HIROSHIMA PEACE CULTURE FOUNDATIONPEACE CULTURE
Vol. 1 No.78

December 2017 (semiannual)

72nd Peace Memorial Ceremony―In July 2017, when 122 United Nations members adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of

Nuclear Weapons, they demonstrated their unequivocal determination to achieve abolition.―

On August 6 of the 72nd year since the atomic bombing, the Peace Memorial Ceremony organized by theCity of Hiroshima was held in the city’s Peace Memorial
Park. Approximately 50,000 people, including hibakusha and bereaved families, attended the Ceremony, praying for the reposed of the souls of the victims and eternal
peace.
The Ceremony commenced at 8am. First Hiroshima
Mayor Kazumi Matsui and two representatives of the
bereaved families dedicated three volumes of theRegister of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb
Victims to the shrine in the Memorial Cenotaph for the
Atomic Bomb Victims. Over the past year, 5,530 people’s deaths had been confirmed and their names wererecorded in the Register. This brings the total number ofnames recorded in the Register to 308,725 people, in
113 volumes.
This was followed by an address by the chairpersonof Hiroshima City Council, and a dedication of flowers
by various representatives. At 8:15am, the time that thebomb was dropped, a representative of the bereaved
families and the children’s representative rang the Peace
Bell, and all participants observed a minute of silence.
Mayor Matsui then read out the Peace Declaration.
In the Declaration, the Mayor stated that the use of nuclear weapons is an act that must never be committed byhumankind, and that the possession of nuclear weapons
is nothing more than the spending of huge amounts ofmoney to endanger the whole of humanity. He appealed
for as many people from around the world as possible tovisit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, learn about what

happened under the mushroom cloud, understand thewish of the hibakusha for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and then spread such empathy throughout theworld.
Mayor Matsui also made a strong request to theJapanese government to seriously work toward bridging
the gap between nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear-weapon states, aiming to promote ratification of the Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that was adopted at
the United Nations in July 2017. He also called for thegovernment to provide more compassionate support tothe hibakusha, whose average age is now over 81, andto the many others who suffer physical and emotional
effects of radiation, and to expand the designated “black
rain areas”.
Following the Peace Declaration, the children’s representatives Naonari Takemasu and Nozomi Fukunaga
read out the Commitment to Peace, where they spoke
about the people who struggled to survive, never giving
up as they worked towards recovery of the city, evenwhile suffering from the deep emotional and physicalscars caused by the bombing.
Next was a speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He stated that in order to create a world that is truly freeof nuclear weapons it is necessary for both nuclearweapon and non-nuclear-weapon states to work together, and said that the Japanese government will work withboth sides to encourage their participation. He also said
that the Japanese government will promote efforts topass down the atomic bomb experience, beyond generations and national boundaries, and will make active contributions to ensure that the Review Conference of theParties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT) to be held in 2020, the 50th anniversaryof the Treaty’s entry into force, will be a meaningfulconference.
At the Ceremony this year, a message from theUnited Nations Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres
was read out for the first time in Japanese by Ms. Izumi
Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High
Representative for Disarmament Affairs. When speakingof the global campaign to abolish nuclear weapons thatlead to the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons, the Secretary-General highly praised
Hiroshima’s message of peace and the heroic efforts of
the hibakusha, saying that they have made an important
contribution by strongly reminding the world of the dev-

Mayor Matsui reads out the Peace Declaration1

astating consequences of using nuclear weapons. He also stated that states possessing nuclear weapons have a
special responsibility to take concrete and irreversible
steps toward nuclear disarmament, and appealed for allstates to intensify their own efforts to this end.
The Ceremony was attended by representatives of
bereaved families from 36 prefectures and ambassadors
and representatives from 80 nations and the European
Union, including the nuclear-weapon-states the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.
The full text of the Peace Declaration andCommitment to Peace are available on the City ofHiroshima web site (http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/
english/).
(General Affairs Division)

Attendance at the UN Conference to Negotiate LegallyBinding Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons
Representatives of Mayors for Peace attended theconferences to negotiate a treaty banning nuclear weapons held in New York in March, June and July 2017,
where they appealed through constructive and open discussions for the realization of a effective legal ban on
nuclear weapons.

Open letter issued
On March 14, prior to the first negotiation conference, Mayors for Peace issued an open letter to all
United Nations member states. In this letter, Mayors for
Peace expressed once again their support for this historic initiative that represent a significant and essential
turning point for a world free of nuclear weapons, andalso requested that all nations, including nuclear weapon
states and those under the nuclear umbrella, participate
actively in the conferences.
This open letter was also sent to the United Nations
Secretary-General and the president of the negotiation
conference and others, asking for support for the Mayors
for Peace activities. A request was also sent to the
Mayors for Peace member cities, asking that they broadly communicate the message of the open letter to national governments and the general public.

Memorial Gathering for Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Victims
Every year on August 9, the day that the atomic
bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, this Foundation holds
the Memorial Gathering for Nagasaki Atomic Bomb
Victims, to express the condolences of Hiroshima, also
hit by the atomic bomb, for those who lost their lives tothe bomb in Nagasaki, and to renew our oath to achieve
peace.
2017 Memorial Gathering was held in the Foyer on
Floor B1 in the East Building of the Peace Memorial
Museum. Around one hundred people attended, including atomic bomb survivors and visitors from Japan andoverseas.
The Gathering opened with a speech by Mr.
Kazuhiro Shiro, Executive Director of this Foundation,and this was followed by live television coverage of theNagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony. At 11:02am, thetime that the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki,
participants observed a minute of silence.

