On December 10, 2024, the Japan Confederation of A and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As a Japanese citizen and a resident of Hiroshima, I am deeply moved by this recognition. The Mainichi editorial states, "Voices of hibakusha reaching the world," and various English-language newspapers have also adopted the term hibakusha.
　　I would like to explain here how the Peace Declaration, proclaimed by the Mayor of Hiroshima, has played a pivotal role in the recognition of hibakusha as an English word.
　　From 1985 to 1992, I served as the Director of the International Relation Division of the City of Hiroshima. At that time, individuals who had experienced the atomic bomb were commonly referred to in English as "atomic bomb survivors". For many years, the City of Hiroshima used the English translation "hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors)".
　　One day in 1985, Ms. Barbara Reynolds — who had accompanied hibakusha on two world peace pilgrimages to the U.S., Europe, and other regions, founded the World Friendship Center in 1965, and holds Hiroshima City Special Honorary Citizenship — remarked, "Mr. Fujii, over the years, I have met many hibakusha. These individuals can't escape the physical and mental suffering they endure for the rest of their lives. However, a survivor is someone who ultimately overcomes the disease or disaster and recovers. Therefore, it is crucial that the term hibakusha becomes established as the English equivalent of this word."
　　At the time, I made every effort to convey Ms. Reynolds' advice to Mayor Araki and other officials because I firmly believed that using the term hibakusha was the only way to accurately convey the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use. As a result, I gained their understanding, and starting with the 1988 English version of the Peace Declaration, the term hibakusha began to appear on its own.
　　The Hiroshima Peace Declaration is announced to the world at 8:15 a.m. every August 6. I believe the City of Hiroshima's decision to adopt hibakusha in the Peace Declaration is one of the key reasons why the term has now become recognized as an English word.