. Every year the names of A-bomb survivors who died during the year are
entered into the register and during the ceremony they are dedicated to the cenotaph.
The names of over 5,000 A-bomb victims were added to the register in 2004. At
present, there are 83 books with just under 240,000 names of A-bomb victims.
The characters meaning “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not
repeat this evil” are carved on the front of the stone coffin in the cenotaph. You can see
the cenotaph, the A-bomb Dome, and the Peace Memorial Museum in alignment.
When you pray in front of the cenotaph, you can see the A-bomb Dome through it. It
serves as a visual reminder that the use of atomic bombs can cause catastrophic
damage.

The Hiroshima City government has hosted the Peace Memorial Ceremony every
year, except 1950, to console the souls of the A-bomb victims who died on that day orlater from its effects. The ceremony was suddenly canceled in 1950 because the
Korean War broke out. The ceremony has been held in front of the Cenotaph for the
A-bomb Victims every year since 1952 when it was built.
Comparing the programs of the ceremonies in 1952 to that in 2004, it is impressivethat the program in 1952 clearly reflects the state of affairs after the A-bomb and theend of the war through the unveiling of the Cenotaph by A-bomb orphans, offering
incense to A-bomb victims, and an address by the commander of the British Allied
Forces. It also seems obvious that the program for the ceremony in 1952 has been a
prototype for subsequent ceremonies.

A:

Peace Memorial Ceremony Program
Year
Date
Time
Official name
Program

1952

2004

August 6

August 6

8:00~9:00

8:00~8:45

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

Opening Address

Opening Address

Unveiling of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims
by five A-bomb exposed orphans

Dedication of the Register of the Names of the
Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims by the Mayor of
Hiroshima and representatives of the bereaved
families

Dedication of the Register of the Names of the Deadby Mayor of Hiroshima
Offering incense to A-bomb Victims by
two A-bomb exposed orphans
Address by
Chairperson of Hiroshima City Council

Address by
Chairperson of Hiroshima City Council
Dedication of Flowers by
Mayor of Hiroshima
Chairperson of Hiroshima City Council
Representatives of the bereaved families and children
Representatives of the atomic bomb survivors
Distinguished guests

These characters carved on the front of the stonecoffin in the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims means“Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not
repeat this evil.”

The arch-shaped Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims
and the A-bomb Dome seen through the cenotaph.

80 ●Silent Prayer and Peace BellSilent Prayer and Peace Bell

Peace Declaration by
Mayor of Hiroshima

Peace Declaration by
Mayor of Hiroshima

Release of Doves

Release of Doves
Commitment to Peace byChildren's representatives

Addresses byAddresses byPrime by Minister (acting prime minister)Prime Minister of Japan
Chairman of House of Representatives
Governor of Hiroshima and(acting chairman)
Secretary General of the United Nations
Chairman of House of Councilors(acting chairman)
Governor of Hiroshima
Chairman of Hiroshima Prefectural AssemblyCommander of Kure Base of the
British Allied Forces
Chorus of Peace Song by
NHK Hiroshima Station Choir

Hiroshima Peace Song (chorus)

Closing Address

Closing Address● 81

Contents

How many monuments are there in
Q37 Peace Memorial Park?

A Map of Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Q37-2 Park and its Surrounding Areas

Peace Memorial Park covers just over ten hectares in a trapezoid shape. The
A-bomb Dome is on the north side and the park is bordered by Peace Boulevardon the south, the Honkawa River on the west, and the Motoyasu River on the east.
The area of the park is just over one hundred thousand square meters, or about thesize of ten baseball stadiums. The whole area around the hypocenter was developed
into Peace Park for the purpose of using it as a symbolical place to wish for everlasting peace.
In 1949, soon after the atomic bomb was dropped, a special law aimed at thedevelopment of Hiroshima was established called the “Hiroshima Peace Memorial City
Construction Law.” Because of this law many monuments have been made possible.
Some of them are the Cenotaph for A-bomb Victims (1952), Peace Boulevard, known
as the 100 Meter Road (1950), the Peace Memorial Museum (1952), and recently theHiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims (2002). There areabout 50 monuments in Peace Memorial Park. (Please refer to the map on the right.)
A few of the main monuments in the guide map page are: A-bomb Dome (6),Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students (8), Children’s Peace Monument (11),Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound (15), Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of
the A-bomb (18), Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims (47). You can apply in the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (East Building) (41) to have volunteer staff
explain the monuments and the A-bomb.

This is a guide map to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and its surrounding areas so thatreaders can learn the park beforehand. Please refer to it. (Source: Hiroshima Convention& Visitors Bureau; partially modified.)A:

Guide to Peace Memorial Park and Environs
Hiroshima Castle (12-minutes walk)
Hiroshima Museum of Art (10-minutes walk)

Hiroshima Municipal
Baseball Stadium

Aioi-bashi
BridgeGenbaku Dome Maestreetcar stop

River
CruiseRoute

Hypocenter(Shima Hospital)

World
Heritage
CruiseMessage Light
Motoyasu-bashi
BridgeHonkawa Riverto Miyajima

Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the
A-bomb82 ●Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students

SchoolMonument in Memory of Dr. Marcel Junod
Monument in Memory of Mr. Norman Cousins
Clock Commemorating the Repatriation of Those
Who Chose to Return to the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea
Peace Memorial Post
Peace Tower
Statue of Mother and Child in the Storm
Fountain of Prayer
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (West
Building)
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (East
Building)
Monument Commemorating Pope John Paul II's
Appeal for Peace

River
Cruise Gate

Rest House(Tourist Information,
souvenir shop)

Honkawa-bashi
BridgeNishi-heiwa-ohashi
BridgeA Path of Lightand Eternal Peace(Ote-machi
Daiichi Park)

Motoyasu-gawa
River

Peace Boulevard

Heiwa-ohashi
BridgeHeiwa Kinen Koen bus stop
Phoenix Trees Exposed to the A-bomb
Monument of “Zensonpo” (All Japan Casualty
Insurance Labor Union)
Monument Dedicated to Sankichi Toge
Monument to the Former Zaimoku-cho
Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims (Memorial
Monument for Hiroshima, City of Peace)
Statue of a Prayer for Peace
Linden Tree Monument
Flame of Peace
Monument of Prayer
Pond of Peace
Monument of the Former North Tenjin-machi Area
Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the
Atomic Bomb Victims
Monument to the Employees of the Hiroshima Post

Children of the World Peace
Monument
Literary Monument Dedicated to
Miekichi Suzuki
Monument to the Old Aioi Bridge
Monument to Those Who Diedfrom the Chugoku-Shikoku
Public Works Office
Monument of the Hiroshima
District Lumber Control
Corporation
A-bomb DomeMonument to Tamiki Hara
Memorial Tower to the Mobilized
Students
Hiroshima City Zero Milestone
Flower ClockChildren's Peace Monument
Peace Cairn
Peace Clock Tower
Memorial Tower for
A-bomb-related Victims
Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound
Peace Bell
Stone Lantern of Peace
Monument in Memory of the
Korean Victims of the A-bomb
A-bombed Gravestone
Peace Fountain
The Figure of the Merciful
Goddess of Peace
Night Watch Lamp
Monument for the Volunteer
Army Corps
Hiroshima Second Middle
School A-bomb Memorial
Monument
International Conference Center
Hiroshima
Memorial Monument for the
Hiroshima Municipal
Commercial and Shipbuilding
Industry Schools
Statue of Merciful Mother
Monument of the A-bombed
Teachers and Students of
National Elementary Schools
Statue of Peace“New
Leaves”(Dr. Hideki Yukawa
Monument)
Friendship Monument
Monument to the Former South
Tenjin-machi Area
A-bomb Monument of theHiroshima Municipal Girl's High

OfficePrayer Monument for Peace
Monument Dedicated to Construction Workers andArtisans
Prayer Haiku Monument for Peace
Hiroshima Monument for the A-bomb Victims
Monument to the Employees of the Coal
Control-related Company
Monument of the Hiroshima Gas Corporation
Monument for the A-bomb Victims from theHiroshima Agricultural Association
Hair Monument
Merciful Consoling Kannon for Mobilized A-bomb
Victim-Students● 83

A Guide Map to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Its Surrounding Are
174 Guide to Peace Memorial Park and Environs

Contents

Are there trees damaged by theQ38 bomb that still survive?

A:

Yes, it’s true. The fire caused by the bomb and the explosion itself knocked overand burned many trees. Yet we found that many trees among the fallen put forth
new buds or managed to survive and produce leaves again despite the shock and fire. It
is said that plants are ten times more resistant to radiation than animals.
Ten years ago the Hiroshima city government decided to designate the A-bombed
trees as symbols of reconstruction and took steps to preserve them. At present, there areabout 150 trees in 52 places within two kilometers of the hypocenter that have been
designated as A-bomb trees. However, about fifty trees among them have become much
weaker and they need special care. At the time of the bombing, there was a rumor that
nothing would grow in Hiroshima for 75 years, but the sight of the damaged and fallentrees putting forth new buds kindled hope in the hearts of citizens in Hiroshima andencouraged them. I hope those A-bombed trees32) will live well and long. I recommend you
read the story about the A-bombed phoenix trees and learn to sing the song about them.

Oleaster tree in Seijyuji Temple, 530 meters away from the
hypocenter

Phoenix tree that was exposed to the A-bomb
1,300 meters from the hypocenter and latertransplanted to Peace Memorial Park.