Attendance at the first Negotiation Conference
Mayors for Peace Secretary-General Mr. Kazuyosi
Komizo (Chairperson of this Foundation) visited New
York and other locations from March 24 to April 2.
During the session on March 29, Mr. Komizo madea speech on behalf of Mayors for Peace. In his speech,
he stated that the legal ban of nuclear weapons would be
the first crucial step towards achieving a world free of
nuclear weapons. He expressed his support for the initiative, and made a recommendation about how to involve nuclear weapon states and those under the nuclear
umbrella to form an effective treaty for the abolition of
nuclear weapons. His recommendation received a certain level of appraisal from the participating UN member states and NGOs as an idea that could give the treaty
future potential to enable participation in the treaty by
nuclear weapon states, and this was a major achievement.
The United States government was absent from thisconference, but it was attended by Mayor T.M. Cownie
of Des Moines City, Iowa, which is a Mayors for Peace
leader city in America, as well as two Executive
Advisers of this Foundation in America. The three attended as members of the Mayors for Peace delegation.
Mayor Cownie stated to the Japanese media that hewould like to implement proactive measures to achieve
the abolition of nuclear weapons, while at the same time
expanding the Mayors for Peace network in the UnitedStates. This statement demonstrated the fact that Mayors
for Peace members are working together beyond national borders and the different positions of members.
Mr. Komizo also met with the President of the con-

Speech by Mr. Shiro

This was followed by a speech by Mr. Toshiyuki
Mimaki, deputy director of the Hiroshima Prefectural
Confederation of A-Bomb Sufferers’ Organizations. The
Gathering ended with a video of a Nagasaki atomic
bomb witness testimony (witness: Mr. Shigeru Aoki).
(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)

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his speech, he stated that hibakusha have appealed forthe abolition of nuclear weapons for many long years,
and requested that a legal ban on nuclear weapons beachieved while they are still alive. He also expressed hishope that a draft treaty would be adopted during thissession through constructive and open discussions bystate governments. Government representatives fromeach country listened intently to his speech, and many
applauded him when he finished, showing that Mayor
Matsui’s intentions were well communicated.
Mayor Matsui met with Conference President Ms.
Whyte, Ambassador Hajnoczi, and other representativesof the United Nations and state governments during thistrip, and properly communicated the wishes of hibakusha to all he met. Moreover, he stated that Mayors for
Peace and it’s member cities, with cooperation of othercivic organizations, would call for nuclear weapon states
and those under the nuclear umbrella to join the treaty
after a draft treaty had been adopted, and would create
an environment that enable the world’s policymakers tomuster their courage and use their insight to take action
for that, by raising awareness among civic society andcultivating broad global opinion toward the abolition of
nuclear weapons.
Mayor Matsui also met with Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu,
the United Nations Under Secretary General and High
Representative for Disarmament Affairs. At that meeting, he stated that he had heard that she would be attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony and Mayors for
Peace General Conference in August, and that it wasvery pleasing for hibakusha that the head of the United
Nations’ Office for Disarmament Affairs would be visiting the two cities hit by atomic bombs so quickly, in theyear that she was appointed to the position. They also
had a frank discussion about the negotiation conferences
held this time. Ms. Nakamitsu’s opinion that there
should be a strong focus on dialogue to involve nuclear
weapon states aligned with the thoughts of Mayors for
Peace on the subject, and there are expectations that
Mayors for Peace will be able to forge even stronger
links with the United Nations moving forward.
Through the efforts of Mayor Cownie of Des Moines
City, Mayor Matsui also met with New York Mayor Billde Blasio, and requested that New York joins Mayors

Mr. Komizo meets with Conference President Ms. Whyte (right)

ference, Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gómez of Costa
Rica; Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Office in Geneva Ambassador Thomas Hajnoczi ofAustria, one of the countries promoting the treaty;
Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United
Nations Office in Geneva Ambassador Patricia O’Brien;
Mr. Kim Won-Soo the UN Under Secretary General andHigh Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and others.
The open letter from Mayors for Peace and speech
by Mr. Komizo were uploaded to the website as official
UN documents, and Mayors for Peace materials were
distributed at the conference venue. These all show that
there is now greater awareness of Mayors for Peace activities, and this has resulted in closer ties with theUnited Nations and other organizations at the firstPreparatory Committees for the 2020 Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty Review Conference and the second
negotiation conference held in May.
On March 31, Mr. Komizo met with members of the
Obama Foundation in Washington. He spoke about the
future cooperation between the Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation and the Obama Foundation, and made a request for former President Obama to give the keynote
speech at the 9th Mayors for Peace General Conference
held in August. Although former President Obama was
not available for the keynote speech, the two organizations have similarities, including a common awarenessof the importance of nurturing young people who willbe the leaders of the future, and they had a discussion on
future possibilities for cooperation. It was a meaningful
meeting.

Attendance at the second Negotiation Conference
Mayors for Peace President Kazumi Matsui (Mayorof Hiroshima) and Mr. Komizo visited New York from
June 13-18, and attended the second Negotiation
Conference.
On June 15,
the first day ofthe conference,
Mayor Matsui
had the opportunity to makea speech as thefirst speaker ofthe participating NGOs, prior to substantial Mayor Matsui giving a speech at the second
discussions. In Negotiation Conference

New York Mayor de Blasio (left) and Mayor Matsuifor Peace. Mayor de Blasio stated that while he believes
that it is extremely meaningful for mayors throughout
the United States to share common policy issues andwork together, he would like a little more time to consider possibly joining Mayors for Peace.
As of June 1, 210 cities in the United States are3members of Mayors for Peace. We would like to increase the number of member cities in the US by having
influential cities such as New York and Washington DC
become members.

Adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons
On July 7, the final day of the second Negotiation
Conference, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons that legally prohibits the use and possession of
nuclear weapons was adopted. Mayors for Peace willcontinue to work together with various partners aroundthe world to urge national policymakers to exercise boldleadership for the abolition of nuclear weapons, to encourage all nations, including nuclear weapon states andthose under the nuclear umbrella, to become signatories
to the treaty.

Mr. Komizo reads a speech by Mayor Matsui

the NPT to conduct sincere negotiations on nuclear disarmament. He also appealed to the world’s leaders todeepen mutual understanding and take the lead to build
a new security framework. This was followed by aspeech by Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, VicePresident of Mayors for Peace, who communicated amessage to the nations of the world that rather than deciding from the start that a nuclear weapons convention
is impossible, they should have the courage to participate in negotiations.

(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)

Mayors for Peace send delegation for the Preparatory
Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

May 4
Mayor Taue and Mr. Komizo visited the Austrian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and had a discussion with
the Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs Michael
Linhart. Dr. Linhart stated that he would like to contribute to the achievement of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Mayors for Peace sent a delegation to the firstPreparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held in
Vienna, Austria, in May 2017. They once again appealed
for the United Nations and state policymakers to fulfil
their duty under Article 6 of the NPT to earnestly undertake nuclear disarmament negotiations, and also asked
for understanding and cooperation for Mayors for Peace
activities. As side events, Mayors for Peace held an
A-bomb poster exhibition and a youth forum at the venue.

May 5
The delegation met with Ambassador Mitsuru Kitanoof the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International
Organizations in Vienna. They said that they would likethe Japanese government to properly support the wishesof hibakusha, and to provide a proactive proposal on theabolition of nuclear weapons.
After this, the delegation met with Mr. Henk Cor van
der Kwast (Netherlands), the chair-delegate of the firstsession of the Preparatory Committee. At that meeting,representatives of the eight high school students who
supported the activities of Mayors for Peace by participating in a drive for “No nuclear weapons from
Hiroshima / petition campaign”, and who were sent to
the Preparatory Committee by Mayors for Peace, handed Mr. van der Kwast the certificate of signatures callingfor a Nuclear Weapons Convention. Mr. van der Kwast

May 2
Mayors for Peace Secretary-General Mr. Yasuyoshi
Komizo (Chairperson of this Foundation) met with Dr.
Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory
Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and explained activities
by Mayors for Peace for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Dr. Zerbo expressed understanding for those activities, and stated that he would support them in the future.
May 3
Mr. Komizo met with Mr. Yukiya Amano, DirectorGeneral of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA). They had a discussion about how Mayors for
Peace and the IAEA should proceed with their activities
at this time, in a situation of increased antagonism over
the abolition of nuclear weapons.
After this, Mr. Komizo read out a speech by Hiroshima
Mayor Kazumi Matsui, President of Mayors for Peace, at
the NGO session of the Preparatory Committee. In the
speech, Mayor Matsui emphasized once again the importance of the obligation stipulated in the Article 6 ofHigh school representatives handed the certificate of signatures to
Mr. van der Kwast

4

conveyed his high expectations for the young generation.
After the petition was handed over, they held a discussion with Mr. van der Kwast, where Mayor Matsui
expressed his hope for the next conference to negotiate atreaty banning nuclear weapons, saying that nuclear andnon-nuclear weapons states must overcome their difference and make their utmost efforts for the success of thenegotiations.
This was followed by a meeting with Austria’s
Ambassador for Disarmament Mr. Kuglitsch, who said
that deterrence is no longer a valid security policy, andthat he is hoping for support from civic society to encourage as many nations as possible to participate in thetreaty banning nuclear weapons.

Mayor Matsui hands the letter to Ms. Nakamitsu

May 6
The Mayors for Peace Executive Cities’ Meeting for
Exchange of Views was held. Eight cities, mainly from
Europe, had an active discussion on measures being taken by various nations for the abolition of nuclear weapons and initiatives that reflect the characteristics of eachregion. Through these discussions, participants reaffirmed that the importance of not only abolishing nuclear weapons, but also addressing issues that the member
cities are facing such as terrorism, refugees and other regional issues, in order to achieve perpetual peace in the
midst of increasing global tension. It was decided thatthey would discuss how leader cities can further enhance and strengthen regional initiatives at the Mayors
for Peace General Conference to be held in Nagasaki inAugust.
After the discussion, Mayor Mitsui and Mr. Komizo
met with Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General
Emeritus of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA). Dr. ElBaradei suggested that Mayors for Peaceshould try to send a message in particular to the young
generation. In response, Mayor Matsui said that he intends to implement peace education measures targetingthe next generation, looking fifty years ahead.

Mayors for Peace Youth Forum was held as a side
event. At the forum, high school students from
Hiroshima joined youth delegations from Nagasaki,
Volgograd (Russia) and other Mayors for Peace member
cities to give presentations on their own activities andtheir thoughts on peace. The young people from
Hiroshima and Nagasaki overcame the language barrier
to give confident presentations. Young people frommember cities who had visited Hiroshima up to 2016 aspart of projects such as “HIROSHIMA and PEACE”
and “International Youth Conference for Peace in the
Future, Hiroshima”, participated through the online conference system or sent video messages.

