Atomic Bomb Memorials: Fulfill Responsibility to Pass on Memory of War’s Horrors

Editorial

15:23 JST, August 6, 2025

Eighty years have passed since the atomic bombings. There are few opportunities left to hear the voices of the survivors. It is Japan’s mission to pass on the reality of the atomic bombings and to increase international momentum to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima will mark the anniversary of its atomic bombing on Aug. 6, and Nagasaki on Aug. 9. As of the end of March this year, the number of atomic bomb survivors nationwide was 99,130, falling below 100,000 for the first time. The average age of a survivor exceeds 86. Over a little more than 10 years, the number has decreased by as many as 100,000.

The member organizations of Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), a national body of atomic bomb survivors groups, have already dissolved or suspended their activities in 12 prefectures. In 22 prefectures, or about 60%, of the 35 prefectures where organizations remain active, the number of survivors who can testify about their experiences is five or fewer.

Testimonies from survivors based on their firsthand experiences hold significant power in conveying the horrors of nuclear weapons. However, the passage of 80 years has made it difficult to pass down such experiences.

Since 1995, a consumers’ cooperative in Fukuoka Prefecture has annually compiled a collection of testimonies that its members heard from atomic bomb survivors. It is important to expand such grassroots activities.

The participation of second- and third-generation atomic bomb survivors is also key. An atomic bomb survivor group in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, had been inactive for many years, but resumed its activities in May this year after a second-generation survivor was appointed as its representative.

The group said that Nihon Hidankyo winning the Nobel Peace Prize last year has been a driving force behind this. The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee visited the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in July and called for the world to listen to the voices of the atomic bomb survivors who say that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

The central government should once again make Nihon Hidankyo’s efforts, which have been recognized worldwide, and its significance well known both domestically and internationally, and lead to the strengthening of the activities of storytellers, including the younger generations.

The global situation surrounding nuclear weapons appears to be becoming increasingly unstable.

In response to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s flaunting of Russia’s nuclear forces, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he had ordered that two nuclear submarines be repositioned as a countermeasure, heightening tensions between the two countries.

In June, in a military conflict between Israel and Iran, the United States, which supports Israel, attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities.

As the only country that has suffered atomic bombings, Japan must persistently speak out about the horrors caused by nuclear weapons and urge nuclear powers not to use them.

Both of the memorial ceremonies in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are expected to be attended by representatives of the largest number of countries and regions ever. The hope is that such opportunities will be utilized to strongly emphasize the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 6, 2025)