An appeal for humanity from the Red Cross

The origin of our wish：
Why the Red Cross and Nuclear Weapons?

The structure in the foreground in the centre of this photostands amongst the ruins near the A-bomb Dome. On thatday, in this building (Japanese Red Cross Society: JRCS Hiroshima Branch), which was almost directly below the hypocentre, our Red Cross colleagues lost their lives in an instant. In
the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, 1.5km away from the centreof the explosion, many of our colleagues lost their lives andthose who survived were injured as they helped the wounded.
Some of them were young nurses. ...... Why does the Red Cross
speak out on the issue of nuclear weapons? The answer isclear from this photo: we remember the fact that nuclear
weapons have killed so many of our Red Cross staff and we do
not want to repeat the same tragedy. This picture is the starting point of our wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
In 2011, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement adopted a resolution at its Council of Delegates, callingon the world to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. The
resolution was based on the Movement’s unique humanitarian perspective, notably the consideration that any use of nuclear weapons would pose insurmountable challenges forhumanitarian assistance. When the atomic bombs were
dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or
when nuclear tests were conducted around the world, what
were the consequences for human lives and dignity, and how
did people cope with it? Let’s listen to the "words" of the people of the Red Cross in the face of the threat of nuclear weapons. From that moment on, a quiet "dialogue" on nuclear
weapons will surely begin between you and them.
United States Strategic Bombing Survey ／ The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration

Table of contents
Chapter.

Ⅰ

Hiroshima
I am a Red Cross nurse―― The beginning of relief missions in the uncharted medical ﬁeld…………… 04―― Restoring human lives and dignity…………… 06―― Dr. Marcel Junod…………… 08

The wounded Red Cross

The benefactor of Hiroshima【Column】

Words of Oka Nobuko, JRCS nursing student
Chapter.

…………… 10

Nagasaki

Ⅱ Suddenly the lights went out―― A message from the command post of the relief eﬀort…………… 12

Lives saved by a train delay―― The rescue trains and the Red Cross rescue teams running throughthe bombed area…………… 14―― When she was 20 years old…………… 16

What a rescue nurse saw in Nagasaki【Column】

Words of Masae Yukinaga, JRCS rescue nurse
Chapter.

Ⅰ

Hiroshima…………… 18

The pacific ocean

Ⅲ March 1, 1954, the 3rd ﬂash―― Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and "Lucky Dragon No.5"…………… 20―― Dr. Masao Tsuzuki who continued to ﬁght for Hibakusha…………… 22

Damn that atomic bomb!
【Column】

Appeals from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

Chapter.

Chapter.

…………… 24

human beings for the first time in history. By the end of
the same year, approximately 140,000 people had losttheir lives in Hiroshima, and treatment for survivors is stillongoing at the Red Cross Hospital and other hospitals inTo the world

Ⅳ Hibakusha, they inspired me

On 6 August 1945, a nuclear weapon was used against

Hiroshima. Medical research and investigation into the―― Towards the movement for a world without nuclear weapons…………… 26

effects of the atomic bombing on future generations has―― An intolerable threat to humanity…………… 28

continued to the present day.

Message to the next generation from the Red Cross…………… 30

No one can save the victims of nuclear weapons*The information in this booklet is current as of March 2023, and the names of organisations and positions
mentioned are, in principle, current as of that date.

# 01

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital immediately after the atomic bombing. The main hospital building, areinforced concrete structure thatsurvived the bombing amidst aburnt-out field on all sides, was also
called an 'oasis amongst the ruins'.

「

Chapter.Ⅰ ― Hiroshima ―EpisodeI am a Red Cross nurse―― The beginning of relief missions in the uncharted medical fieldTension ran all over my body andjumped out with the determination that
ʻI'll do my duty, I have to do it!ʼOn the day when a nuclear weapon was used
for the first time in the world, the Red Cross
carried out an unprecedented relief operationin Hiroshima. The Hiroshima Red Cross
Hospital is located about 1.5 kilometers fromthe hypocenter. The hospital, which was devastated but miraculously not completely destroyed, received many victims (Hibakusha),
who had seen the Red Cross flag on thebuildingʼs exterior. At the time, most of thehospital's doctors and nurses had been sent tovarious locations outside Hiroshima for wartime relief, and the nursing students filled theshortage. The atomic bomb was dropped on aclear morning just as their day was about tobegin.
"When I came to, I was lying down in a corridor a few meters away from where I had
stood. Tension ran all over my body andjumped out with the determination that ʻI'm
a JRCS nursing student. I'll do my duty, I
have to do it!ʼ" (Mieko Gojo, JRCS nursing
student, 17 years old at the time.)
In "A-bombed Buildings in Hiroshima: A

Survey Report on the 45th Anniversary of
the A-bombing" (1990) by the Association
for the Study of A-bombed Buildings, theHiroshima Red Cross Hospital is describedas follows: "Fortunately, all those who were
not badly injured were engaged in relief work
soon after the first great shock." But how wasit possible to do that without panicking at thesudden flash of light, the blast, and the horrible crowd of injured and half-dead people?
The reason for this is spelt out in the text that
follows. "I think the biggest reason was that
there was a power inherent in them that went
beyond panic. It was their sense of mission as
doctors and nurses in the face of the people
suffering, and even more so, their duty orcompassion as human beings that went beyond such things."
In reality, however, many difficulties awaitedthem, including insufficient treatment in theabsence of many doctors and nurses, and ashortage of medicines. In addition, those hospital staff themselves, including nursing students, were exposed to nuclear radiation.