May 7
Discussions were held with Ms. Laura Rockwood,
Executive Director and Ms. Angela Kane, Senior Fellowof the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation. They spoke about the current state of efforts aimed at the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Mayors for Peace Youth Forum

After this, Mayor Matsui met with Ambassador
Patricia O’Brien, Permanent Mission of Ireland to theUnited Nations and other International Organizations at
Geneva, and said that it will be important to deepen mutual understanding through dialogue, rather than makethreats, to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
Ambassador O’Brien said that Mayors for Peace arecontinuing with meaningful and attractive activities, andthat she evaluates them very highly.

May 8
Mayor Matsui met with Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu,
United Nations Under Secretary General and High
Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and handed her
a letter to UN Secretary General Mr. António Guterres,requesting him to give the keynote speech at the 9thGeneral Conference of the Mayor for Peace, to be heldin Nagasaki in August. Ms. Nakamitsu said that she
would proactively examine together with the Secretary
General the possibility of attending the General
Conference.
The delegation also observed a speech by Ms.
Nakamitsu at the Preparatory Committee. In her speech,
Ms. Nakamitsu said the threat of nuclear weapons is thebiggest factor that worsens the world security situationand nuclear and non-nuclear nations should play theirroles respectively to take forward nuclear disarmament.

May 2–12
During the time when the Preparatory Conference
was held, a Mayors for Peace Exhibition was held at thevenue, the Vienna International Center. This enabled
conference participants to further their understanding of
the realities of the damage from the atomic bomb.
(Peace and International Solidarity Promotion Division)
5

There are new individual video viewing booths, andover 1,000 testimonies available for viewing.

Peace Memorial Museum East
Building reopened on April 26,
2017◎The Dangers of Nuclear Weapons
This exhibit communicates the background from thedevelopment to the dropping of the atomic bomb; themenace of the bomb from the heat waves, blast and radiation; nuclear weapon development; and the reality ofthe damage inflicted by nuclear weapons. In addition to
exhibits using photographs and videos, there are also exhibits that visitors can touch. There are models of
Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall and
A-Bomb Dome, and displays of tiles before and after thebombing, and by actually touching the exhibits visitors
can truly understand the damage from the atomic bombing. Using the large information search devices withtouch panels, visitors can also search for topics they areinterested in. There are 20 displays, which means thatmany people can use them at the same time. In the children’s version, easy-to-understand expressions and questions are used to guide the children through the screens,
to encourage them to take an interest.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has been
carrying out the comprehensive renovations to convey
the reality of the atomic bombing in more accurateways.
On April 26, 2017, the renovated east building was
opened.
In the new permanent exhibition, there are new display methods combining models and videos used, large
devices with touch panels installed for information
searches, displays of materials that can actually betouched, and more. As a result, visitors to the museum
can search independently for things that they have questions about or are interested in.

New Viewing RouteThe main building was closed for renovations at thesame time as the east building was reopened. Along the
new viewing route, visitors can take the new escalator
from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor, and view the exhibits
there, starting from Introductory Exhibit and The
Dangers of Nuclear Weapons and then moving to theHiroshima History exhibit on the 2nd floor.
Exhibits◎Introductory Exhibit
When visitors go up the escalator there are photographs of lively shopping districts and children’s smiling faces along the wall, telling a living story of thelifestyle of many people in Hiroshima before the atomic
bombing. However, with the bombing such scenes completely changed.
There is a model of a street scene in the exhibition
room, and above the model are projected videos of theatomic bombing using films and computer graphics
made from aerial photographs taken after the bombing.
The exhibit demonstrates how the city that many people
were living in was devastated in an instant.

East building, 3rd floor: The Dangers of Nuclear Weapons
Media table◎Hiroshima History
This section shows the situation and way of life ofpeople living in Hiroshima during the war, including
Hiroshima’s recovery from the damage of the bombing
and the peace initiatives of Hiroshima City and its people. Photographs are projected onto the upper part of thewall showing people recovering from the devastationand taking steps toward reconstruction of the city. At theend of the exhibits is a projection of messages from
Nobel Peace Prize winners who visited the museum.
There are also large information search devices on the
2nd floor, and visitors can search for petitions against nu-

East building, 3rd floor: A Lost Way of Life
Projection of a video on to a model of an area of 2.5km radius fromthe hypocenter◎A-bomb Survivor Video Testimony
Following the Introductory Exhibit is a visitor’slounge, and just behind that is the Video Theater where
people can watch videos of atomic bomb testimonies.

East building, 2nd floor: Hiroshima History
Exhibits

6

ries (Visiting, Exhibitions & Events, Learn, and About
Us), so that people can quickly access the information
they need. In the “Exhibitions & Events” section, there
is information on the exhibits in the newly-renovatedeast building, and users can browse the actual photographs and commentary that are on display at the museum. In the “Learn” section is a collection of information
useful for peace studies, including A-bomb testimony
talks and loaning of materials for A-bomb exhibitions.
The new website has mobile-compatible pages so thatusers can browse the site easily even at a place of visit.
The website contents will be further enhanced in linewith the completion of renovations of the whole museum, and we encourage people to visit the site.

clear testing and the Peace Declaration documents.

