At the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, recordings are made of testimonies by atomic bomb survivors living in other prefectures in Japan (outside of Hiroshima) and overseas.
In 2013, recordings were made of survivors living in Fukushima Prefecture (1), Miyagi Prefecture (7), Iwate Prefecture (2), Aomori Prefecture (1), Akita Prefecture (3), Niigata Prefecture (2) and Yamaguchi Prefecture (1), as well as survivors living in Korea (4).
Below are some excerpts from the recorded testimonies.
......I survived the atomic bombing.
And now I've survived the Great East Japan Earthquake
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Recording a testimony
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too. When the tsunami washed in, some people died, but I survived.
I've been on the brink of death twice......To create an environment where everyone is happy, we have to get rid of nuclear power......
......An uncle who wasn't there at the time of the bombing came to Hiroshima to look for my mother.
He found her with burns, and carried her home on his back, so we could nurse her at home.
It is not only the atomic bomb survivors who had painful experiences from the bombing.
When I think about that, it makes me feel that peace is extremely important.
Just because I myself escaped the bombing does not mean that everything is fine.
All members of the family have experiences so painful that they want to die......
......As part of an arranged marriage, I was invited to my prospective wife's home.
Her brothers asked me what regiment I belonged to.
I said that I experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, but later I was severely reprimanded by the marriage mediator, who said
"That's not the kind of thing you should say in front of people"......I didn't tell my own children that I am an atomic bomb survivor.
I thought they'd probably realize as they got older anyway......
The survivors who give testimonies speak about what happened when the bomb was dropped, as well as their situation when they moved to other prefectures or overseas, and their lives since then.
The films recorded are available for public viewing in the Memorial Hall and the homepage after editing, and will also be on loan as peace study documents.
We continue to record as many of these precious testimonies as possible, both in Japan and overseas, to communicate them to younger generations.
At the Memorial Hall, in addition to these testimonial films, visitors can also read atomic bombing testimonies and related books.
We encourage you to visit the Memorial Hall and experience the words and emotions of the atomic bomb survivors.
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