Q38-2 Surviving Trees
Now about 150 A-bombed trees of 31 types exist in Hiroshima. Those trees
designated as A-bombed have yellow explanation boards, so that you can find themeasily. When you pass nearby the trees, please speak to them saying “thank you forsurviving the A-bombing.”
Only 20 A-bombed trees are listed in order of distance from the hypocenter in thetable below. (For details, please refer to the Internet website of Hiroshima City
government http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/ or Referense31)

Existing A-bombed Trees (excerpt)

84 ●Cherry tree at the Ikari Shrine, 1,800 meters fromthe hypocenter

Distance from
Hypocenter(km)

Address

1 Weeping willow

West of Hiroshima Youth Center

0.37

14 Moto-machi Naka-ku

2 Round leaf holly

Rai Sanyo Shiseki Museum

0.41

5-14 Fukuro-machi Naka-ku

3 Weeping willow

East of Hiroshima Children's Museum

0.45

5 Moto-machi Naka-ku

4 Camphor Tree
and Camellia

Shirakamisha Shrine

0.49

7-24 Naka-machi Naka-ku

5 Japanese Hackberry

In front of Shirakamisha Shrine

0.53

Peace Boulevard, Komachi Naka-ku

6 Elaeagnus

Seijuji Temple

0.53

2-5-13 Honkawa-cho Naka-ku

7 Eucalyptus

Ninomaru of Hiroshima Castle

0.74

21 Moto-machi Naka-ku

8 Camphor tree

Chuo (Central) Park Jiyuhiroba

0.76

15 Moto-machi Naka-ku

9 Japanese
Fern Palm

Jyoonji Temple

0.79

3-10-4 Ote-machi Naka-ku

10 Peony

Honkyoji Temple

0.89

3-13-11 Ote-machi Naka-ku

11 Round leaf holly

In Hiroshima Castle

0.91

21 Moto-machi Naka-ku

12 Round leaf holly

Kinryuji Temple

0.94

9-27 Komachi Naka-ku

13 Camphor tree

West of Hiroshima Municipal Moto-machi
Apartment No.1

1.01

16 Moto-machi Naka-ku

Hiroshima City Hall

1.05

1-6-34 Kokutaiji-cho Naka-ku

15 Crape Myrtle

Zenshoji Temple

1.10

3-11 Tera-machi Naka-ku

16 Camphor tree

Moto-machi Koso (high-rise) apartment

1.11

20 Moto-machi Naka-ku

17 Camphor tree

South of moat in Hiroshima Castle

1.12

21 Moto-machi Naka-ku

18 Camphor tree

In front of Saibansho (Court) apartment

1.12

2 Kami-hacchobori Naka-ku

19 Maidenhair Tree

Hosenbo

1.13

3-3 Tera-machi Naka-ku

20 Japanese
Fern Palm

Hiroshima Betsuin Temple

1.15

1-19 Tera-machi Naka-ku

14 Prunus yedoensis(Someiyoshino)Camphor tree at the Tenma Elementary School
located 1,160 meters from the hypocenter

Location

Name of Tree

● 85

Contents

Are the A-bombed buildings and trees
Q39 the only things that still remain?

A:

There are some surprises for you. There are four streetcars, which still serve
Hiroshima commuters.
At the time of the A-bombing, 92 streetcars were operating and most of them wereburned and crushed in an instant. Although 31 streetcars were in the car barn, most ofthem were destroyed as well. The A-bombed streetcars which are still operating were
manufactured three years before the attack. Two streetcars, No.653 and No.654, wererunning in the area of Eba (2.9km away from the hypocenter), and No.651 streetcar
was running near Hiroshima City Hall (1km away), and No.652 streetcar was runningin the Ujina area (4.2km away).
All of them were damaged during operation; however, the staff of the streetcar
company at the time worked very hard to repair them and they enabled the A-bombedstreetcars to operate again only three days after the A-bombing. Even though they
could only operate in limited sections of the track, the sight of the streetcars runningencouraged everyone. There are four A-bombed streetcars still running everyday
during rush-hour in the morning and evening, so you might have a chance to ridethem. A plaque with a brief explanation of the A-bomb is just behind the driver’s
platform in each streetcar, so you should read it after you get on.

Q39-2 Excavation of Victims' Remains
Discovering the remains of the deceased is a sad fact which continues to this day. At
the time of the bombing, many injured people were taken to Ujina to have medical
treatment; however, the place was very soon filled with about 6,000 injured people.
Others were carried to Ninoshima Island, 4 kilometers off the coast of Ujina, because amilitary related quarantine was located on the island at that time. It is said that the total
number of injured people was about 10 thousand.
The Hiroshima City government collected the remains of the deceased that had
been left on Ninoshima Island. It is easy to imagine how many remains were collected.
They were enshrined in a mound for the unidentified victims while the total number
remains unclear.
The remains of 2,000 bodies were discovered in 1955. These remains were stored
in the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound in Peace Memorial Park. Excavation work was
conducted in 1971, with the help of memories and experience reports from the local
people, and the remains of 617 dead bodies were discovered. A third excavation
project was conducted in May 2004, which recovered the remains of 87 more bodies.
Even now scars from the A-bomb can been seen, though 59 years have alreadypassed. At that time, many fathers and mothers walked about, here and there, to search
for their children. Even though some of them found that their children were injured andtaken to Ninoshima Island, they couldn’t meet them and couldn’t even receive theirremains. How do these people view the discovery of remains 59 years after the A-bomb?

This A-bombed streetcar
is still operating.

A plaque with a brief explanation behindthe driver’s platform in the streetcar

86 ●Ninoshima Island● 87

Contents

The number of A-bomb survivors is
Q40 going to decrease, right?

The Study of A-bomb Survivors
Q40-2 Contributes to International Society

Yes, I think so. Some of my relatives and friends, even those who are younger
than me, have passed away. It makes me sad.
About 180,000 A-bomb survivors used to live in Hiroshima Prefecture 25 years ago,
but there are around 130,000 now. The number of survivors is going to continue todecrease and in 25 years (the year 2030), the number in Hiroshima Prefecture willprobably be in the thousands.
I truly hope that, even after the survivors are gone, people around the world will
share the spirit in which no one forgets Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I also hope they will
strengthen their desire for peace, eliminate nuclear arms, and always strive to live inharmony.
The first graph below shows a population forecast of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki prefecture.33) The number in 2030 seems to decrease significantly.
The second graph shows the population both in Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefecture
as of 2001.

The results of the studies on the continued effects of A-bomb radiation and theexperience of medical care for the survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which do notexist in other countries, will always be valuable. These findings should be used tocontribute to everlasting peace.
Some data concerning Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been already utilized ininternational organizations, such as ICRP (International Commission on RadiologicalProtection), in setting standards for the prevention of radiation hazards. In addition, theresearch methods used in the study of A-bomb survivors including epidemiology todetermine incidence of cancer, etc., physical dosimetry procedures, chromosome
analysis techniques, were applied to the study of residents exposed to the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor accident, the south Ural accident in Russia, the Semipalatinsk nuclear
test site in Kazaphstan, etc.
Furthermore, the realities of medical, social and man-made damage due to thebomb have been providing significant rationale for global peace movements andcampaigns to support the reduction and disposal of nuclear weapons.
Still, the study of A-bomb survivors has not yet been completed. In order to ensure
the accuracy of lifetime incidence of cancer, epidemiologic studies have to bethoroughly conducted for those who were exposed to the bomb at the age of 10 andyounger. The results will be useful as standards in radiation protection or control foreveryday use in international society.
The photo on the lower left shows a book published by the International Physicians
for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW),34) which also covers the damage to
A-bomb survivors. The lower right is a book published by the Hiroshima International
Council for Health Care of the Radiation-Exposed (HICARE) which gathers data on
A-bomb effects on the human body.35)

A:

Population Estimate of A-bomb Survivors
in Hiroshima and Nagasaki(ten thousands)

Population of Survivors

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

18.2

17.2

Hiroshima Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture

16.2
14.5

11.0

10.3

9.5

8.7

13.3

7.8

7.5

4.9
3.1
0.1
0.0

1.9

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 (Year)

Present Population of Survivors

Population

Nationwide

293,000

Hiroshima Prefecture/ City

Nagasaki Prefecture / City

77,000 / 52,000 69.5 years old

Population: (March 31, 2001)

Hiroshima(ten thousands)

Number of Survivors

88 ●

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

Average Age133,000 / 88,000 70.1 years old

Nagasaki

3.3
2.6
2.1
1.2

0.05

1.5

1.8
1.1

1.9
1.3

1.8
1.0

1.2

The damage to A-bomb survivors is written
about in “War and Public Health” publishedby the International Physicians for thePrevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

The A-bomb effects on the human body are
put together in a book, published by theHiroshima International Council for HealthCare of the Radiation-Exposed (HICARE).
● 89

Contents

Were the children of A-bomb
Q41 survivors affected?

Health Study of Children of A-bomb
Q41-2 Survivors (Second-Generation)

I didn’t have a chance to become a mother, but many A-bomb survivors werevery worried if there would be any abnormalities in their children.
Until twenty to thirty years after the bombing, there was a rumor that the bomb
affected the children of survivors. However, various research was conducted showingthat there were no abnormalities in children’s chromosomes, a higher frequency ofcancer, and no unusually high mutation rate. At least, no evidence of negative effects
on children has been found so far.

After the discovery of X-rays in 1895 and their frequent use later, skin cancer or leukemia
came to be reported. Thereafter, this also raised concerns that radiation might affect thechildren of “next generations” via germ cells (genetic effects). In fact, in 1927, H.J. Muller
observed an increased incidence of mutations among drosophila exposed to X-rays andproved that an increase of mutation in the next generation of drosophila occurred inproportion to radiation dosage. In the following year, similar results were found in plants,
whose phenomenon was thought to apply to living organisms in general.
The second generation of A-bomb survivors means the children who were born fromthose who were exposed to the bomb. If these children have genetic effects, it could bepossible only when the “germ cells” of their father or mother are damaged by radiation. In
Q21-2, it is explained that lymphocyte or bone-marrow cells of the survivors havechromosomal abnormalities, but these cells are “somatic cells,” not “germ cells.” Even
when “somatic cells” have abnormalities, it will have nothing to do with inheritance as longas “germ cells” are normal.
As the table in Q41 indicates, the children of A-bomb survivors were tested in terms ofchromosome and protein, but no evidence of effects on the children has been found so
far.9) Some research was conducted to study the effects on children of those who were
exposed to radiation due to medical treatment, those who deal with radiation in their jobs,
or those who live in the areas where high levels of natural radiation are emitted such as in
Brazil and India. However, there is no proof to show genetic effects.
Recent molecular biology and studies of genetics suggest that multiple genes are
related to people’s diseases (multiple gene factor). The Radiation Effects Research
Foundation (RERF) started a large scale study for the second-generation children of
A-bomb survivors in 2001. The planned participants for this study were around 24,000
Hiroshima residents, but the actual number
was around 11,000. Their lifestyle habits
and health checkups will be examined indetail from now on, and the research isfinally planned to advance the level of the
Radiation
study of genetics (molecular biologicalsomatic
Cancerstudy.)cells
The figure on the right shows thedifference of effects on the next generation
Effectbetween “somatic cells” and “germ cells.”
germ
on the nextA:

An example of genetic examination

Survey of Genetic Effects for the Survivors
in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Survey Items

Number Surveyed

Abnormal Pregnancy(malformation, stillbirth,death just after birth)

Genetic Effect71,280 people

None

Change in ratio of male and female

47,624None

Abnormal Chromosome

16,298None

Incidence of Malignancy

72,000

Not found

Death Rate

68,000

Not found

Mutation Rate of Genes (Protein)

30,000None

DNA Study

1,000 families

To be decided

Mutation rate: A rate of inheritance of genes with characteristics different from the parents.