August 6, 1945－Outline of Atomic Bomb
Damage exhibit on the 1st floor of the eastbuilding
The 1st floor is the zone that is free of charge, and includes an information corner, museum shop and Special
Exhibition rooms. As the main building is closed, in theSpecial Exhibition rooms are exhibits on the reality of
the atomic bombing, including items moved from themain building such as a tricycle that was bombed withchildren and the objects left behind by three junior highschool students. As the exhibits in the main building after the renovations are complete will be focused on
showing the actual damage suffered by individuals, special efforts are being made to exhibit articles in a waythat evokes the sight of individual people. As well as artifacts, there will also be portraits of the deceased on
display as well as the thoughts of their families, to communicate the fact that the deceased were irreplaceable
for their families.

(Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division)

English version of lifestyle andcultural information magazine“HIRO CLUB NEWS”

The English version of “HIRO CLUB NEWS”, thelifestyle and cultural information magazine, is full ofcurrent information on Hiroshima, including excerpts
from Hiroshima City government’s public relations paper “Shimin To Shisei” (Hiroshima citizen and municipal
government), as well as information on the latest eventsand more. In addition to the English version, this magazine also publishes versions in Chinese, Portuguese andSpanish, in which some of the articles from the English
version are translated into the respective languages.
The magazine is issued at the beginning of eachmonth (the December and January issues are merged into one issue), and is distributed at the International
Exchange Lounge on the 1st floor of the International
Conference Center Hiroshima and other locations. It isalso uploaded to the International Relations &Cooperation Division’s homepage (http://www.pcf.city.
hiroshima.jp/ircd/english/).
“City Office Notices”, the English version of excerpts from “Shimin To Shisei”, is issued in the middleof each month.

East building, 1st floor: August 6, 1945−Outline of Atomic Bomb
DamageExhibits

Work on the main building
In line with the opening of the east building, renovation work began on the main building. The newly renovated building will be opened in 2018.
(Peace Memorial Museum Curatorial Division)

Renewal of Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum Website(International Relations & Cooperation Division)【new URL: http://hpmmuseum.jp/】

Information on Reading Sessions of Atomic Bomb Stories

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has been communicating information online since August 1995.
In line with the renovations of the east building of
the museum, museum’s website had also been renewed
to ensure that information is communicated as clearly as
possible. The new website was released on April 26,
2017, the same day as the opening of the renovated eastbuilding.
On the new website, information on opening hours
and current special exhibition is displayed clearly on the
top page, so that visitors to the museum can find suchinformation easily.
Information is also classified into four major catego-

The A-bomb testimonies written by the hibakusha
and their families contain records of the truth and emotions that could only be written by someone who directly experienced the bombing, and they are moving for thepeople who read them.
At the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for
the Atomic Bomb Victims, Readings of Atomic Bomb
Stories are held. The aim of these sessions is to share thememories and thoughts of the hibakusha with as many
people as possible and pass on their stories to the next7

On August 6, 1945, my father was working for thenational railways, and my mother was working fromearly morning, mobilized as part of the regional volunteer unit involved in building demolition work (to createa fire belt to prevent the spread of fires resulting from attacks by incendiary bombs).
Because my mother went to work, my sister and I
had been taken to the home of our grandmother (my father’s mother) in Kami-Nagarekawa Town, and at 8:15
that morning were playing in the garden, where the midsummer sun beat down brightly. Our grandmother’shouse was extremely close to the Hypocenter, only
870m away.
In the very instant of the flash (of light) and theboom (blast) I lost consciousness. When I came to, both
my sister and I had been thrown a far distance away. I
had burns on my hands and forehead. Because the sunlight was so harsh my sister had only been wearing athin slip. She had major burns all over her body, and theskin of her inflamed hands and legs was hanging down.
The houses around us had all either been blown
away by the blast in that instant, or if they were wooden
houses, had started burning when they were hit by theheat wave, said to be 3000−5000 degrees Celsius. As
far as we could see, we were surrounded by ash and sootand burning flames from the blast. The scene of sinister
black flames burning was eerie, and could only be calleda picture of hell.

A reading of an atomic bomb testimony

generation by reading and reciting A-bomb testimonies
and poetry.
At the Reading sessions, first there is a visual presentation to give an overview of the damage from thebombing. After this, an A-bomb testimony and A-bomb
poetry is then read by a volunteer reader. At the end, theparticipants recite A-bomb poetry themselves. By listening to the poetry recital while imagining the scenes at
the time, and by reading aloud themselves, the participants can picture the damage from the bombing as if
they were there themselves. The program usually runs
for an hour, but the time and content can be changed.
There are also recitals in English for overseas visitors to the Memorial Hall. On the second Sunday andfourth Friday of every month, a regular recital in English
is held once in the afternoon in the seminar room on
floor B1 of the Memorial Hall. The session is open toanyone who would like to join.
The readings of atomic bomb stories started in thespring of 2005, and have continued for more than ten
years now. People who have participated in the readings
so far have left comments such as “I want to tell myfamily about the atomic bombing and peace”, and “I
could imagine the scenes as I listened, and it moved me.
I cried”.