―― Mieko Gojo, JRCS nursing student

」
04

05

# 02

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅰ ― Hiroshima ―EpisodeThe wounded Red Cross―― Restoring human lives and dignity

You can't think about yourself
when there are so many people
suffering in front of you,no matter what.

――Dr. Fumio Shigeto, President of theHiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital
An A-bomb sur vivor (Hibakusha)
receives treatment at the Red Cross
Hospital in Hiroshima, shortly after
the bombing. Hospital staff workedt i re l e s sl y b u t a n o v e r wh e l m i n g
shortage of materials prevented themfrom receiving adequate treatment.

06

On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was
dropped targeting the Aioi Bridge in Hiroshima City. Hospital staff and patients at the
Shima Hospital, located southeast of thebridge, were killed and injured. The JRCS Hiroshima branch, which was located close by,
was devastated and all staff working thatmorning are said to have been killed instantly.
The doctors, nurses, and nursing students
who survived were exposed to the dangers of
nuclear radiation, but they had no way ofknowing this at the time, so they just threw
themselves into relief efforts. Dr. Fumio
Shigeto, then Deputy President of the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, was one of thosesurvivors. "You can't think about yourself
when there are so many people suffering infront of you, no matter what", he recalled at
the time.
"Even if I knew it was caused by nuclear radiation, I had no idea if I could treat it or not.
Young women and girls were crying and saying ʻI lose my hair and my head becomesbald! What can you do for me?ʼ But we donʼtknow if it can be treated or not."Injuries to the human body caused by the
combined effects of the heat, blast, and radia-

tion emitted by the atomic bomb were called
the "Atomic Bomb Disease". However, thefact that the cause of this disease has been
identified, does not mean that an effective
medical treatment for victims of nuclear
weapons has been found. To this day, the intergenerational genetic effects of nuclear radiation is a subject of medical research.
Dr. Shigeto was transferred to the Hiroshima
Red Cross Hospital about two weeks before
the atomic bomb was dropped and was exposed to nuclear radiation. After that, heserved as the president of Hiroshima Atomic
Bomb Hospital, which was established in
1956, and dedicated his life to medical care
for atomic bomb victims and studies on therelationship between radiation and leukemia,
until his death in 1982.
"Unless we make it clear in our time whether
leukemia will actually develop among the second generation of Hibakusha or not, we will
leave unresolved issues for future generations,and we will not be able to report the reality ofthe disaster we experienced in a clear mannerto the next generation. What did people do inthose days? Of course, it's our responsibility,
so I feel it keenly. "

」
07

# 03

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅰ ― Hiroshima ―EpisodeThe benefactor of Hiroshima―― Dr. Marcel Junod

Countless cries for your help.

――Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Park, erected in 1979 by the Hiroshima
Prefectural Medical Association and
the Japanese Red Cross Society. A
monument with the same relief waserected in Geneva in 2006.

In a corner of Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Park, there is a monument in honor of Dr.
Marcel Junod, a Swiss physician. A memorialservice is held around the monument every
year on or around June 16, when Dr. Junod
passed away. In 2011, at the 50th anniversaryof the doctor's passing, the mayor of Hiroshima and the Swiss ambassador to Japan attended an event to commemorate him.
During the event, which took place only a
few months after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Mr. Tadateru Konoe, President of theJapanese Red Cross Society, said: "We are
now in the midst of an unprecedented earthquake and nuclear accident in Tohoku region.
We are facing two nuclear accidents, nuclear
power plant and atomic bomb. It is meaningful to hold such a commemoration in the
midst of the two nuclear disasters that humanbeings are facing." What were the achievements of Dr. Junod, who is still rememberedby many as the "Benefactor of Hiroshima"?
On August 9, 1945, the day the atomic bomb
was dropped on Nagasaki, Dr. Junod arrived
in Tokyo as the Chief Representative of theInternational Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) to Japan. The purpose of his visit toJapan was to improve the conditions of Allied
prisoners of war (POW), but at the end ofthat month, he received the following reportfrom Fritz Bilfinger, an ICRC delegate who
had visited Hiroshima and witnessed thedamage caused by the atomic bombing: "Situation horrifying. 80% of town razed. All
hospitals destroyed or severely damaged.
Have visited two provisional hospitals: conditions indescribable. …Appeal allied highcommand asking supplies be parachuted immediately into centre of town. …Immediate
action necessary".
Upon receiving the report, Dr. Junod immediately contacted the General Headquarters,
Supreme Command for Allied Powers(GHQ). The GHQ, which wanted to keep
the devastation caused by the atomic bombing a secret, initially refused to allow foreign
nationals to enter Hiroshima city. Due to persistent diplomatic efforts by Dr. Junod, however, the GHQ eventually accepted his request. Dr. Junod sent 15 tonnes of medical
supplies, including penicillin, dried plasma
and bandages, and himself entered Hiroshima to survey the damage and treat survivors.
These medicines are said to have saved morethan 10,000 lives.
"My father was a man who would go to any
length to rescue the wounded and victims,"
said Dr. Benoit Junod, his son, who attended
the 2011 memorial service. Dr. Junod is said
to have continued to call for the abolition of
nuclear weapons even after leaving Japan. The
inscription on the back of the monument
reads: 'Countless cries for your help'.