90 ●generation

cells

Germ cells: Male sperm and female eggs of living organisms, which produce
offspring in order to maintain and perpetuate their species.
● 91

What can we do to stop the use of
Q42 atomic bombs?

A:

Now you are getting to the crucial point. We are told “atomic bombs will never
be used again” but what can we do to ensure it doesn’t happen?
First, we have to preserve the historical fact that A-bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki and mainly targeted civilians. They caused– and continue tocause– severe hardships for the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It is said that wise people always refer to history. For those who study history, thefacts that include why the A-bombs were used should be left on the record.
Next, we have to stop wars. No one drops an A-bomb all of a sudden. There might
be a situation where an A-bomb is used due to disagreements between countries, butwhatever the case, we shouldn’t make war.
Today, about fifty wars killing more than 100 people break out in a year. Especially
the weak, like innocent children, lose their lives or get injured. So it is important foreach one of us to make efforts to eliminate the causes of wars.
We need to pay attention to these issues, such as to support poor countries, tobecome tolerant of different religions, not waste resources, nor waste food. Thereseem to be a lot of things even junior or high school students can do. When you growup a little, please refer to some of the practical examples of “peace studies” on thepage on the right.
There is a global "Peace Watch" clock within the museum in Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Park. The digital board displays 21,616 at the top, the number of days thathave passed since the A-bombing of Hiroshima. Below that shows the number of days
since the most recent nuclear test. The photograph below shows 138 days, which isthe number of days after the U.S.
conducted an underground subcritical nuclear test (a controversial
nuclear weapons test that is low
enough to not create critical mass offissile material) in Nevada. When you
look at this clock, I hope the lower
number on the board will haveincreased.

The “Peace Watch” clock

92 ●Practical Examples of“Peace Study” by Junior andQ42-2 High School Students

Contents

A-bomb survivors are making an outcry: “We must not have anyone in any country
experience what we suffered. No more wars. Let’s make a peaceful world.”
The survivors are also expressing their feelings in different styles such as writingbooks, making paintings, composing poems about their experience, getting together toform human letters, walking in peace marches, running in peace relay races, holding
sit-ins, tying ribbons, giving testimony, etc.
Junior and high school students have been taking respectable actions. Here aresome examples. Everyone needs to think about what he or she can do and takeaction.
Examples:(1) An A-bomb drama based on the war was created and performed in the annual
school festival. (By the first graders of Kaita junior high school students in
Hiroshima Prefecture, 1979. See the photo on the upper leftat at bottom.)(2) Erection of “The Cenotaph of Hiroshima”. (By the Peace Seminar of High SchoolStudents in Hiroshima Prefecture. In collaboration with high school students in
Kansai and Kanto regions, 1982. See the upper right photo at bottom.)(3) Circle round the A-Bomb Dome with peace ribbons. (By nationwide grass-roots
peace movement groups, 1984. See the lower left photo at bottom. )(4) Peace event planned and operated by high school students. (By students at
Miyajima Industrial High School and Hatsukaichi-Nishi High School in
Hiroshima, 2004.See the lower right photo at bottom. )(1) (Chugoku Shimbun, Nov. 10, 1979.)(2) (Chugoku Shimbun, Aug.5, 1982.)(3) (Chugoku Shimbun, Aug.4, 1984.)(4) (Chugoku Shimbun, Jul.19, 2004.)● 93

Contents

What are adults doing to seek
Q43 peace?

“Nuclear-Weapon Free Zones”
Q43-2 Declaration36)

They are doing a lot of things. A-bomb survivors are composing poems andhaiku about their experience at the time of the bombing, or joining campaigns fornuclear disarmament.
Some adults, who were not exposed to the A-bomb, are holding international
conferences to help decrease the number of countries which possess nuclear
weapons (Non-Proliferation Treaty). Some are also applying pressure on Russia andthe U.S. to have discussions in order to decrease their nuclear arsenals(Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty).
On the other hand, others are making appeals to remind us of the preciousness ofpeace by holding dramas or concerts, or promoting campaigns to oppose thepossession and use of nuclear weapons (No-Nuke Movement) or joining peacebuilding campaigns (peace movement). Many groups from the grass roots level tointernational organizations meet regularly to prepare and promote these campaigns.
The Peace Memorial Ceremony is held every year on August Sixth in Hiroshima
and on August Ninth in Nagasaki. These ceremonies can be considered nation-wide
events. The important thing is that campaigns and group activities should be
conducted every year repeatedly.
The IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), a Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, and the World Conference for Mayors for Peace, a winner of theWorld Citizen Award, have been taking action for a long time in order to stop the use of
nuclear weapons. Please support their activities.

There are already five international treaties for a “Nuclear Weapon Free Zones
Declaration” in the world, which promise (1) not to bring nuclear weapons into theirzones or not to transfer these weapons to other countries, and instead ask (2) not tothreaten or attack their zones with nuclear weapons.

A:

A photo taken at the world congress of IPPNW in 2000
(Paris)A photo taken at the World Conference for Mayors for
Peace held in Hiroshima, (Material from Hiroshima
Peace Culture Foundation)

Nuclear disarmament: To abolish nuclear weapons.
NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty): See Q45-2
CTBT: The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) prohibits both nuclear weapon test explosions andnuclear explosions in all spaces, including outer space. In order to ensure the implementation ofthis treaty provision, the CTBT organization was established along with a verification system. In
June 1996, the final draft was submitted to disarmament talks. In September the same year, thedraft adoption was sent to the United Nations General Assembly, where Japan signed and ratified
the treaty. However, due to some nations’ refusal, the treaty has not come into effect at the present
time. This treaty does not force current nuclear powers to abolish nuclear weapons.

94 ●		“Nuclear Weapon Free Zone” Declaration (Treaty)

Signing and Effective Dates

1 Antarctic Treaty

Dec. 1959 singed and effective (See No.1 in map)

2 Latin America and the Caribbean Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Feb. 1967 signed and effective (See No.2 in map)
3 South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone

Aug. 1985 signed and effective (See No.3 in map)

4 Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone

Dec. 1995 signed and effective (See No.4 in map)

5 African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone

Apr. 1996 signed, still-pending (See No.5 in map)

One hundred thirteen countries out of 191 in the world are involved in thesetreaties. More than 50% of the people on earth strongly wish for nuclear weapon freezones and side with these treaties. The conclusion of a nuclear free treaty in fivecountries in Central Asia has been in progress. Japan is located In Northeast Asia
(Japan, Korea, North Korea, and China), where lots of efforts have been taken but
unfortunately the talks do not seem to be progressing.
The idea of “eliminating nuclear weapons” is an extension of the idea that Hiroshima
and Nagasaki should never be repeated again. 77% of cities and towns in Japandeclared their wish for a “Nuclear Free Government.” However, many residents do noteven know the fact of their cities’ nuclear free declaration. Students and members ofsociety, let’s think about how much the earth would lose if nuclear weapons were used.
Recall that today’s nuclear weapons have 3,300 times the power and energy
compared with Hiroshima’s bomb and after reflecting on what he or she has learned
so far, think what each person can do. One person’s power is small, but great power isnever to be generated unless one takes the first step.

5

4
3

2

1
● 95

Contents

What can we do to make the world
Q44 more peaceful?

A:

You’ve made a very good point. It is important to think about what you can do. It is
not enough just to be aware of what you’ve heard from me and count it as“knowledge.”   Peace does not come of itself. “Peace” simply means “No war.”
Peace is created from the point where everybody understands and respects eachother’s viewpoints, actions, and ways of life and works together. For instance, even when
you are young, you need to listen to what others say as well as learn how to express yourown opinions. It is important to remember to not fight with your friends and be moretolerant of people from different countries, races, and religions.
When you grow up you may have a chance to talk with people from foreign countries.
Regardless of the differences in both countries’ culture, religion, or system of government,
the feeling that you respect others is more important than anything else for making amore peaceful world.
If you were ignored, you would feel bad, right? You can start by respecting others fromnow on. It would be useless if you didn’t act on this idea but just kept it in mind. Always doyour best on this point.
The following letters are the impressions written by students who came to Hiroshima
for peace studies.

Telling the Effects of the A-bombto the Next Generations-What Can
Q44-2 We Do?

A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have “lived a life”, overcoming suffering,
economic, social and physical difficulties. With assistance from various people, thesurvivors have been joining campaigns, under risk to their lives, for “prevention of
A-bomb use” in order to stop a third A-bomb being used. They have been appealing
with the feeling that “they do not want other people in any country to experience what
they have suffered.”
The survivors’ movement shall be valued and considered to have borne fruit in partin the sense that a third A-bomb has never been used. However, their bodies arecompletely exhausted. Some are concerned a second or third cancer will be found.
The survivors have been involved in various campaigns because only Hiroshima andNagasaki’s survivors can do this. Your turn is next. It is your turn to convey themessage to the world – “How A-bomb survivors live and think and then take action.”
The Japanese have played a very important part in history. They research andrecord in detail the A-bombs’ destructive power and what social breakdown is like.
Long-lasting physical and psychological effects are thoroughly studied and the findings
are continuously being recorded. You, the reader, have learned various things about
the effects of the A-bomb through this book.
It is you, the reader, who can tell many people how the A-bomb is cruel and abject,and can work as a bridge for world peace. Transmitting survivors’ lives and effects of
the A-bomb are left to you.
Conveyance of peace and the A-bomb effects becomes possible throughindividual, group, and international cooperation. Sharing hearts and minds is firstrequired to achieve this.