To the Eastern Drill Ground
There was nowhere to remain amongst the blazing
flames and smoke, so the three of us (my grandmother,my sister and I) fled to the Eastern Drill Ground. My
grandmother carried my sister on her back, and the threeof us tried to make our way to Enko-bridge to get to theEastern Drill Ground, but the road was strewn with rubble, and we had to clear away the ash and soot to getthrough. On the side of the road were people sufferingfrom serious burns. People shouting “Water! Give mewater!” People in the river to get water, calling for help.
People in the river who had died. It was truly like passing along the path to hell. There were people everywhere groaning and asking for water, maybe because
their throats had been burned by the hot blast. Many ofthem had stuck their head in the fire prevention watertank and just died like that. Even today I sometimes still
picture the tragic sight of them.
I do not know how many hours it took, but we finally somehow reached the Eastern Drill Ground. My sister
had terrible burns. Her whole body−her shoulders,neck, chest, arms and legs−was completely red andburned, and the slip she was wearing was stained bright
red with blood. Even though we asked for treatment by
the military doctor it was never our turn, and I will never forget my frustration at that time.
At the Eastern Drill Ground lay many charred corpses, and the place was noisy with voices of people suffering from wounds and burns saying “It hurts, it hurts”,
and wailing voices and the crying voices of those who
could not contain their sadness at having lost a family
member. The whole scene was as if all these people
were being pulled alive down into hell.

(Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims)

Memoir of the A-Bombing

My A-bomb experience－To communicate the atomic
bombing in Hiroshima－

by Ikuko Sado
Atomic Bomb Witness
for this Foundation

Experienced the bombing at grandmother’s
house
There were four in my family−my parents, myself(seven years old) and my sister (one year old), and wewere living in Matsukawa Town.

Reunion with my motherMy mother had been working in the regional volun8

teer unit, and we were safely reunited with her when shecame to the Eastern Drill Ground that afternoon. Even
though she had been working at a site less than one kilometer from the hypocenter, fortunately she was apparently in the shadow of a large building, and was notinjured at all even though many of the other people had
died. When my mother saw my sister’s serious burns she
was saddened, saying “She was so well when I left thismorning…”, but all she could do was kindly pat my sister as she slept.
After that, my mother became worried that the house
she had left in a rush that morning was on fire, and she
went to check on it, leaving my grandmother and I tolook after my sister. It was about two kilometers fromthe Eastern Drill Ground to our house, but because there
was no public transportation and much confusion along
the way with fires everywhere, it took my mother threehours to finally get there. When she arrived the housenext door was burning, and our house too had also started to burn and it was difficult to get close to it. Even so
my mother was determined−she poured water over her
air raid hood and ran into the house, and managed tobring out only our first-aid kit, which was near the front
door.
The whole of Hiroshima City was enveloped in hugefires. The fire-fighting system was not functioning, andmy mother shed tears as she said goodbye to our house,
engulfed in fierce flames before her very eyes.

used as a temporary cremation site, and the soldiers
poured oil and cremated one by one the dead bodies thatwere constantly brought there. The weather was hot so
the corpses rotted quickly, and the odor was so bad that
I nearly collapsed with suffocation. After the cremation,
my mother and I put my sister’s bones in a small can welearned about from a soldier, and brought her back to theEastern Drill Ground.
People who still had a home could return home, but
we had no home to return to. After that we ended up
sleeping outside at the Eastern Drill Ground in a tent weborrowed.

To communicate the atomic bombing
As someone who has had first-hand experience of an
atomic bomb, I will continue to appeal for the abolitionof nuclear weapons and world peace. I want to leave mytestimony to the younger generations in particular, to ensure that the memory of the tragedy of the atomic bombing is not forgotten.
ProfileIkuko Sado
Born 1937. Experienced the atomic bombing at the age of 7, when agrade 2 student at a national elementary school. She was playing withher younger sister in the sandpit in the garden of her grandmother’shouse in Kami-Nagarekawa Town (currently near Hiroshima
Mitsukoshi Department Store) 870m from the Hypocenter when thebomb hit.

Farewell to my one year old sister
The day after the bombing, when I awoke my sister
was crying. When I looked closely, there were maggots
festering in her burns, and I do not know whether it was
because they were painful or itchy but she was thrashing
her legs. I used the disposable chopsticks we received
from the military doctor to remove all the maggots fromher wounds, and maybe this made her feel better because she fell asleep.
By around the evening of the 8th, two days after thebombing, my sister’s body became gradually colder, andshe died. She had a beautiful expression on her facewhen she passed away.
At 5pm the next evening, we placed my sister’s bodyon a wagon that we had borrowed from a soldier together with some firewood, carried her to a nearby park, andmy mother and I cremated her there. The park was being

The effects of radiation on thehuman body
(March 2017)by Dr. Shinya Matsuura
Director, Research Institute for
Radiation Biology and Medicine,
Hiroshima University

Introduction
Over seventy years have passed since the atomic
bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
President Obama of the United States, the country thatdropped the bomb, was the first sitting US president tovisit Hiroshima, and the date of his visit, May 27, 2016,
became an historical date for humankind. In his speech,
Obama referred to the dual nature of science and technology. He spoke of the fact that progress in science andtechnology needs to be accompanied by social progress,
and that if science and technology move ahead alone
then they may bring destruction to humankind―he said
that this is what the bombing of Hiroshima taught us.
The most significant feature of the atomic bomb is thatlarge amounts of radiation, which do not occur with regular bombs, are emitted on the surface of the ground,and this causes damage to people when they are exposed
to it. In this article, I aim in particular to provide a commentary on the effects of radiation on the human body.

A-bomb Drawings by Survivors “Cremating deceased family members” by Satoshi Yoshimoto
Around August 6-10, 1945, the deceased were cremated by members of their own family at a park in Takasu. This kind of scene waswitnessed for over a month.