」

Photo:Ryusuke Kawai

08

09

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

ColumnWords of Oka Nobuko, JRCS nursing student”…On August 9th, I was hit by the atomic bomb while at my home inwhat is today Sumiyoshi-machi and sustained injuries to the left half of
my body from the blast wave of the bomb. Three days after the bombing,I received a telegram that said "show up for aid duty" from Nagasaki
Prefectural Branch of the Japanese Red Cross and I was mobilized to
the Shinkozen first aid station.
I was still only a nursing student, so I aided the victims as I learned bywatching from the other nurses and combat medics. One after another,
victims of the bombing were carried into the three-story first-aid station,and the second and third floors filled up very fast. There were so manydead. We would put the bodies on boards and two women would carry

Chapter.

Ⅱ

Nagasakithem to the playground where men would then throw them into thebacks of large trucks like they were piling up lumber. Some bodies werecarried to the autopsy room.
I saw one body that was covered with maggots from the chest to theOn 9 August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on

abdomen and nearly ran away, but a combat medic yelled at me, "YouNagasaki, following Hiroshima, and by the end of thecall yourself a rescue worker!?" which brought me back to my senses andsame year approximately 74,000 people had lost their

I powered through.…

－OKA Nobuko, Atomic Bomb Survivor Representative, August 9, 2021,
Extract from the Pledge for Peace at the 76th Nagasaki Peace Ceremony

10

lives in Nagasaki. As in Hiroshima, treatment for Hibaku-“

sha continues today at the Red Cross Hospital and otherhospitals in Nagasaki, and together with Hiroshima,
Nagasaki has become a centre for the movement for aworld without nuclear weapons.

# 04

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

Nagasaki Medical College Hospital,
which at the time had a camouflage
pattern on its buildings and the Red
Cross mark on the roof. The interior
was burnt out by the atomic bomb,which claimed the lives of many
patients, staff and students.

The atomic bomb that was dropped on
Nagasaki City on August 9 caused great damage,and most of the victims were non-combatants.

――Mr. Wakamatsu Nagano,

the President of the JRCS Nagasaki Branch

12「

Chapter.Ⅱ ― Nagasaki ―EpisodeSuddenly the lights went out―― A message from the command post of the relief effort"I [had] gathered everyone at the governor's
office. Just as I was about to say 'Well then' [toend the meeting], Sasebo Mayor Oura arrived and I let him in. 'Hiroshima is in a lot of
trouble.', he said. As I started to say, 'I was justabout to start a meeting about that,' the lights
went out. I went outside to take a look. In the
distance, the entire Urakami area was enveloped in black smoke, and although red flames
could not yet be seen, dense smoke indicateda great fire, and clouds of smoke had filled thesky above the area."This is testimony given by Mr. Wakamatsu
Nagano, the Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture
and the President of the JRCS Nagasaki
Branch, at the time of the atomic bombing ofNagasaki on August 9, 1945.
Mr. Nagano, who was not directly injured by
the atomic bomb because he was at the site of
the Nagasaki Prefecture Defense Headquarters (Tateyama bomb shelter), which was
about 2.7 km away from the epicenter of the
explosion, gradually received reports of thedevastation caused by the atomic bomb. In
the following days, he coordinated rescue activities and requested each prefecture in the
Kyushu region to dispatch a rescue team. In
contrast to Hiroshima, it was fortunate thatthe chain of command continued to functionin Nagasaki. However, the former Nagasaki
Medical College Hospital, which had beenused as a base for rescue operations, was destroyed except for the reinforced concreteouter enclosure, despite having a Red Cross
mark on its roof. The inside of the building

was destroyed by fire, and the Hospital president, 892 staff and students, and approximately 200 patients were killed.
Seeing that most of the victims of the atomic
bomb were civilians, Nagano wrote the following telegram to the headquarters of the
JRCS in Tokyo: "The atomic bomb that was
dropped on Nagasaki City on August 9
caused great damage, and most of the victims
were non-combatants. We urgently ask theInternational Red Cross for the considerationof an on-site investigation."
The most fundamental principle of the Geneva Conventions (international humanitarianlaw) is based on the idea that civilians should
be protected from attack and those who arewounded should be rescued. The telegram did
not ask for help but for an investigation into
possible violations of the Geneva Conventions. Although the telegram was not sent to
the headquarters of the JRCS, in 1963 theTokyo District Court ruled that "the dropping of atomic bombs violates internationallaw". In 1996 the International Court of Justice of the United Nations confirmed that theuse of nuclear weapons is against the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. The telegram written by Mr. Nagano,
who became the commander of relief activities in Nagasaki immediately after the atomic
bombing, can be said to be a valuable, andearly, message to the world regarding not only
the inhumanity of nuclear weapons but also
their illegality under international humanitarian law.

」

13

# 05

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅱ ― Nagasaki ―EpisodeLives saved by a train delay―― The rescue trains and the Red Cross rescue teams
running through the bombed area

I was paralyzed by the miseryand my body began to shiver.

――the JRCS Saga Branch

No.713 Rescue Team

Medical rescue operations by
the JRCS Saga Branch No.
713 Rescue Team. The nurse
in the photo, Fusako Tsutsumi,
fell ill after this operation anddied at the age of 20.