Action Plan for Achieving Peace
A-bomb related materials

Survivors
Dear Tokiko-san,Thank you very much for sharing your sad story with us
the other day. Listening to you speak, I could know how
fearful the war was and how much people suffered. I
had never imagined the horrors of war. I was especially
impressed by your not hating America which dropped
the A-bomb. You said you wanted to get along with
America, which I thought was right. I learned manythings from you. Because of the things I learned fromyou, I will make the most out of every single day!!
(From a 15-year-old student in Gifu)

96 ●Primary materials(direct materials such as A-bomb Dome)
Secondary materials (records, music, drama, etc.)

Sympathy

Greetings. Thank you so much for sharing your time so
we could listen to survivors’ experiences the other day.
I will never forget my time spent with the elderly at
Nozomi-en Home. I was very impressed by the appeals
you made over and over again: “You must not makewar,” and “It is better to be poor than to be in a war.” I
want to make efforts to never allow a war to start.
September 13, 2004
(From a junior high school student in Tsuruoka City,
Yamagata Prefecture)

Second Share
Generation
Survivors

Self

Absorption

Share

Creation

ShareYour friends

Foreigners

Cooperation / Individual Action● 97

Contents

Thank you for sharing yourQ45 experience with me

Hiroshima and Japan’s Roles for
Q45-2 Building Peace

Is my talk enough? I hope you were able to learn something new. Keep in mind
that there are a lot of people with different circumstances in the world. Pleasecome back again when you grow up, though I may be gone by then.

Damage caused by the A-bomb was recognized in Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the firsttime in history. Many residents of large areas in the world are also suffering radiation
damage due to accidents in the process of making bombs (Ural region in Soviet) or
nuclear tests to verify the bombs’ power. Still, the haves will not give up nuclear bombs.
In 1970, five countries which had A & H bombs- the US, the UK, the USSR, France
and China signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The treaty designated these allied
five nations as nuclear powers and prohibited all other countries from possessing
nuclear weapons and the validity was set for 25 years. In 1995, the conference washeld to discuss “whether the treaty would be extended definitely or indefinitely.”
Being worried, the treaty was determined to be extended “indefinitely” in the UN
plenary session. However, with efforts and resistance by nonaligned countries andno-nuke NGOs, “conditions” were added. Documents were adopted, which said that“the Review Conferences of NPT” should be held every five years to consider whether
the treaty is adhered to properly and what needs to be done in the future.
Five years later, in April, 2000, “the Review Conference of NPT” was held, in which
the document of “The Clear Commitment to the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons”
was adopted, including the nuclear powers. The content remained ambiguous. The nextyear, on September 11, 2001, the series of terrorist attacks in the US occurred. This
reversed progress and gradually allowed easy execution of nuclear tests or use of
nuclear weapons. It is Hiroshima and Nagasaki that know the most about the fear of
nuclear weapons. The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been holding “World
Conference of Mayors for Peace” since 1985. Already 1,036 cities in 112 countries havebecome members.
In May 2005, “the Review Conference of NPT” was organized. The “World
Conference of Mayors for Peace,” led by Mr. Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima, and Mr. Ito,mayor of Nagasaki, appealed to all nations “to start negotiations for the total abolition of
nuclear weapons with a clear deadline” andsuggested action programs to eradicate nuclear
weapons by 2020. However, the disagreements
between the allied and nonaligned nations were
not ended and the conference closed with nosignificant achievement. The characteristic of the
Review Conference of NPT itself – unanimous
voting – highlighted a problem.
As written in Q43, even when 113 countries claim
the total abolition of nuclear weapons, but make no
progress, Japan should not wait for the next
“Review Conference of NPT” in another 5 years but
should lead each city and each civic group in theworld, including movements outside the frameworkof the “Review Conference of NPT,” and makeefforts to abolish nuclear weapons. The role of the“World Conference of Mayors for Peace” hasbecome more and more important for the future.
● 99

A:

Take care, and never forget the importance of peace.

98 ●Contents

Resaurce Materials

References

Radiation dosemSv

Chernobyl nuclear
power plant
accident in 1986

Atomic bombing in 1945
provided by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Q13-2
Q28 Survivors

Death by acute radiation
exposure (31 people)

5000

4900
3800

2300
Q19 Survivors
Q17 Death caused by cerebral

and vasculardisease has
increased

1500
1300

Acute radiation disease(203 people)

1000

The dose of the woman

Q11 who told the story

in this book was 1,300mSv.

500

Q29 (Survivors)

100

Survivor exposed at 1.8km
from the hypocenter
Dose of naturalradiation (year)※1000mSv = 1 Sv

100 ●

2.4

50
10
1

170

Dose of the workers involvedin nuclear clean-ups in 1986

30

Dose of the workers involvedin nuclear clean-ups in 1988

See Q33  1. Shimizu,K.,et al: Hypocenter of the Atomic
Bomb. Nippon Housou Press
Association, Tokyo,1969( In Japanese)  2. Kamada,N:Research on Late Effect ofRadiation – Past, Present, Future. J. HiroshimaMed. Asso.49:1263,1996( In Japanese)  3. Scientific Data Center for the Atomic Bomb
Disaster Nagasaki University School of
Medicine: Medical Effects of Nagasaki
A-Bomb. Nagasaki University,1995  4. Kodama,K.:Atomic Bomb Orphans. Siobunnsha,
Tokyo,1987(In Japanese)  5. Us-Japan Reassessment of Atomic Bomb
Radiation Dosimetry in Hiroshima andNagasaki. ed by Roesch WC. Vol.1,RERF,
Hiroshim,1987  6. Hiroshima City. Post Cards for 21 Century
Hiroshima,1996(In Japanese)  7. NHK.How Hiroshima had been recorded,
2003(In Japanese)  8. Nagasaki Medical College: Report on Relief ofExposed Survivors.1945(In Japanese)  9. Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human
Body: Ed. by Shigematsu I, C.Ito, N.Kamada,
M.Akiyama and H. Sasaki translated by B.
Harrison, Harwood academic publishers,1993
10. Kamada,N.,et al: Synthetic Medical Studies on
Atomic Bomb Survivors Exposed in ShortDistances. XV. Ditection of Transforming
Gene(s)..Hiroshima Med.J 41:440,1988(InJapanese)
11. Yamazaki,JN.et.al: Outcome of Pregnancy in
Women Exposed to the Atomic Bomb in
Nagasaki.Amer.J.Dis.Child .87:448,1954(InJapanese)
12. Miller RW. : Delayed Effects Occuriring within
the First Decade after Exposure of Young
Individuals to the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb .
Pediatrics 18:1,1956
13. Belsky,J.L.et al:Adult Stature in Relation toChildhood Exposure to the Atomic Bombs ofHiroshima and Nagasaki,Amer. J. Public
Health,65:489,1975
14. Yoshimoto,Y.et al: Risk of Cancer among inutero Children Exposed to A-bomb Radiation.
Lancet ii:665,1988
15. Ikui,H.:Eye Damage by Hiroshima andNagasaki A-bomb in Early Stage. Report of the
7th Meeting of The Late Effects of Atomic Bomb
Radiation.P160,1965(In Japanese)
16. Hirose,K .et al.: Radiation Cataract. Japanese
Journal of Ophthalmology 54:449,1950(InJapanese)
17. Masuda,S.:Clinical Research on Radiation
Cataract in Hiroshima. Report of the 7 th
Meeting of The Late Effects of Atomic Bomb
Radiation.P189,1965(In Japanese)
18. Doto,T.:Clinical and Experimental Research on
Radiation-induced Cataract .Report of the 7 th
Meeting of The late Effects of Atomic Bomb
Radiation.P192,1965(In Japanese)

19. Toda, S.:Findinga of Eyes among Survivors
Exposed in Infant Period. Japan
Ophthalmology Repots 15:96,1964(InJapanese)
20. Tsuda Y. et al: Ophthalmologic Study in A-bomb
Survivors. J. Hiroshima Med.Ass.57:336, 2004
(In Japanese)
21. Wells,W et al: Scars Remaining in Atomic
Bomb Survivors. Surg.Gyn.&Obst. 95:129,1952
22. Awa.A: Chromosomal Aberration in Peripheral
Blood Lymphocytes. In Effects of A-bomb
Radiation on Human Body Ed. by Shigematsu I etal. harwood academic publishers Tokyo,1995
23. Hiroshima City.:Report on Popuration Study on
Atomic bomb Survivors.1999(In Japanese)
24. Hiroshima City Home Page in every year
25. Lifton,R.J.: The Theme of Death, Death in Life
Survivors of Hiroshima.Asahi News Paper
Company,1971
26. Ubuki,A.:Catalogu of Books and Journals
Reported in 1945-1995 by A-bomb Survivors.
Nichigai Associats 1999(In Japanese)
27. Sadamori N.,et al.: Epidemiologic Study of Skin
Cancers in Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors.
Nagasaki Medical Journal.63,556,1989(InJapanese)
28. Shintani,T. et al.: High Incidence of Meningiomain Survivors of Hiroshima. Lancet 349:
1369,1997
29. Sekine,I. Et al:Incidence of Double Cancers
among Nagasaki A-bomb Survivors andRearrangement of RET gene in Papillomatous
Thyroid Cancer. Reports on Atomic-bomb
Disease,2004:27,2004(In Japanese)
30. Research Organization for Information Science& Technology. Encyclopedia ANATOMICA
home page,http://mext-atom.jst.go.jp/atomica.
html (In Japanese)
31. Hiroshima City. Architectural Witnesses to the
Atomic Bombing-A Record for the Future,
1996(In Japanese)
32. Ookawa,E.:Phenix Tree, Put Forth Buds.SinnNihon Publishing Company,1992(In Japanese)
33. Kamada,N.: Subjects and Prospects in Studies
on Late Health Effects of Atomic Bomb
Radiation.Nagasaki Medical Journal,77:159,
2002(In Japanese)
34. War and Public Health. ed. by Levy R.S. Oxford
University Press.1997
35. Effects of A-bomb Radiation on Human Body
Ed.by Shigematsu I et al.,translated byHarrison,B, harwood academic publishers,Tokyo,1995
36. Home Page of Hiroshima City: Hiroshima
Peace Site http://www.pcf.hiroshima.jp/peacesite/Japanese/Stage2/S2-8j.html
37. Ohkita,T.:Acute Effects.J.Radiat.Res.,16(suppl.):49,1975
38. Nakamura, T.: Hiroshima and Nagasaki: books
available in English, Hiroshima, Publication
Center of the Chugoku Shimbun Newspaper,
2003
● 101