9

Acute damage and late-onset damage
Acute damage appears when a person has been exposed to a large amount of radiation. Acute damage isdivided into four phases: the prodromal phase, the incubation phase, the onset phase and the recovery phase.
Within 48 hours of being exposed to radiation, early
symptoms appear via the paths of the autonomic nervous system, including whole body faintness, nausea
and vomiting, and this period is known as the prodromal
period. The higher the dosage of radiation, the faster the
early symptoms appear, and with small dosages of radiation sometimes there are no clear symptoms. After this,a period with no symptoms other than weariness and fatigue appears―this is called the incubation period. Thisis because cells that have resistance to the radiation havesurvived and are functioning. From around the third
week through to two months, there are symptoms suchas hair loss, oral inflammation, and hematopoietic damage causing weakening of the immune system and a tendency to bleed, and gastrointestinal tract disturbanceleading to vomiting and diarrhea. The combination ofthese symptoms then causes serious infections, vomitingof blood and melena. This period is known as the onset
period.
Cells that have been exposed to radiation have an abnormality in the division of cells, which means that tissue or organs that have active cell division are
particularly weak and highly sensitive to radiation.
Some parts of tissue have particularly active cell division, and include stem cells. Stem cells are the cells thatform the origin of cells that make up tissue, and when
one stem cell divides, one of the two cells that is createdremains as a stem cell, while the other cell becomes oneof the tissue cells. Stem cells are particularly weak andsensitive to radiation.
The skin is highly sensitive to radiation. The surfaceof the skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, thedermis, and the hypodermal tissue. Stem cells are foundin the deepest part of the epidermis, and are damaged
when the skin is exposed to radiation. Symptoms suchas red patches, hair loss, blistering and skin ulcers will
form depending on the radiation dosage. When the dosage is high, necrosis (dead skin) may also occur.
The small intestine is also highly sensitive to radiation. The inner lumen of the small intestine is covered infine projections called small-intestinal villi. Between thesmall-intestinal villi are concave parts called crypts, andstem cells are found at the bottom of the crypts (Fig.1).
Stem cells and the newly-born young cells divide, dif-ferentiate into cells that control digestion absorption,and gradually move upwards to form villi. When thesmall intestine is exposed to large amounts of radiation,
the stem cells and young cells that are in the crypts aredamaged, and villi cannot be adequately formed. This
leads to loss of the digestion and absorption function in
the small intestine, causing diarrhea and melena.
Hematopoietic stem cells are also highly sensitive toradiation. Bone marrow has many hematopoietic stem
cells, which make erythrocytes, white blood cells andplatelets. When bone marrow is exposed to radiation,
first the number of lymphocytes is reduced, then whiteblood cells and platelets are reduced. When lymphocytes
are reduced, the person has weakened immunity against
viruses and other diseases. When white blood cells are
reduced, the person becomes more prone to infectious
diseases including bacteria. When platelets are reduced,
it becomes harder to stop bleeding. Three months after
exposure to radiation, there are signs of recovery fromradiation damage. This is known as the recovery period.
A while after the symptoms of acute damage havehealed, late-onset disorders appear. A typical example iscancer. In the atomic bombing of Hiroshima andNagasaki, there were many cases of leukemia that started after the incubation period of 6-7 years after thebombing (Fig.2). After leukemia peaked, there was anincrease in solid tumors, depending on radiation dosage,
with an incubation period of 10 – 40 years. Over seventy years have passed since the bombing, but even today
it is well known that hibakusha have a high risk of developing solid tumors.

Deterministic effects and stochastic effects
The biological effects of radiation may be divided
into the deterministic effects and the stochastic effects(Fig.3). Deterministic effects include radiation-caused
cataracts, hematopoietic disorders and gastrointestinal
tract disturbances. There is a threshold for deterministic
effects, and there is no impact if the dosage of the radiation exposed to is below the threshold. Exposure to radiation above the threshold leads to illness. In a graphwith the dosage of radiation on the horizontal axis andthe frequency of illness on the vertical axis, the deterministic effects will form an S-curve as shown in the upper graph in Fig.3. This indicates that anyone who is
exposed to radiation above a certain level will becomeill.
On the other hand, cancer, which is one of the typical late-onset illnesses, can be categorized as stochastic
10

will be put in the online version). Within this foci, thedamaged DNA will be repaired to its original state. DNA
damage that was caused by a small dosage of radiation
was repaired to its original state by the cells’ repair protein and the cells are maintained normally. On the other
hand, when the dosage of radiation is large, the DNA
has multiple wounds, and as the multiple damages, andthen DNA repair errors are accumulated (Fig.5). Wheneffects. For deterministic effects, the risk of developing
illness increases as the dosage of radiation increases. In
the case of solid tumors, the frequency of developmentof symptoms increases in a straight line as indicated in
the lower graph in Fig.3. When there is a threshold, theradiation dosage is controlled so that radiation damage
does not occur. On the other hand, in terms of radiation
protection, the International Commission on
Radiological Protection (ICRP) believes that there is nothreshold for cancer caused by radiation. This is known
as the Linear Non-Threshold (LNT) hypothesis. The hypothesis states that even if the radiation dosage is low
there is still a risk of cancer. Therefore, it is necessary tokeep the radiation exposure below the acceptable level.
However, as will be stated below, for the stochastic effects of cancer, there are still many issues, in particularat the low dosage level.

there is a build-up of DNA repair errors, the cells die. As
a result, there is deterioration of the functioning of organs and tissue that are sensitive to radiation, and thiscauses acute damage. On the other hand, sometimes
cells survive even while experiencing DNA repair errors. In such cases, there is an accumulation of abnormalities in the DNA genes, and these may becomecancer cells. This is said to be the mechanism for lateonset cancer.

