Child of A-Bomb Survivor Determined to Pass on Hibakusha Activities; Honma is 1st Second-Generation Nihon Hidankyo Exec Board Member

By Kyoko Mine and Daiki Komatsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

2:00 JST, December 14, 2024

OSLO — A child of a hibakusha is more determined than ever to carry on the activities of atomic bomb survivors and pass them on to the next generation.

Emiko Honma, 74, from Matsue, is part of the delegation from Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), which received the Nobel Peace Prize. The delegation includes hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as children of hibakusha.

Honma, who met with local university students in Oslo on Wednesday, renewed her determination to take up the baton of hibakusha activities, as the average age of hibakusha is now over 85.

Honma told the about 300 students and others at the University of Oslo that she hoped receiving the award would be an opportunity for everyone in the world to understand the experiences of atomic bomb survivors. She received a round of applause from the audience.

Honma is the first second-generation atomic bomb survivor among the 12 Nihon Hidankyo executive board members. Her mother, Atsu, visited Hiroshima after the bombing and was exposed to the radiation.

At the university, she said that her mother never spoke about her experiences as a hibakusha. When Honma asked her mother about the aftermath, all she said was that it was shocking and terrible.

Honma recalled that when she was watching the televised Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on Aug. 6 years ago, her mother told her to immediately turn off the TV, saying she did not want to be reminded of the atomic bombing, even if it was a ceremony.

Three months after her mother died in July 2013 at the age of 90, Honma received a commemorative booklet from the Shimane prefecture council of atomic bomb survivors for the group’s 50th anniversary.

It was the first time she read testimonies of hibakusha.

She said the testimonies were powerful and conveyed the victims’ strong desire that atomic bombs should never be used again. A short time later, she joined the council.

After some time had passed, she was asked by then the chairman of the council, Yoshio Hara, who was a hibakusha, to succeed him. At first, Honma declined the offer, but after thinking it over, she changed her mind because she felt that someone had to take the post. She became the first second-generation hibakusha to chair the council in June 2022.

“The award is my starting point,” Honma said after speaking to the students. “I want to use this experience in my future activities so that I can pass it on to the next generation.