Wakamatsu Nagano, then governor of Nagasaki Prefecture and the President of the JRCS
Nagasaki Branch, immediately arranged thedispatch of rescue teams to restore medical
functions in Nagasaki City as soon as possible."The first thing that troubled me the mostwas medical aid. A systematic relief organization had been formed around Nagasaki Medical College Hospital, and more than enoughmedicines necessary for emergencies wereprepared and stored in a reinforced concrete
warehouse at the university, but that university itself was destroyed in an instant." Some
prefectures sent out relief teams without
waiting for a request, and numerous doctors
and nurses arrived in Nagasaki to help.
The rescue trains from Japan National Railways ( JNR) played a major role in accessing
Nagasaki City. On August 9, the JNR train,
which escaped exposure due to the fact thatits arrival at Nagasaki Station had been delayed by chance, approached the vicinity of
the hypocenter where the fire had not subsided 3 hours after the dropping of the atomic
bomb, and started transporting the injured tohospitals located around the area at the end of
the line. Within that day, 4 trains were in operation, and it is said that approximately
3,500 people were transported to medical facilities in Isahaya, Omura, Kawatana andHaiki along Omura Bay.
The day after the atomic bombing, the number of rescue teams from neighboring prefectures increased. One of them, the JRCS Saga
Branch No.713 rescue team, dispatched from
Saga Army Hospital, departed from Saga
Station at midnight on August 9, and started
rescue operations in front of Michinoo Station and at some other sites in Nagasaki City
on August 10.
"At the temporary first-aid station in the plaza in front of Michinoo Station, many victims
were sleeping on straw laid on the ground andcovered with straw mats in the hot midsummer. Seeing this, I was paralyzed by the misery and my body began to shiver. Pulling myself together, I did my best to deal withtreating with first aid one person after another, without having time to change myclothes."
After witnessing the misery of the atomic
bombing victims (Hibakusha), the rescue
nurses did not waste time changing into nursing gowns, they immediately started giving
aid while still in their dark blue uniforms. The
No.713 rescue team returned to Saga by train
on the night of the end of the war on August
15, and wrote, "It was with great reluctancethat I left the victims behind."」

Photo:Yosuke Yamahata(August 9 ,1945/Nagasaki)

14

15

# 06

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅱ ― Nagasaki ―EpisodeWhat a rescue nurse saw in Nagasaki―― When she was 20 years old

Whether the dead suffered or
the living suffered, this is when
everyone's suffering began.

―― Noriko Nakatsuji, JRCS nursing student

Shinkozen National Elementary
School, where many A-bomb
survivors were brought as arelief station after the atomic
bombing. The Red Cross flag isdisplayed on the gatepost.

"A dead mother looked as if she were sleeping
among the many patients. She was holding
her baby tightly in her arms. The baby was
sucking her breast and crying for milk.
Whether the dead suffered or the living suffered, this is when everyone's suffering began." said Noriko Nakatsuji, then a first-year
student at Osaka Japanese Red Cross Nursing School. She entered the school in April
and went back to her hometown in Nagasaki,
due to the escalation of the war. This memoir
is about an incident she witnessed at a first aid
station in the city. Many other rescue nurses
also wrote about devastation in Nagasaki.
"When his mother's body was taken away in
a carriage, the wounded boy could not get up
and had to watch the sad figure of his motherleave him forever. When I look back on the
A-bomb relief efforts, I will never forget that
sad, resigned look of the boyʼs eyes."(Kei Kami-Beppu)"I remember that I stood in the corridor between the wards and the operating room,with no time to eat, sorting the many patients: ʻThis one to the operating room, that
one to the morgue, and this one to the hospital room.ʼ The entire hospital staff stayed up
without sleep, they accommodated hundredsof injured people at the same time and devoted themselves to relief. When I went to checkon the patients in the hospital room after
dawn, I found some of them were not breathing, some had their hair falling out, some hadburns all over their bodies and no idea whothey were, and an old naked lady had only asheet around her waist. Everyone was speechless because we were shocked. "(Kimiyo Okubo)"A person faced with death was in so muchpain that he wanted to die quickly. He put his
palms together and asked: ʻNurse, please hurry up and bring me a rug and put me on it. (Inthose days, when a person died, he or she wasplaced on a rug and carried to the morgue.) It
was difficult to calm him down. I was the only
one working the night shift, and I had to devote myself almost entirely to that person... It
was a situation when I was not allowed to indulge in sentimentality." (Kazuko Hasegawa)"In 1945, I was twenty years old and in mysecond year as a relief nurse at the Omura
Naval Hospital… Although my memories aregloomy, I now feel nostalgic for my twenty
year-old youthful self, burning with passion as
I experienced the awfulness of the atomic
bombing." (Yoshiko Uchida)」

Photo:The Asahi Shimbun Compan

16

17

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

ColumnWords of Masae Yukinaga, JRCS rescue nurse”
Chapter.

Ⅲ

As we moved farther away from the defeat in the war,people's memories of the misery of the war and thepictures of the hell of the atomic bomb gradually faded
away. At the same time, there were people who,

unbeknown to others, agonized over the atomic bombsʼ

The pacific ocean

after-effects. They hid their identities as atomic
bombing victims in order to evade prejudice fromsociety, and lived quietly as if they were people who
had committed crimes... these are my feelings…. For those who have died andfor those who are going to live, I want to talk about ourwar, atomic bombs and peace.

Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons havenot been used in war. Instead, nuclear tests have been
conducted repeatedly. In addition to having had a serious
impact on the lives of people living at the test sites and“some military personnel, they have also caused extensive damage to animals and the natural environment.

ーMasae Yukinaga (ed), The Mushroom Cloud: Memories of the Japanese Red

Cross Nurses Attached to the Forces, (translated from Japanese) Tokyo: All
Publishing, 1984

18

19

# 07

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅲ ― The pacific ocean ―EpisodeMarch 1, 1954, the 3rd flash

The Japanese tuna fishing boat, Daigo
Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No.5)
is on display in Yumenoshima Park,
Koto-ku, Tokyo. On the verge of being
disposed of, a newspaper speculation
triggered calls for its preservation.

―― Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and "Lucky Dragon No.5"

We have to keep crying out about thehorror of nuclear weapons.

――President of the Japanese Red Cross Society,Tadatsugu Shimazu

20"Before dawn I saw a great flash glaring like abright lightning bolt on the quiet sea, and thelight turned the sky, sea, and boat yellow."
At 3:45 AM on March 1, 1954, Matashichi
Oishi, one of the crew members of the Japanese tuna fishing boat, Daigo Fukuryu Maru
(Lucky Dragon No.5) who saw a bright flashof light in the western sky at the moment of
the nuclear explosion, testifies like this. Whenthe sun rose and it started to get light, the rainstarted to mix with white powder (so-called"ashes of death" such as dust from coral reefs
contaminated by radioactivity) which eventually piled up on the deck like snow. That evening dizziness, headache, nausea and diarrhea
attacked the crew. Before arriving at Yaizu
Port in Shizuoka Prefecture on March 14, thecrew members had been covered in the "ashesof death" for two weeks and forced to live on
contaminated water and food. One of thecrew members, Aikichi Kuboyama, the headradio operator, passed away half a year lateron September 23.
Although Daigo Fukuryu Maru was about
160 kilometers away from the epicenter of the
explosion, it is estimated that it was exposed
to between 2000 to 3000 millisieverts. This isequivalent to the radiation dose at a point 800
meters from the hypocenter of the blast in
Hiroshima. We learned how dreadful radiation was after the hydrogen bomb (about

1,000 times the size of the Hiroshima atomicbomb) exploded.
The then president of the JRCS, Tadatsugu
Shimazu, wrote in his memoir: "There wasalways a feeling in my mind that even if all
the other countries were hesitant, tired of, or
opposed to crying out about the horror of nuclear weapons, Japan had to keep crying out,
and only Japan had the right to cry out. To say
nothing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese fishing boat was also exposed to thefallout from the nuclear tests conducted in
Bikini in the South Pacific in 1954. The tragic death of Aikichi Kuboyama, who was agood member of the fishing boat crew, must
be kept in the memory of all Japanese people."
The death of Kuboyama led to the nationwide
campaign to ban atomic and hydrogenbombs. 30 million signatures were collected
and in the year following Kuboyamaʼs exposure to radiation, the First World Conference
against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs washeld in Hiroshima. In spite of this, between
1945 and 2013, more than 2050 nuclear tests
were conducted worldwide. The tests in the
Pacific Ocean have caused radioactive substances to fall into the ocean and contaminate
the natural environment, as well as posing ahealth hazard to the inhabitants of Pacific island countries.

」

21

# 08

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

Tsuzuki conducts an atomic
bomb sur vey after thebombings of Hiroshima andNagasaki. On his arm hewears a Red Cross armband.

「

Chapter.Ⅲ ― The pacific ocean ―EpisodeDamn that atomic bomb!
―― Dr. Masao Tsuzuki who continued to fight for Hibakusha

We must research and developthe effective
treatment for the disease with empathy withthe people whose hearts are full of agony.

――President of the Japanese Red Cross Central Hospital

After the Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposedto the nuclear radiation, Masao Tsuzuki, who
was the director of the JRCS Central Hospital (now the JRCS Medical Centre), was responsible for the treatment of the crew, and is
known worldwide as a leading researcher on
Atomic Bomb Disease.
"It's a blood infection ... The white blood cells
are almost gone ... The gamma ray ... There is
no way to prevent ... She will die tonight or
tomorrow ... Damn that atomic bomb!"
Tsuzuki is reported to have said this when hecame into contact with Hibakusha in Hiroshima. At a time when the atomic bomb wasused for the first time in history and there was
no known cure, Tsuzuki was the first personin the world to recognise Atomic Bomb Disease.
"A patient who said he was a victim of theatomic bomb in Hiroshima came to see me. ...
He had only a slight scratch on his back andnothing unusual but was very fatigued andincapacitated. ... and I was surprised to hearthat after all the tests, he had only 400 whiteblood cells per cubic millimeter. ... I realizedthat this was going to be a big problem and I
decided to put all my energy into studying theillness."

He made efforts to communicate the facts
about the dreadful health effects of the atomic bomb at every opportunity. However, atthat time, the facts related to the atomic
bomb were classified as strictly confidential
matters by the Allied Occupation Forces, andhis research presentation could not escape thepressure. "In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, evenat this very moment while I am speaking here,
many atomic bombing victims are dying one
after another. Atomic Bomb Disease is a newillness that has not yet been fully understood,
and there is no way to treat it unless its true
nature is determined. From a humanitarianpoint of view, it is not permissible to prohibit
the publication of research on medical issues,even though that is the order of the Allied
Occupation Forces". When Daigo Fukuryu
Maru was contaminated by radiation in 1954,
Dr. Tsuzuki served as a doctor to treat thecrew. At the International Conference in Geneva at the time, he reported the actual situation of Hibakusha to the world. Dr. Tsuzuki
says, "I think we must research and develop
the effective treatment for the disease with
empathy with the people whose hearts are fullof agony."」

Photo:The Chugoku Shimbun Company

22

23

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons

ColumnAppeals from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement”
1. emphasizes the incalculable human suffering that canbe expected to result from any use of nuclear weapons,

Chapter.

