I am Suzuka Nakamura, co-founder of KNOW NUKES TOKYO, a Tokyo-based organization designing actions for nuclear weapons abolition. I am 22 years old and a third generation A-bomb survivor from Nagasaki. My maternal grandmother was exposed to the atomic bomb when she was 8 years old.
Today I am wearing a kimono which I borrowed from Ms.Tomiko Fukushima, an A-bomb survivor from Nagasaki. She always wears a kimono when she tells her story as a survivor, a HIBAKUSHA.
I will go back to my grandmother's story. Her house was 2 to 3 kilometer from the hypocenter, but a few days before the bomb was dropped, she was evacuated to a relative's house in the countryside and survived. After that, she entered the city of Nagasaki to check on her house and was exposed to the bombing in the city. My grandmother's father had died in the war, so after the bombing, she, her mother and brother moved in with relatives, but I heard that they were very poor and felt under pressure.
My grandmother is still alive and well, but she has been diagnosed with cancer once in the past. I do not know if this was due to the A-bombing or not. I am here today because my grandmother passed on her life to me. If my grandmother had not been evacuated at that time, if she had been more affected by radiation and died soon after the bombing, I would not be here. The atomic bomb also took away lives that were supposed to last for generations to come. When I think about this, even though I did not directly experience the atomic bombing, I cannot think of it as someone else's problem.
Perhaps my mother and I will be affected by the atomic bombing in the future, but it is not clear how the damage caused by nuclear weapons will affect the second and third generations of A-bomb survivors. We don't know anything. I am afraid because I don't know anything. There may or may not be something in the future. It may be because of the atomic bombings, or it may not.
But so far, Hibakusha have clearly suffered from the aftereffects of the bombings. The probability of developing cancer or leukemia is higher than average, and microcephaly has been seen more often in those who were exposed to the bomb while in their mothers' wombs. Members of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, conducted a survey of second-generation A-bomb survivors and found that many had physical and psychological anxiety.
I have never heard these stories directly from my grandmother. My mother told me instead. I think that for my grandmother, the memory of the A-bombing is still a terrible thing that she does not want to recall. Like my grandmother, there are people who are still tormented by memories of the past, who hide the fact that they are Hibakusha for fear of discrimination. Even after such a long time has passed, the scars of the atomic bombing remain. Nevertheless, many people, including the Hibakusha here today, have bravely shared their suffering and painful memories to convey the horror of nuclear weapons. We must think of the pain and suffering of the Hibakusha and show them our utmost respect for sharing their experiences with us.
Furthermore, as I am usually in close proximity to Hibakusha, I would like to convey to you that the people of Ukraine and the world are horrified by Russian President Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons in the current war on Ukraine. And the Hibakusha, who know the horror of nuclear weapons, feel that fear more than anyone else. Hibakusha and other nuclear victims have so far been discriminated against rather than receiving aid, and have suffered much anxiety and grief. On top of that, they have raised their voices against society. They only hope that no one else will become a hibakusha and no one will be harmed, but why can't this be realized? It has already been 77 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We should not burden them any longer.
The average age of Hibakusha is nearly 84. We also have the challenge of passing on the A-bomb experience. Most of us, including myself, did not experience the atomic bombings, so we may not be able to talk about the horror of nuclear weapons in the same way as the Hibakusha. I can only tell you what I have heard from them. In that sense, all of you here and all of you who have heard the stories of the Hibakusha are bearers of memory. Memories differ from person to person. The form of transmission will also differ depending on the narrator of that memory. It is up to us to remember the horror of the atomic bombings and to prevent repetition of the same mistakes in the future.
I believe that everyone will immediately recognize the Hibakusha when they talk to them, due to the kindness and warmth they possess. That they are not the heroes of a tragedy, but are living their lives. I hope that nuclear weapons will be eliminated as soon as possible.
I have been commissioned by the Japanese government as a Youth Communicator for a world without nuclear weapons, to convey the reality of the atomic bombings. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this way and to fulfill this role, and at the same time I regret that the Japanese government, the only country to have experienced the wartime use of nuclear weapons, will not participate in the Meeting of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The government and citizens of Japan will continue to work together to ensure that Japan can actively engage in nuclear disarmament.
I would like to conclude my speech by expressing my greatest respect to all of you gathered here today. Thank you very much for your kind attention.