Contents

Material Sources
Cover page: The U.S. Armed Forces, provided by
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Q2:
The U.S. Armed Forces, provided by Prof.
N,Hayakawa, Hiroshima University
Q2-2: Partially modified Figure 3, page 13 from
Architectural Witnesses to the Atomic
Bombing-A Record for the Future
Q3:
From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q4:
From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q5:
Partially modified material from National
Atomic Energy Safety Commission
Q7:
From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q7-2: The U.S. Armed Forces, reproduced from
Medical Effects of Nagasaki A-Bomb by
Scientific Data Center for the Atomic Bomb
Disaster Nagasaki University School of
Medicine Nagasaki University
Q8:
From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q8-2: Chugoku Shimbun, Nov.11, 1946 andAug.1, 1954
Q9-2: From the Atomic Bomb Survivors Field
Survey Report 1995 (Survey of Survivors)
Q11-2: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Q12: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q13: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q13-2: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q14: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Q14-2: Chugoku Shimbun April 8, 1956 and May 5,
1958
Q17: Partially modified from Ref.9,pages 139 and326
Q18: Reproduced from Medical Effects ofNagasaki A-Bomb by Scientific Data Centerfor the Atomic Bomb Disaster Nagasaki
University School of Medicine Nagasaki
University and modified from page 233 of
Ref.9
Q18-2: Modified from page 309 of Ref.9
Q20: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q20-2: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q21-2: Modified from Figure 6,page 254 of Ref.9
Q26-2: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Q27-2: Modified Figure 2 ,page 392 of Ref.26
Q28-2: Modified Figure 7,page 562 of Ref.27
Q29-2: Modified Figure 1(page 34) and Figure4(page 35) of Ref.29
Q33: Utility of radiation,Ref.30
Q33-2: Utility of radiation,Ref.30

102 ●Suggested Reading List38)
Q34: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q35: From The U.S. Armed Forces
Q37-2: Partially modified from brieflet of Hiroshima
Convension Beurou
Q39-2: Chugoku Shimbun My 28,2004
Q41: Partially modified from the figure ,page 26 of
Ref.9
Q42-2: Chugoku Shimbun Nov.10,1979,August
5,1982,August 4,1984 and July 19,2004
Q43: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Q43-2: Ref.36

Compiled by Tomoko Nakamura
http://homepage2.nifty.com/tomokonet/
Among 446 English-language books concerning thedestruction by A-bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
listed by Tomoko Nakamura, 16 basic books are
introduced here. They are selected according to thefollowing criteria: availability, and reliability; i.e., thebooks which have been reprinted with a large
circulation by major publishers, and read by many
people, and those which report the facts about theatomic bombings comprehensively.
Akizuki, Tatsuichiro. Nagasaki 1945: The First Fulllength Eyewitness Account of the Atomic
Bomb Attack on Nagasaki. London: Quartet
Books, Limited, 1981. A document by adoctor who treated the survivors in
Nagasaki.
Coer, Eleanor. Sadako and the Thousand Paper
Cranes. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons,
1977; Kyoto: Yamaguchi Shoten, 1984. A
true story of a girl who survived the bombing
but died of leukemia at age 12.
Committee for the Compilation of Materials on
Damage Caused by the Atomic Bombs in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Impact of the
A-bomb. Tokyo:Iwanami Shoten Publishers,
1985. Condensed, popular edition ofHiorshima and Nagasaki: The Physical,
Medical and Social Effects of the Atomic
Bombings. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten; New
Yo r k : B a s i c B o o k s ; a n d L o n d o n :Hutchinson, 1981.
Hachiya, Michihiko. Hiroshima Diary: The Journal ofa Japanese physician August 6. North
Carolina: Chapel Hill Press, 1955. A recordof the doctor’s account in the form of a diary.
Hersey, John. Hiroshima. New York: Alfred P. Knopf,
1946. The first report by an American
journalist.
Hiroshima Internaional Council for Medical Care of
the Radiation-exposed, ed. A-Bomb
Radiation Effects Digest. Tokyo: BunkodoHarwood Academic Publishers, 1993. A
compilation detailing all the findings on theeffects of A-bomb radiation on the humanbody. Understandable by lay people.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The Spirit ofHiroshima: An Introduction to the Atomic
Bomb Tragedy. Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum, 1999. The first official documentfrom the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum.
Ibuse, Masuji. Black Rain. Tokyo: Kodansha
International, 1969. An award-winning
literary work.
Kusano, Nobuo, compiled. Atomic Bomb Injuries.
Tokyo: Tsukiji Shokan, 1995. Detailed
medical records by a doctor who entered
Hiroshima at the end of August 1945.
O’Donnell, Joe. Japan 1945, Images from the
Trunk. Tokyo: Shogakukan, 1995. A
collection of photographs with bilingual
captions taken in Japan from September
1945, to March 1946, by a former sergeantof the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lifton, Robert, J. Death in Life. New York: Random
House, 1967. Pioneer studies of A-bomb
survivors by an American psychiatrist.
Maruki, Toshi. The Hiroshima Story. London: Adamand Charles Black, 1983. A picture book forchildren.
Nasu, Masamoto. Hiroshima: A Tragedy Never tobe Repeated. Tokyo: Fukuinkan Shoten,
1998. Includes diverse topics on the subject
such as basic scientific information on
nuclear weapons and illnesses caused byradiation. Informative for both children andlay people.
Minear, Richard H. Hiroshima: Three Witnesses.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990.
English translations of three noted
Japanese novelists’ works.
Osada, Arata, ed. Children of the A-bomb. Ann
Arbor, MI: Midwest Publishers International,
1982. 105 accounts by the children of
Hiroshima.
The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), ed.
Unforgettable Fire: Pictures drawn by
Atomic Survivors. Tokyo: Nippon Hoso
Shuppan Kyokai, 1977; New York:
Pantheon Books, 1981; London: Wildwood
House, 1981. A compilation of 104 handdrawn pictures depicting the devastation of
the bombing by citizens of Hiroshima.
●103

Contents

Museum Special Services
Ⅰ Loan of Photo Posters and Videos for Education Purpose

In order to pass on the reality of the A-bombings to as many people as possible and toheighten the awareness of peace, we loan exhibit materials listed below togovernmental and non-beneficial entities. Part of the materials can be donated on
condition that the entities wish to continuously use them for the purposes of peace
promotion.

Hiroshima – Nagasaki Photo Posters <Printed Version>

This set of 30 posters is a collection of photographic posters describing the conditions of the
A-bomb damage including the A-bomb mushroom clouds and the A-bomb dome. Eachposter’s dimensions are 90cm _ 60cm. The total weight of all 30 posters comes to 3kg.
Available languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Russian, Spanish

Hiroshima – Nagasaki Photo Posters <Digital Version>

Digital data of 48 posters in DVD or CD-ROM describing the conditions of the A-bombdamage including the A-bomb mushroom clouds and the A-bomb dome. Slightly different
from the contents of the Printed Version. Adobe Illustrator or PDF
Available languages: English

Also Video Tapes (VHS)・DVD are available

Hiroshima: A Mother’s Prayer (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish etc.)
Children of Nagasaki (English)
Hiroshima Witness (English)
On a Paper Crane (English, French)

Ⅱ Guided Tours by HIROSHIMA PEACE VOLUNTEERS (Free of charge)
A) Guided tour of the exhibition in the Peace Memorial Museum     (Group size: 1 to 10 people)B) Guided tour of the peace monuments in the Peace Memorial Park     (Group Size: 1 to 15 people)

Approximate time required: 60-90 minutes for both A and B
Tour Days: January 4 to December 28 (*Not available on August 6)
Tour Hours: 10:30 to 15:30

Reservation are available by fax or e-mail:*Reservations are accepted from 9:00 to 17:00 (Museum is closed from December 29 to January 1)*Reservations for English tour are available from 3 months to one week before the day you wish tovisit the museum.
*Same day reservations: Please ask the information desk of the East Building from 10:30 to 14:30

Further information:

Outreach Division, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum,
1-2 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0811, Japan
FAX: +81-82-247-2464 (In Japan 082-247-2464)
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/

104 ●

●105

Contents

Past Peace Declaration
Archive of all Peace Declaration

１９４７

１９５５

１９６５

1947- 49 1947, 1948, 1949
1951- 59 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956,
1957, 1958, 1959

Today, on this second anniversary of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima, we, Hiroshima's citizens,renew our commitment to the establishment ofpeace by celebrating a Peace Festival at this site,and expressing our burning desire for peace.

Today, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of
the atomic bomb dropping, we mourn withsolemnity for the souls of the dead victims, andrenew our fervent desire for and commitment toworld peace, which have been earnestly expressedto the world on the basis of our tragic experience.

The twentieth anniversary of the atomic bombing ishere with us today.

Select the year by clicking on it.

＊ Due to the cancellation of the Peace Memorial Ceremony,

Peace Declaration was not announced in 1950.