Ⅳthe lack of any adequate humanitarian response capacity
and the absolute imperative to prevent such use;
2. finds it difficult to envisage how any use of nuclear
weapons could be compatible with the rules ofTo the worldinternational humanitarian law, in particular the rules of
distinction, precaution and proportionality;
3. appeals to all States:- to ensure that nuclear weapons are never again used,regardless of their views on the legality of such weapons,- to pursue in good faith and conclude with urgency anddetermination negotiations to prohibit the use of andFrom the experiences of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and thecompletely eliminate nuclear weapons through a legally

nuclear tests, people gradually began to realise thebinding international agreement, based on existingcommitments and international obligations…

devastating effects of nuclear weapons. The word 'Hibakusha' spread around the world and the inhumanity of a“－Council of Delegates of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Resolution 1: Working towards the elimination of nuclear weapons

24

nuclear weapon is now a strong driving force in the global movement for a world without nuclear weapons.

# 09

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅳ ― To the world ―EpisodeHibakusha, they inspired me―― Torwards the movement for a world without nuclear weapons

Most devastating is the psychologicalterror that Hibakusha must endure
for the rest of their lives.

――Dr.Masao Tomonaga, President of the JRCS

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital

Dr.Tomonaga speaks at the2011 Red Cross Conference in
Geneva. He is a physician
who majored hematology andradiation injury medicine andalso an activist calling for theabolition of nuclear weapons.

26

innocent civilians to ashes… According to thetestimony of the Mayor of Nagasaki, many of
the survivors are suffering from aftereffects. It
is clear from this that any use of nuclear
weapons is contrary to international humanitarian law."
The ICJ's view has been repeatedly confirmed
at Red Cross conferences, with Dr. Masao
Tomonaga, President of the JRCS Nagasaki
Atomic Bomb Hospital, stating at the Council of Delegates of International Red Cross
Red Crescent Movement in 2011: "I was exposed to the atomic bomb in Nagasaki as achild, but I have no memory of the time of
the bombing. Later, as a haematologist, I witnessed the aftereffects of the atomic bombing
and came to fully agree with the 1996 ICJ
that the use of nuclear weapons is immoral
and contrary to international humanitarianlaw… Recent studies have also shown that
Hibakusha who were young at the time of thebombings are now suffering from a second
wave of leukaemia as they grow older. Most
devastating is the psychological terror that
Hibakusha must endure for the rest of theirlives". Thus, the reality of exposure graduallybegan to spread and be shared around theworld and became the driving force behindthe movement for a world without nuclear
weapons.

"Until then I had never heard of Hibakusha.
My life changed forever when I read theirstories, and showed photos and their paintings to my young students. The Hibakusha
inspired me to dedicate my life to help them
abolish nuclear weapons."
Kate Dewes, a music teacher in New Zealand,
was first introduced to the issue of nuclear
weapons when she taught the Polish composer Penderecki's piece 'a Threnody (ʻsong oflamentʼ) for the Victims of Hiroshima' inclass. At the time, radioactive fallout from nuclear tests was detected in the breast milk of a
New Zealand woman, so for her the issue was
not something of the past, but of the present.
This is how she became involved in the peace
movement and came across the idea of taking
the issue of nuclear weapons to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), one of the UN
bodies. The idea became a global movement,
and in 1996, almost ten years after the idea
was conceived, the Court finally delivered its
opinion, confirming that the use of nuclear
weapons is generally contrary to international
humanitarian law.
One of the judges, Judge Abdul G. Koroma
from Sierra Leone, delivered the following
separate opinion (summary). "According to
the testimony of the Mayor of Hiroshima, theatomic bombs indiscriminately reduced all

」

27

# 10

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons「

Chapter.Ⅳ ― To the world ―EpisodeNo one can save the victims of nuclear weapons

We must never allow ourselves
to become morally indifferent to theterrifying effects of a weapon.

――Jacob Kellenberger, President of theInternational Committee of the Red Cross

Modern-day Hiroshima City.
The city is lined with modernbuildings and the area aroundthe hypocentre is maintained as
Peace Memorial Park and visitedby many people every year.