Radiation disorder mechanism
Messenger RNA is translated from genomic DNA incells and transcribed into amino acid sequences. This isan essential process used to make the various types ofprotein that make up the human body. Radiation harms
the various biomolecules that form the human body; inparticular, when both strands of the DNA double helix
are cut the cells are impacted. In response to this, cells
have the ability to repair damaged DNA, which meansthat DNA damage caused by radiation is repaired to its
original state by repair protein. Fig.4 shows nucleus of a

Effects of low dosages and low dose rates ofradiation
As stated above, when there is exposure to a large
amount of radiation all at once acute symptoms will definitely appear, and there is an increased risk of cancer
later. On the other hand, there are different interpretations on the risk of cancer when radiation dose is lower
than 100mSv (Fig.6). The ICRP proposes the LNT hy-

pothesis, which states that there is a health risk no matter how low the dosage of radiation is, and this is
supported by many researchers as a protective modelthat stands on the side of safety in terms of protecting
people. However, it has been controversial whether theactual impact would be linear. Some people believe that
there would be no health risk at low dosages because ofcell using immunofluorescent staining technique. Itshows that in the cell exposed to radiation, the repair
protein forms a yellow-green colored nuclear foci (onprinted paper this appears as white. A color photograph11

DNA’s repair ability, while the others believe that there
would be a higher risk of cancer at low radiation dosages because damaged cells would also have an effect onsurrounding cells that had not been exposed to radiation.
In the current approach to defense against radiation,risk to health is estimated based on the cumulative dosage of radiation to which a person has been exposed.
However, we know that even if the dosage of radiationis the same, differences in the time that the person is exposed to the radiation lead to different biological effects.
In other words, low dosage can be divided into two categories: low dosage at a high dose rate and low dosage ata low dose rate. A typical example of low dosage at ahigh dose rate is exposure to medical radiation experienced when using x-rays or CT scans. On the other
hand, low dosage at a low dose rate refers to cases
where a low dosage of radiation is experienced for along period of time, which may then cumulate as a highdosage. Some examples of this are international planeflights and regions where naturally occurring radiation ishigh. The risk of contracting cancer from radiation has
been estimated based on epidemiological surveys conducted in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but there are different opinions as to whether the high dosage, ultra-highdose rate data should be applied uniformly to low dosages of radiation. Just as the extent of landslides differs
depending on whether the rain is torrential or light, it isthought that there is also a possibility that biological effects differ depending on whether it is low dosage at ahigh dose rate or low dosage at a low dose rate. This is
the one of the important issues that needs to be resolvedin the future.
Even in large-scale research on atomic bomb epidemiology, the biological effect of low radiation dosage ofless than 100mSv has not been clarified. For this reason,a breakthrough is needed on the assessment of the effectof low radiation dosage at low dose rates based on scientific evidence. The Hiroshima University Institute for
Radiation Biology and Medicine, the Nagasaki
University Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, and the
Fukushima Medical University Fukushima Global
Medical Science Center applied jointly to the Networktype Joint Usage/Research Center for Radiation Disaster
Medical Science, and received certification from the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology. The three universities (Hiroshima
University Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine
is the hub) started joint usage and joint research activities from April 2016, and are working on research topics
together, including the effect and risk of low dosages ofradiation.

mission the development of human resources who strive
for peace. To this end, the university provides Hiroshima
University students with opportunities to think about
peace through its Peace Science Courses. I teach one of
the classes in this course: War and Peace from theViewpoint of Medicine. As a new initiative, Hiroshima
University works together with Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation to conduct academic surveys and research,and in December 2016, Hiroshima University President
Mitsuo Ochi and Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
Chairperson Yasuyoshi Komizo signed an agreement at
Hiroshima University. According to this agreement, bothorganizations will work towards strengthening their ties,
by enhancing peace education for Hiroshima University
students, increasing the collections of A-bomb-relatedmaterials at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum,
conducting joint research and more. The agreement also
states that the organizations will examine initiatives toshare A-bombed artifacts held by Hiroshima Peace
Culture Foundation and Hiroshima University Institutefor Radiation Biology and Medicine, and jointly create
digital and archived records of A-bombed artifacts thatare severely deteriorated, aiming for a reevaluation ofsuch artifacts. Hiroshima University Institute for
Radiation Biology and Medicine would like to convey
its desire for peace to the people of the world throughsuch activities.
【References】
1. Handbook on Effects of A-Bomb Radiation Second
Revision (Ed. Hiroshima International Council for
Health Care of the Radiation-exposed) (Bunkodo Co.,
Ltd. May 2012)
2. Let’s Learn About the Basics of Radiation (by Osamu
Yamamoto) (Bungeisha Co., Ltd. June 2016)
ProfileShinya Matsuura
1979/04, 1985/03, Yamaguchi University, Faculty of Medicine, Japan
1986/04, 1990/03, Yamaguchi University, Graduate School, Divisionof Medicine, Japan
1991/04, 1993/03, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science forJapanese Junior Scientists, Fellow
1993/08, 1995/07, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, University of
London, Visiting Scientist
1995/08, 1999/03, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Research associate
1999/04, 2002/07, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Assistant professor
2002/08, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Professor
2016/01, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Director

Information

In conclusion
As a university that operates in Hiroshima, a city hit
by the atomic bomb, Hiroshima University has as its

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