1960'
1970'
    	
1980'
1990'
2000'

1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965,
1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975,
1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985,
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/heiwa/pd/pd_e_archive.html

1947

The citizens of Hiroshima will never be able toforget August 6, 1945. On that morning, exactly
two years ago today, the first atomic bomb to beunleashed on a city in the history of mankind fell on
Hiroshima; it instantly reduced the city to ashes
and claimed the precious lives of more than
100,000 of our fellow citizens. Hiroshima turned
into a city of death and darkness. Yet as someslight consolation for this horror, the dropping of theatomic bomb became a factor in ending the war
and calling a halt to the fighting. In this sense,
mankind must remember that August 6 was a daythat brought a chance for world peace. This is thereason why we are now commemorating that day
by solemnly inaugurating a festival of peace,despite the limitless sorrow in our minds. For only
those who most bitterly experienced and came toknow most completely the misery and the guilt of
war can utterly reject war as the most terrible kindof human suffering, and ardently pursue peace.
This horrible weapon brought about a "Revolutionof Thought," which has convinced us of thenecessity and the value of eternal peace. That is tosay, because of this atomic bomb, the people of
the world have become aware that a global war inwhich atomic energy would be used would lead tothe end of our civilization and extinction of
mankind.
This revolution in thinking ought to be the basis foran absolute peace, and imply the birth of new life
and a new world. We know that, when in a crisis
discover a new truth and a new path from the crisis
itself, by reflecting deeply and beginning afresh. If
this is true, what we have to do at this moment is to
strive with all our might towards peace, becoming
forerunners of a new civilization.
Let us join to sweep away from this earth the horrorof war, and to build a true peace.
Let us join in renouncing war eternally, and building
a plan for world peace on this earth.

1955

Six thousands of those who are suffering from
A-bomb aftereffects are not still entitled to receive
a proper medical treatment and are struggling
against a hard life. Furthermore, ninety-eight
thousands of survivors are incessantly threatenedby the anxiety that they might be contracted with
the A-bomb disease. We point out with greatemphasis that the A-bomb radiation which
gradually affects human body bears a danger that
could lead the sound human society to the way forruin.
We are not trembling with a groundless andexaggerated apprehension only because we did
experience the atomic bomb explosion. We cannot
remain an idle spectator of the status quo that all
rest of the world seems as if it neglected that
holocaust as a happening that took place at a tiny
spot on the earth. We look on it as our great duty totell this truth to the whole world and convey ourappeal of "Never have the tragedy of Hiroshima
repeated," until the day when we see the advent ofan everlasting world peace in a true sense.
August 6, 1955
Tadao Watanabe
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima

1965

We, who witnessed the catastrophic ravages ofthat atomic bomb, have been led to the realizationthat our conventional view on wars must undergo aradical change. In the nuclear age, war has cometo mean nothing less than an act inviting ruin upon
mankind itself, without distinction of friend or foe,
for an atom bomb is not merely a dreadfully
destructive weapon of barbarous cruelty, but it has
also become clear that its radioactivity, while
undermining human bodies over a long period oftime, will ultimately make the very earth
uninhabitable for man.
It is this realization that has constantly urged us,
the people of Hiroshima, to voice our strong appeal
for the banning of atomic and hydrogen bombs andfor the complete renunciation of all war.
During the past twenty years, however, not only
have nuclear weapons undergone prodigious
development, both in quality as well as in quantity,
but the countries possessing them have graduallygrown in number, all contributing to increasingly
confuse the situation. Truly alarming is the further
fact that armed conflicts involving grave risks arebeing repeated in Vietnam and elsewhere in theworld. In our apprehension, never before has
humanity faced a crisis greater than that of today.
This viewpoint should require all nations andpeoples to strive for the prevention of man's
downfall by exerting their utmost efforts, to which
all previous international entanglements should
give way in view of the gravity of the situation. This,
we firmly believe, is the imperative need of thepresent moment.
Today we reiterate this appeal to the whole world
as we once again propitiate the manes of those
who perished in the atomic bombing.
August 6, 1965
Shinzo Hamai
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima

Here, under this peace tower, we thus make adeclaration of peace.
August 6, 1947
Shinzo Hamai
President of Hiroshima Peace Festival Association
Mayor of Hiroshima City

106 ●

● 107

Contents

１９75

1975
peace by formally affiliating with Nagasaki, the city

On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb exploded,
without warning, high above the citizens ofHiroshima.
A searing heat flashed from the bomb, acataclysmic detonation shook the earth, and in an
instant Hiroshima City was levelled.

The toll of the dead and injured mounted, while in apall of dense black smoke an unearthly inferno
became a reality.
Beneath the collapsed structures of buildings, inthe midst of raging flames, people lay dying,desperately pleading for help. In the streets people
collapsed and died; in the rivers bodies drifted,
floating and sinking; and a ragged and bloody
procession wandered blindly, seeking safety awayfrom the mad and frantic streets, while voices
begged 'water, water' as they weakened andneared death. Thirty years have elapsed, and all
still linger in our minds today, penetrating ourhearts with pain and regret.
And beyond this, countless survivors in their lives
today cannot rid themselves for a day of agony andfear that radio-activity has inflicted on them.
Hiroshima testifies with her body and soul against
this inhumanity.
Moved by the ordeal of suffering that has stemmed
from the atomic bomb, the citizens of Hiroshima
have called for and sought peace for mankind,
unceasingly and steadfastly pleading that theHiroshima disaster never again be repeated.
And still in the world today we see nations andpeople everywhere perturbed by the menace of
nuclear weapons.
The countries possessing nuclear weapons haveignored the protest of Hiroshima and not only
continue nuclear tests, but absorb themselves indeveloping these bombs. Following their lead,other countries are oriented towards arming
themselves with nuclear weapons and thus
intensify the proliferation of nuclear arms.
The world today is in an era of chaotic nuclear
competition, at the threshold of a grave crisis that
could lead to the annihilation of mankind, a realitythat the citizens of Hiroshima absolutely cannot
make light of.
Individual human beings must realize that we liveon the same earth as respective members sharing
a destined community, and so must stand out
resolutely for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Facing this formidable situation, Hiroshima City has
renewed her resolution to build a true world of

108 ●like Hiroshima suffered the horror of nuclear
bombing. We wish that our concept of peace be inharmony with that of mankind in entirety.
On this day when we remember and mourn thesouls of those who were sacrificed, we hereby
plead with all our strength to the people of thewhole world that it is high time to abolish all nuclear
weapons since they are threatening the extinctionof the humanity we should be trying to protect.
August 6, 1975
Takeshi Araki
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima

No more Hiroshimas.

１９８5

1985
Peace through Inter-city Solidarity this year, for it is

It was forty years ago today during the hot summerthat the heat waves, fiery blast, and radiation
emitted by the first nuclear weapon ever usedagainst a human target burned all living things in ablinding flash and turned the city of Hiroshima intoa plain of scorched rubble.
Standing in the ruins, we, the citizens of Hiroshima,
foresaw that any war fought with nuclear weapons
would mean the annihilation of humanity and theend of civilization - and we have consistently
appealed to the world for the total abolition of
nuclear weapons.
Despite these untiring efforts, more and more
nuclear weapons have been produced; they havebeen made more and more sophisticated; and they
have been deployed ready for strategic and tacticaluse. Humankind continues to face the threat ofnuclear annihilation.
Although the nuclear superpowers, the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union, finally resumed theirlong-suspended negotiations on nuclear
disarmament this March, the talks have madedeplorably little progress as the superpowers use
the facade of negotiation to jockey for advantage
while they expand the nuclear arms race into outerspace.
Today's hesitation leads to tomorrow's destruction.
In order that Hiroshima's inferno never be repeatedanywhere, we strongly urge the United States andthe Soviet Union, who hold the fate of humankind
in their hands, to halt all nuclear testing
immediately and to take decisive steps at thesummit talks in Geneva toward the total abolition of
nuclear weapons in the interests of all humankind.
As the only country to have experienced nuclear
devastation, Japan and the government of Japan
should steadfastly adhere to its three non-nuclear
principles policy and should take the initiative inseeking the elimination of nuclear weapons. A
census of A-bomb victims is being conducted thisyear, and it is our sincere hope that all due
measures will be taken to mitigate the suffering of
A-bomb survivors on the basis of the principle ofnational indemnity, taking into consideration the
distinctive characteristics of ailments induced byatomic bombing.

our hope that all the cities of the world aspiring tolasting peace will be able to develop inter-city
solidarity transcending national boundaries,
ideologies and creeds and will impart added
momentum to the international quest for peace.
This year also marks the International Youth Year.
We hope that the young people of the world - theleaders of the twenty-first century - will inherit theSpirit of Hiroshima, strengthen friendship andsolidarity among themselves, and exert theirutmost efforts in the cause of peace.
The fates of all of us are bound together here on
earth. There can be no survival for any without
peaceful co-existence for all. Humankind has no
future if that future does not include co-prosperity.
In order to save this verdant planet from the grim
death of nuclear winter, we must draw upon ourcommon wisdom in overcoming distrust andconfrontation. Sharing our planet's finite resourcesin the spirit of mutual understanding andcooperation, we must eliminate starvation andpoverty.
No more Hiroshimas.
We must strengthen the bonds of friendship andsolidarity among all peoples so as to save theworld from the evil of war.
Today, on the occasion of the fortieth anniversaryof the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, we pray forthe souls of the A-bomb victims and rededicate ourlives to the eradication of nuclear weapons and the
pursuit of lasting peace.
August 6, 1985
Takeshi Araki
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima

Along with these efforts, Hiroshima, an A-bombed
city, has been devoting itself to building a city
dedicated to peace - a living symbol of the ideal of
lasting world peace. It is in this spirit that we are
hosting the First World Conference of Mayors for●109

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１９９5

1995
It is now half a century to the day since Hiroshima At this 50th anniversary of the end of World War II,
was devastated by the atomic bomb. Along withrecalling that fateful day and praying for the soulsof the many who died, and being acutely aware of
the difficulties the aging hibakusha face, I cannot
but repeat in the strongest possible terms that thedevelopment and possession of nuclear weapons
constitutes a crime against humanity.

it is important to look at the stark reality of war interms of both aggrieved and aggriever so as todevelop a common understanding of history. The
suffering of all the war's victims indelibly etched in
our hearts, we want to apologize for theunbearable suffering that Japanese colonial
domination and war inflicted on so many people.