28―― An intolerable threat to humanity"Thousands of people lined up in a long linewith their faces burned, their hair shrunken,
and their noses swollen so big that people
could not tell whether they were men or
women. Patients should have been desperate
for help. They cried ʻHurry to treat! Do something please!ʼ. The only way to treat them was
to give them injections of hemostatic agents,
cardiotonic agents, anti-inflammatory agents,and many other medicines as we had. (Testimony of the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital
rescue nurse)
On August 6, 1945, immediately after theatomic bombing, 270 out of 300 doctors,
1654 out of 1700 nurses, and 127 out of 140
pharmacists died in Hiroshima. The Shima
Hospital and JRCS Hiroshima Branch,which were located directly below the hypocenter, were completely destroyed. The Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, located about 1.5
km away from there, and its stockpiled medical supplies, was devastated by fire, leaving
only the exterior of the building. At the Nagasaki Medical College Hospital, which wasa base for rescue operations, most of the faculty and medical students were killed immediately, even though the hospital was displaying the Red Cross emblem.
The average power of nuclear weapons in theworld today is said to be capable of instantly
destroying a city of one million people with asingle shot. It is clear that their use would

have an indiscriminate impact, with evenmedical facilities and Red Cross relief workers, who should be protected by the Red
Cross emblem, being indistinguishable fromthe target. In this regard, Jacob Kellenberger,
President of the International Committee of
the Red Cross, made the following statementin Geneva, Switzerland, in 2010. "Although
nuclear weapons' potential for destructive
force increased by a factor of many thousands
during the Cold War, the ability of States andinternational agencies to assist potential victims did not. (…) We must never allow ourselves to become morally indifferent to theterrifying effects of a weapon that defies ourcommon humanity, calls into question themost fundamental principles of international
humanitarian law, and can threaten the continued existence of the human species. "This statement led the international community to take a fresh look at the horrific realityof nuclear weapons and take action to prohibit and eliminate them (humanitarian approach). The humanitarian approach opens awindow on this issue, which has hitherto
been covered by abstract discussions from theperspective of nuclear weapon states, such as"nuclear deterrent" and "national security". It
also tells us that there is a reality we must not
turn our back on before it becomes irreversible.

」

29

President's Message

Message to the next generationfrom the Red Cross

pan has the moral right to do so." ―Tadatsu-

ories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki inspire de-gu Shimazu, Under the Flag of Humanity: 35

cision making – and will continue to inspire

Years with the Red Cross, Kodansha, 1965.

action for many generations to come.

This sentiment has been handed down

The preamble to the Treaty on Prohibition of

Yoshiharu Otsuka

through the years, not only in Japan, but also

Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) recognizes thearound the world. The Council of Delegates

long-time contribution of the Internationalof International Red Cross and Red Crescent

Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to the

Honorary President, Japanese Red Cross Society

Movement in 2011 adopted the resolution

debate on the nuclear disarmament. The

Many of you may wonder why the Japanese

ship between the Red Cross and nuclear"Working towards the elimination of nuclear

JRCS shall continue to strive for the abolition

Red Cross Society (JRCS), known for its di-weapons – the most terrifying weapons ever

weapons," which reiterates the Movement’sof nuclear weapons by taking the initiative insaster relief, medical and blood services, isinvented – can be traced back to this very

call for the prohibition and elimination of nu-

international discussions. At the same time,

involved in the fight against nuclear weap-

moment.

clear weapons. The resolution is informed

the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

ons. Indeed, the JRCS has consistently calledby: 1) the catastrophic humanitarian conse-

will leave an indelible impression on thosefor the abolition of nuclear weapons since

Japan was not the only country to suffer fromquences that any use of nuclear weapons

involved in this journey, and this baton should

the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Na-

nuclear weapons. After Hiroshima and Na-

would have; 2) the lack of any adequate hu-

be passed to future generations. In this re-gasaki.

gasaki, more than 2000 nuclear weapons

manitarian response capacity to provide as-spect, we believe that the Japanese Red

tests were conducted around the world, ex-sistance for victims in case of use of nuclear

Cross can make a unique contribution to thisOn August 6, 1945, the Red Cross Hospital in

posing the local population to the horrificweapons; and 3) the difficulty to envisageendeavor.

Hiroshima, located about 1.5 kilometers fromand long-lasting impacts of ionizing radia-

any use of nuclear weapons that would be

the epicenter of the atomic bombing, wastion. In 1954, Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Luckycompatible with international humanitarianseverely impacted by the blast. Miraculously,

Dragon No.5), a Japanese tuna fishing boatlaw.

however, the outer shell of the building re-operating in the Pacific, was exposed to radi-

mained largely intact. This enabled the Red

ation from one of these tests, causing major

The adoption of the resolution was support-

Cross in Hiroshima to signal, by raising the

public concern in Japan. In his memoirs, Ta-

ed by the strong leadership of Mr. Tadateru

Red Cross flag at the hospital, that it could

datsugu Shimazu, then president of theKonoe (currently transitioning to President

receive and provide care for the many atom-

JRCS, wrote: "I strongly believe that even if all

Emeritus of the JRCS), then president of both

ic bomb survivors. Similarly, in Nagasaki, Red

other countries hesitate, give up or oppose

the International Federation of Red Cross

Cross teams rushed to the bombed area andthe abolishment of nuclear weapons, Japanand Red Crescent Societies and the JRCS.

provided relief for the survivors. The relation-must continue the fight, and indeed only Ja-