Throughout this half-century, we have told all theworld of the human devastation that the atomic
bombs wrought, particularly the unprecedented
damage of radiation, in a consistent appeal that
nuclear weapons be abolished. Yet distrust among
nations is deep-rooted and there are vast
stockpiles of nuclear weapons around the globe,
creating a formidable barrier to the attainment of
our ideal. It is profoundly saddening that somepeople see the possession of nuclear weapons as
symbolic of a nation's strength.

Memory is where past and future meet.
Respectfully learning the lessons of the past, wewant to impress the misery of war and the atomic
bombing on the generations of younger people
who will be tomorrow's leaders. Similarly, we alsoneed to emphasize the human aspects ofeducation as the basis for peace. Only when lifeand human rights are accorded the highest priority
can young people enjoy lives of boundless hope.

Nuclear weapons are clearly inhumane weapons in
obvious violation of international law. So long as
such weapons exist, it is inevitable that the horrorof Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be repeated somewhere, sometime - in an unforgivable affront
to humanity itself.
If humanity is to maintain hope for the future, wemust act now with courage and decisiveness toachieve a nuclear-free world. As a first step, we callfor an immediate and comprehensive nuclear test
ban and the establishment of a new nuclear-freezone in the Asia-Pacific. In keeping with theConstitution's pacifist ideals and proclaiming its
three non-nuclear principles (of non-possession,
non-manufacture, and non-introduction), thegovernment of Japan should take the lead inworking for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Likewise, we also call upon the government to be
more supportive of all hibakusha - these witnesses
to the nuclear era - in Japan and elsewhere.
The possession of nuclear weapons is no
guarantee of national security. Rather, theproliferation of nuclear weapons, the transfer ofnuclear weapons technology, and the leakage of
nuclear materials are all threats to the survival of
the human race. Like the suppression of humanrights, impoverishment and starvation, regional
conflict, and the destruction of the global
environment, these are all major threats to world
peace.
This is an era in which we must think of global
security. It is a time to foster human solidarity
transcending national borders, to pool our wisdom,and to work together to establish world peace.

110 ●At this Peace Memorial Ceremony commemorating
the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing, I am
resolved to spare no effort in achieving theabolition of nuclear Weapons and the attainment ofworld peace.
August 6, 1995
Takashi Hiraoka
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima

２００４

2004
action program that incorporates, as an interim"Nothing will grow for 75 years." Fifty-nine years
have passed since the August sixth when
Hiroshima was so thoroughly obliterated that many
succumbed to such doom. Dozens of corpses still
bearing the agony of that day, souls torn abruptly
from their loved ones and their hopes for the future,
have recently re-surfaced on Ninoshima Island,
warning us to beware the utter inhumanity of theatomic bombing and the gruesome horror of war.

Unfortunately, the human race still lacks both alexicon capable of fully expressing that disasterand sufficient imagination to fill the gap. Thus, mostof us float idly in the current of the day, clouding
with self-indulgence the lens of reason throughwhich we should be studying the future, blithely
turning our backs on the courageous few.
As a result, the egocentric worldview of the U.S.
government is reaching extremes. Ignoring theUnited Nations and its foundation of internationallaw, the U.S. has resumed research to makenuclear weapons smaller and more "usable."
Elsewhere, the chains of violence and retaliation
know no end: reliance on violence-amplifying terror
and North Korea, among others, buying into theworthless policy of "nuclear insurance" are salient
symbols of our times.
We must perceive and tackle this human crisis
within the context of human history. In the year
leading up to the 60th anniversary, which begins a
new cycle of rhythms in the interwoven fabric thatbinds humankind and nature, we must return to ourpoint of departure, the unprecedented A-bomb
experience. In the coming year, we must sow theseeds of new hope and cultivate a strong futureoriented movement.
To that end, the city of Hiroshima, along with the
Mayors for Peace and our 611 member cities in
109 countries and regions, hereby declares theperiod beginning today and lasting until August 9,
2005, to be a Year of Remembrance and Action fora Nuclear-Free World. Our goal is to bring forth abeautiful "flower" for the 75th anniversary of theatomic bombings, namely, the total elimination of
all nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth by
the year 2020. Only then will we have truly
resurrected hope for life on this "nothing will grow"planet.
The seeds we sow today will sprout in May 2005.
At the Review Conference for the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to beheld in New York, the Emergency Campaign to
Ban Nuclear Weapons will bring together cities,
citizens, and NGOs from around the world to workwith like-minded nations toward adoption of angoal, the signing in 2010 of a Nuclear Weapons
Convention to serve as the framework foreliminating nuclear weapons by 2020.
Around the world, this Emergency Campaign is
generating waves of support. This past February,
the European Parliament passed by overwhelming
majority a resolution specifically supporting theMayors for Peace campaign. At its general
assembly in June, the U.S. Conference of Mayors,
representing 1183 U.S. cities, passed byacclamation an even stronger resolution.
We anticipate that Americans, a people ofconscience, will follow the lead of their mayors andform the mainstream of support for the Emergency
Campaign as an expression of their love forhumanity and desire to discharge their duty as thelone superpower to eliminate nuclear weapons.
We are striving to communicate the message ofthe hibakusha around the world and promote theHiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Study Course toensure, especially, that future generations will
understand the inhumanity of nuclear weapons andthe cruelty of war. In addition, during the coming
year, we will implement a project that will mobilize
adults to read eyewitness accounts of the atomic
bombings to children everywhere.
The Japanese government, as our representative,
should defend the Peace Constitution, of which all
Japanese should be proud, and work diligently torectify the trend toward open acceptance of war
and nuclear weapons increasingly prevalent athome and abroad. We demand that ourgovernment act on its obligation as the only
A-bombed nation and become the world leader for
nuclear weapons abolition, generating an antinuclear tsunami by fully and enthusiasticallysupporting the Emergency Campaign led by the
Mayors for Peace. We further demand moregenerous relief measures to meet the needs of ouraging hibakusha, including those living overseas
and those exposed in black rain areas.
Rekindling the memory of Hiroshima andNagasaki, we pledge to do everything in our power
during the coming year to ensure that the 60th
anniversary of the atomic bombings will see abudding of hope for the total abolition of nuclear
weapons. We humbly offer this pledge for thepeaceful repose of all atomic bomb victims.
August 6, 2004
Tadatoshi Akiba
Mayor The City of Hiroshima● 111

Contents

Index
A

D

A-bomb Drawings… ………………………………31
A-bomb Dome… …………76･77･79･80･82･93･104
A-bomb Orphan… …………………………… 24･81
A-bomb Survivor Health Book………………………70
A-bombed Building… …………………… 78･79･86
A-bombed Lonely-Elderly… ………………………27
A-bombed Streetcar…………………………………86
A-bombed Tree………………………………… 84･85
Abolition of Nuclear Weapons……… ……27･77･99
Action Plan for Achieving Peace……………………97
Acute Myeloid Leukemia……………………………36
Acute Radiation Symptom… ………… 28･33･45･47
August 6, 1945… …………………… 10･14･106･108
August Sixth… …………………… 14･58･80･94･111
Air Raid… ……………………………………… 16･60
Allowance… ……………………………… 69･70･71
Alpha ray… …………………………………… 19･39
Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound………… 58･82･87

Direct A-bomb Survivor… …………………………26
Disaster of the A-bomb… …………………………13
DNA… ………………………………… 29･43･50･51
Dosimetry System (DS86)……………………………29
DS86… ………………………………………… 28･29

B

F
Family Disintegration… ……………………………15

G
Gamma ray… …………………… 19･22･23･74･75
Gene Abnormality……………………………………43
Genetic Effect………………………………… 90･91
General Nursing Home………………………………11
Germ Cell… …………………………………………91
Grave… ……………………… 14･37･58･77･107･108
Gray (Gy)………………………………………………18

H

Beta ray… ……………………………………… 19･39
Blast… …………………………… 5･17･76･78･109
Bone Marrow…………………… 33･34･36･43･50･51
Bone Marrow Cell………………………… 34･43･51
Brazil… …………………………………… 54･55･91

Health Checkup…………………………… 68･75･91
Heat Rays… ……………………… 17･18･35･48･49
HICARE… ……………………………… 89･115･119
Hospitalization… ……………………………………68
Hospital Payment……………………………………70
Hyperparathyroidism… ……………………………42

C

I

Cancer…………… 21･39･40･41･42･43･45･64･65･66･67･90･91･97
Cataracts………………………………… 42･46･47
Cenotaph… …………………………… 80･81･82･93
Characteristics of Leukemia Among A-bomb… …39
Chernobyl… ………………… 20･21･39･89･115･117
Children's Peace Monument… ………… 36･37･82
Colon Cancer……………………… 40･41･64･66･67
Chromosome…………………… 16･29･50･51･66･90
Chromosome Aberration………………… 29･43･51
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia… ………… 23･36･39･60
Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty… ………94

ICRP……………………………………………………89
IPPNW………………………………… 89･94･114･119

K
Keloid…………………………… 17･33･42･48･61･65

L
Leukemia…………21･23･36･37･38･39･40･41･
43･64
Lung Cancer… …………………… 10･40･41･60･67
Lymphocyte… ……………………… 35･43･51･101

M

Medical Examination… ……………… 55･70･73･74
Meningioma… …………………… 40･41･64･65･101
Microcephaly…………………………… 21･42･44･45
Monument…………………………………… 82･104
Mortality………………………………………… 42･45(mSv)… …………………………………… 28･73･74
Multiple Cancers… …………………………………64
Mutation Rate… ……………………………………90

N

Nagasaki's Plutonium Bomb… ……………………23
National Budget for A-bomb Survivor… …………71
National Census……………………………………52
Natural Radiation… …………………………… 74･91
Neutron ray… …………………… 19･22･23･28･51
Non-Proliferation Treaty… …………………… 94･99
Nuclear Disarmament… …………………… 94･109
Nuclear Weapon Free Zones Declaration… ………95