This resolution demonstrates that the mem-

30

31

References●ChapterⅠ・Kiyoko Kobayashi, Yasuo Ohara, and Tadamasa Fukiura(eds), The Aftermath of the Bombardment: Memorial Notes
for Military Nurses Died in the Line of Duty (translated fromJapanese) (Tokyo: Henri Dunant Institute for Educational
Research, 1977)
・Fumio Shigeto and Kenzaburo Oe, Dialogue: Human Beings after the Atomic Bombings (translated from Japanese)(Tokyo: Shincho-Sensho, 1971)
・The Atomic Bomb Buildings Association, The Atomic
Bomb Buildings in Hiroshima: The 45th Anniversary Reporton the Atomic Bombing (translated from Japanese) (Hiroshima Regional Branch of the Asahi Shimbun, 1990).
・Ryuko Yoshikawa, "August 6, 1945: Red Cross relief nurses' rescue activities immediately after the atomic bombingof Hiroshima," (translated from Japanese) Journal of Humanitarian Studies, Vol. 2 (Japanese Red Cross Institute for
Humanitarian Studies, 2013)
・Marcel Junod, Warriors without weapons, translated byMikimasa Maruyama (Tokyo: Keiso Shobo, 1981).
●ChapterⅡ・Tomoko Onishi, "Nagasaki: Walking in the Red Cross's

Footsteps," (translated from Japanese) Journal of Humanitarian Studies, Vol. 4 (Japanese Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies, 2015).
・Editorial Committee for the Rescue Activities Records of
the Japanese Red Cross Society, JRCS Saga Branch Dispatch Relief Nurses Activity Reports (translated from Japanese) (Japanese Red Cross Society Saga Branch, 1996).
・Nagasaki Prefectural Police History Editorial Board (ed),Nagasaki Prefectural Police History: The Second Volume(translated from Japanese)(Nagasaki Prefectural Police
Headquarters, 1979)
・Japanese Red Cross Society Nagasaki Branch, In the
Shadow of the Flashlight: Memoirs of a Red Cross Nurse
Who Helped Atomic Bomb Survivors (translated from Japanese) (Japanese Red Cross Society Nagasaki Branch,1980)
・A-bomb testimony "memoirs" editorial committee, Towerof Life: Testimonies to the Hiroshima Red Cross and Atomic Bomb Hospital (translated from Japanese) (Chugoku
Shimbun, 1992).
・Ryuko Yoshikawa, "August 9, 1945: Red Cross rescue

nurses' relief activities immediately after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki," (translated from Japanese) Journal of Humanitarian Studies, Vol. 4 (Japanese Red Cross Institute for
Humanitarian Studies, 2015).
●ChapterⅢ・Matashichi Oishi, Carrying the Ashes of Death: The Daigo

Fukuryu Maru That Changed My Life (translated from Japanese) (Shinchosha, 1991).
・Hiroshima University Committee for Memorial Events for
the Atomic Bomb Victims, The Atomic Bomb and Hiroshima University: 'The Fire of Life and Death' Academic Edition (Reprint) (translated from Japanese) (Hiroshima University Press, 2012)
・Hiroshima City, New History of Hiroshima: Document
Volume I: Tsuzuki (translated from Japanese) (Hiroshima
City, 1981).

●ChapterⅣ・Yoshiko Honma, "The Inhumanity of Nuclear Weapons

and the New Trend toward the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (translated from Japanese)", Soka Law Journal, No. 8(Soka University Law School, 2015)
・ICJ, Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons,
Advisory Opinion of 8 July 1996, Dissenting Opinion ofJudge Koroma.
・ICRC, Bringing the era of nuclear weapons to an end,
Statement by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, tothe Geneva Diplomatic Corps, Geneva, 20, April 2020.
・Hiroshima and the World: Inspired by Hibakusha" (Chugoku Shimbun, February 23, 2009).
・ICRC and IFRC, Report of 31st International Conference of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC/IFRC, 2011).
●Others
・Michiko Suzuki, "History of the Japanese Red Cross Soci-ety Nuclear Bombing Emergency Humanitarian Activities
in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945," (translated from Japanese) Journal of Humanitarian Studies, Vol. 6 (Japanese
Red Cross Academy, 2017)
・Michiko Suzuki, "The Japanese Red Cross Society’s
Emergency Responses in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945,"
Social Science Japan Journal, Vol.24, No.2 (OUP, 2021)

Dialogue on Nuclear Weapons―An appeal for humanity from the Red Cross
This edition first published 31 March 2023

Publisher：

Japanese Red Cross Institute for Humanitarian Studies		

4-1-3 Hiroo,Shibuya.Tokyo 1050012 Japan		

https://www.jrc.ac.jp/ihs/

Planning,Direction,Writing:Akihiko Saito(Japanese Red Cross Society Public Relations Office/IHS Researcher)Composition,editing,design:

rewrite_W

All rights reserved.

ⓒ2023 Japanese Red Cross Academy Printed in Japan

Hiroshima Red Cross and Atomic Bomb Survivors Hospital Memorial Park

Editor’s Note- The power of the words of rescuers
Unexpectedly, there were major developments on the issue of nuclear weapons during the compilation of this booklet. One was the
adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Another was the growing concern over the use of nuclear weapons
during the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Both are major events thatwill determine the future of the issue of nuclear weapons and illustrate the fact that the international community has not yet been able
to settle the issue after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this sense, thisbooklet is not just a collection of records of past events, but also
contains powerful words that should be passed on to future generations to face the problems that still exist today and to inspire them tonever repeat this tragedy. We strongly hope that the dialogue withthe words in this booklet will encourage as many people as possible
to take a closer look at this issue. In producing this booklet, we havegained a great deal of knowledge from the research of Red Cross
history researchers Ryuko Yoshikawa, Michiko Suzuki and Tomoko
Onishi, who are also mentioned in the References. We have also
great assistance form the Japanese Red Cross Language Service
Volunteers (LSV) and Mr. Richard Lennane of the ICRC in translation.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank them.