O

Osteosarcoma… ………………………… 20･21･39

P

Peace Declaration…………………………… 59･106
Peaceful World… ……………………… 5･93･96･117
Peace Memorial Ceremony…58･59･80･81･94
Peace Memorial Museum……30･31･36･61･80･
82･102･104
Peace Memorial Park………58･80･82･83･84･87･92･
104
Peace Movement… ……………………… 89･93･94
Peace Studies…………………………………… 92･96"Peace Watch" clock…………………………………92
Plutonium 239… ……………………………………22
Prenatally Exposed A-bomb Survivor………… 44･45
Psychological Influence… …………………………61
Publication……………………………………………63

R

Radiation………… 16･17･18･19･20･21･22･23･26･
28･29･32･33･35･39･41･42･43･
44･45･46･47･51･61･64･65･66･67･69･72･73･74･75･91･99･100
Radiation Cataract……………………………………46
Radiation Exposure… ………………… 33･35･73･74
Radiation Induced Disease… ………………………69
Radiation Is Used in Many Fields……………………75
Radioactive Material…………………… 18･20･21･74
RAS Gene… …………………………………………43
Robert Lifton…………………………………………61

S
Sadako… …………………………… 36･37･38･103
Second Cancer… ……………………………………67
Semipalatinsk… …………………… 21･89･115･117
Sievert (Sv)…………………………………… 18･100
Skin Cancer… ……………21･40･41･65･67･91･101
Special Nursing Home… ……………………… 10･11
Stomach Cancer… ……………………… 40･67･73
Street Children… ……………………………………24
South Korea… ………………………………… 54･55
Suicide… ………………………………… 27･60･61
Survivors' Population… ……………………………53
Survivors Living Abroad… …………………………55

T

The Second Generation Of A-bomb Survivors… …91
Thyroid Cancer… ………………… 39･41･64･65･101
Types of Radiation……………………………… 19･75

U

Uranium 235…………………………………… 17･22

W

World Conference for Mayors for Peace…… 94･116
World Heritage Site… ………………………… 76･77

X

X-ray… ………………………… 20･21･72･73･74･91

112 ●

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Contents

Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of
the Radiation-exposed (HICARE)

International Physicians for the Preventionof Nuclear War (IPPNW)
We, more than one hundred thousand medical doctors, scientists and students
who know the medical consequences of Atomic- bombing very well, have beenendeavoring to prevent nuclear war and aiming for the world free of nuclear
weapons and free of war.

- Contributions from Hiroshima -1.1.Purpose
HICARE
Purpose ofofHICAREHICARE aims to develop a system to proliferate the medical records and researchaccumulated in Hiroshima, improving worldwide radiation related healthcare andpromoting international cooperation.

2.2.Activities
Activities

2-1 Training of Medical and Other Technical Personnel

HICARE provides training for physicians and other technical workers worldwide who are
involved in health-care activities for the radiation-exposed people. In many regions whichhave suffered from radiation accidents, the areas around Chernobyl, the Semipalatinsk
nuclear testing site, and other similar areas, physicians and technical workers who havereceived HICARE training are fulfilling new and more important roles, more effectively
aiding those suffering from the unfortunate effects of radiation.

2-2 Dispatch of Physicians and Other Specialists

HICARE dispatches medical and other specialists from Hiroshima to radiation-affected
regions worldwide, providing training and medical information to those providing healthcare to the radiation-exposed people and patients.
In order to improve the efficiency of these activities, HICARE cooperate with otherinternational organizations and institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO),
Japanese government, local and regional governments, local medical and research
institutions, and NGO's in the vicinity of our activities.

2-3 Public Relations and Educational Activities

IPPNW Central Office

727 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Tel: 617 868 5050 Fax: 617 868 2560
http://www.ippnw.org/
General e-mail: ippnwbos@ippnw.org

Japanese Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (JPPNW)JPPNW c/o Hiroshima Prefectural Medical Association
1-1-1Kanonhonmachi, Nishiku, Hiroshima 733-8540, Japan
Tel: +81 82 232 7211 Fax: +81 82 293 3363
http://www.hiroshima.med.or.jp/kenisikai/ippnw/default.htm (only in Japanese)
E-mail:ippnw-japan@hiroshima.med.or.jp

114 ●In order to enhance the general public’s understanding of the importance and necessityof our radiation and health care related activities, HICARE holds frequent lectures,conferences, as well as other educational and public relations activities.

C/O Health and Welfare Office for
Atomic Bomb Survivors
Hiroshima Prefectural Government

10-52 Motomachi, Naka-ku Hiroshima,

Japan 730-8511
Phone: +81-82-228-9901
Fax: +81-82-228-3277
Email: hicare-c@hiroshima-cdas.or.jp
Homepage:
http://www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/HICARE/● 115

Contents

1 Purpose

The Mayors for Peace, through close cooperation
among the cities that support the “Program to
Promote the Solidarity of Cities toward the Total
Abolition of Nuclear Weapons”, strives to raiseinternational public awareness regarding the needto abolish nuclear weapons and contributes to therealization of genuine and lasting world peace byworking to eliminate starvation and poverty, assisting refugees fleeing local
conflict, supporting human rights, protecting the environment, and solving theother problems that threaten peaceful coexistence within the human family.

2 Activities•Calls for worldwide solidarity among cities•Holds a general conference once every four years to facilitate efforts to eliminate
nuclear weapons and solve the various problems that obstruct peace•Holds executive meetings as the need arises•Sends the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Declarations to supporting cities•Presents appeals to the United Nations and other organizations regarding theelimination of nuclear weapons, promotion of disarmament, solutions to humanrights and refugee problems, alleviation of starvation and poverty, and protectionof the environment•Implements projects that contribute to solving the problems of peace, disarmament,
human rights, refugees, starvation and poverty, and environmental destruction;
publicizes the results of such projects and promotes exchanges of information•Supports for the Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-bomb Photo Posters Exhibition•Publishes a newsletter2020 Vision  (An Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons)
Mayors for Peace launched an "Emergency
Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons" to promote its"2020 Vision," a program to eliminate all nuclear
weapons by the year 2020, the 75th anniversary of
the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
We are promoting Cities Are Not Targets (CANT),a concrete, global project of the Good Faith
Challenge, a new aspect of our 2020 Vision
Campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Representative: President : Mayor of Hiroshima
Date founded:
June 24, 1982
Headquarters:
1-5 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0811 JAPANContact numbers: TEL +81-82-242-7821 FAX +81-82-242-7452
E-mail: mayorcon@pcf.city.hiroshima.jp
Home page:
http://www.mayorsforpeace.org/
Member:
1,578 cities in 120 countries and regions (as of February 21,2007)

116 ●The University Connected with the WorldIntercultural Learning Environment

Through the Hiroshima University Study Abroad Program (HUSA), Hiroshima University
promotes the dispatch of students to 49 universities. Students can cultivate an international
feeling and understanding of a variety of cultures through interchanges with approximately
800 international students on campus.

Cross-Boarder Education

Hiroshima University deepens educational exchange through international exchange
agreements with 74 universities and research institutions in 21 countries and as a memberof the International Network of Universities (INU). The Hiroshima University Beijing
Research Center (in Capital Normal University, China) is used as an international education
and research base.

Aiming at a Peaceful World

The "Hiroshima Peace Message" is sent out by the Institute for Peace Science. The
International Radiation Information Center in the Research Institute for Radiation Biology
and Medicine investigates, gathers information and analyzes cases of radiation
contamination around the world, such as at Chernobyl and Semipalatinsk.

International Projects

Hiroshima University provides assistance to developing countries through the Graduate
School for International Development and Cooperation (IEDC) and the Center for the Studyof International Cooperation in Education (CICE) and makes efforts in international
cooperation through collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

University with International Students and Researchers

To promote exchange with international students and in education and research, Hiroshima
University is establishing and expanding university-wide systems. To attract outstanding
international students and researchers from around the world, Hiroshima University
provides the latest and highly advanced education and research opportunities throughenhanced education programs and research facilities. Hiroshima University promotes
distance education corresponding to the internationalization of society using media contents
for education activities, and also promotes support and exchange for international students
who have returned to their home countries by creating a database of international students.

International Affairs Bureau

3-2,Kagamiyama 1chome,
Higashi Hiroshima,Japan 739-8511
Phone: +81-82-424-6045
Fax: +81-82-424-6179
Email: inquiry@office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Homepage: http://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/● 117

Contents

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Keiko Ogura for her leadership inmanaging the project and coordinating the work between the American editors andJapanese translators.
In the original Japanese version, Hiroshima no Obaa-chan, the left hand page was atranscription of the spoken language and was kept in the Hiroshima dialect. This made iteasier for young students– the intended audience– to understand, but presented
tremendous difficulties for the translators. One Day in Hiroshima-An Oral History isintended for a wider audience and I would like to thank Yoshie Ozaki, Megumi Shimo andMegumi Morita and for their tireless efforts to render the Japanese into easily understood
English. Many compromises had to be made between word-for-word and intended
meaning and for this reason this book cannot be said to be a direct translation.

About the Author

Nanao Kamada, M.D., M.Sc is the Chairman of theBoard of Directors, Hiroshima Atomic Bomb
Survivors Relief Foundation, and Professor Emeritus,
Hiroshima University. He is a Director of the Japanese
Branch of IPPNW (International Physicians forPrevention of Nuclear War), which received the Nobel
Prize Peace Award in 1985, and a former President of
HICARE (Hiroshima International Council for
Medical Care of the Radiation-exposed).

Richard C. Parker and Rick Nelson also helped me as translation editors. Mr. Parker gaveassistance not only in the editing and proofreading of the translation, but also gave advice
regarding layout and appearance from his experience in layout as a graphic designer. I
also received extensive cooperation from Mr. Nelson based on his past experience in the
publishing industry.
My sincere thanks also go to the Chugoku Shimbun, Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation, Research Institute for Radiation Biology of Hiroshima University andMedicine, Bunkodo Co., and Tomoko Nakamura and others who provided essential
materials.
All profits from this book will be donated as a support fund to the nursing homes foratomic bomb survivors.

---- 平和学習 ---- 中・高校生、社会人向け

First published in Japanese, 2005(ISBN978-4-990245-10-8)

118 ●

● 119