From Atlantic Unbound

From Atlantic Unbound:

Flashbacks: "Hiroshima and Nagasaki" (August 5, 2005) Atlantic articles from the forties through the nineties probe the haunting question: Was the atomic bombing of Japan necessary?

The Atlantic Monthly | December 1946

If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used

by Karl T. Compton

About a week after V-J Day I was one of a small group of scientists and engineers interrogating an intelligent, well-informed Japanese Army officer in Yokohama. We asked him what, in his opinion, would have been the next major move if the war had continued. He replied: "You would probably have tried to invade our homeland with a landing operation on Kyushu about November 1. I think the attack would have been made on such and such beaches."

"Could you have repelled this landing?" we asked, and he answered: "It would have been a very desperate fight, but I do not think we could have stopped you."

"What would have happened then?" we asked.

He replied: "We would have kept on fighting until all Japanese were killed, but we would not have been defeated," by which he meant that they would not have been disgraced by surrender.

It is easy now, after the event, to look back and say that Japan was already a beaten nation, and to ask what therefore was the justification for the use of the atomic bomb to kill so many thousands of helpless Japanese in this inhuman way; furthermore, should we not better have kept it to ourselves as a secret weapon for future use, if necessary? This argument has been advanced often, but it seems to me utterly fallacious.

I had, perhaps, an unusual opportunity to know the pertinent facts from several angles, yet I was without responsibility for any of the decisions. I can therefore speak without doing so defensively. While my role in the atomic bomb development was a very minor one, I was a member of the group called together by Secretary of War Stimson to assist him in plans for its test, use, and subsequent handling. Then, shortly before Hiroshima, I became attached to General MacArthur in Manila, and lived for two months with his staff. In this way I learned something of the invasion plans and of the sincere conviction of these best- informed officers that a desperate and costly struggle was still ahead. Finally, I spent the first month after V-J Day in Japan, where I could ascertain at first hand both the physical and the psychological state of that country. Some of the Japanese whom I consulted were my scientific and personal friends of long standing.

From this background I believe, with complete conviction, that the use of the atomic bomb saved hundreds of thousands—perhaps several millions—of lives, both American and Japanese; that without its use the war would have continued for many months; that no one of good conscience knowing, as Secretary Stimson and the Chiefs of Staff did, what was probably ahead and what the atomic bomb might accomplish could have made any different decision. Let some of the facts speak for themselves. as the use of the atomic bomb inhuman? All war is inhuman. Here are some comparisons of the atomic bombing with conventional bombing. At Hiroshima the atomic bomb killed about 80,000 people, pulverized about five square miles, and wrecked an additional ten square miles of the city, with decreasing damage out to seven or eight miles from the center. At Nagasaki the fatal casualties were 45,000 and the area wrecked was considerably smaller than at Hiroshima because of the configuration of the city.

Compare this with the results of two B-29 incendiary raids over Tokyo. One of these raids killed about 125,000 people, the other nearly 100,000.

Of the 210 square miles of greater Tokyo, 85 square miles of the densest part was destroyed as completely, for all practical purposes, as were the centers of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; about half the buildings were destroyed in the remaining 125 square miles; the number of people driven homeless out of Tokyo was considerably larger than the population of greater Chicago. These figures are based on information given us in Tokyo and on a detailed study of the air reconnaissance maps. They may be somewhat in error but are certainly of the right order of magnitude. as Japan already beaten before the atomic bomb? The answer is certainly "yes" in the sense that the fortunes of war had turned against her. The answer is "no" in the sense that she was still fighting desperately and there was every reason to believe that she would continue to do so; and this is the only answer that has any practical significance.

General MacArthur's staff anticipated about 50,000 American casualties and several times that number of Japanese casualties in the November 1 operation to establish the initial beachheads on Kyushu. After that they expected a far more costly struggle before the Japanese homeland was subdued. There was every reason to think that the Japanese would defend their homeland with even greater fanaticism than when they fought to the death on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. No American soldier who survived the bloody struggles on these islands has much sympathy with the view that battle with the Japanese was over as soon as it was clear that their ultimate situation was hopeless. No, there was every reason to expect a terrible struggle long after the point at which some people can now look back and say, "Japan was already beaten."

A month after our occupation I heard General MacArthur say that even then, if the Japanese government lost control over its people and the millions of former Japanese soldiers took to guerrilla warfare in the mountains, it could take a million American troops ten years to master the situation.

That this was not an impossibility is shown by the following fact, which I have not seen reported. We recall the long period of nearly three weeks between the Japanese offer to surrender and the actual surrender on September 2. This was needed in order to arrange details: of the surrender and occupation and to permit the Japanese government to prepare its people to accept the capitulation. It is not generally realized that there was threat of a revolt against the government, led by an Army group supported by the peasants, to seize control and continue the war. For several days it was touch and go as to whether the people would follow their government in surrender. The bulk of the Japanese people did not consider themselves beaten; in fact they believed they were winning in spite of the terrible punishment they had taken. They watched the paper balloons take off and float eastward in the wind, confident that these were carrying a terrible retribution to the United States in revenge for our air raids.

We gained a vivid insight into the state of knowledge and morale of the ordinary Japanese soldier from a young private who had served through the war in the Japanese Army. He had lived since babyhood in America, and had graduated in 1940 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This lad, thoroughly American in outlook, had gone with his family to visit relatives shortly after his graduation. They were caught in the mobilization and he was drafted into the Army.

This young Japanese told us that all his fellow soldiers believed that Japan was winning the war. To them the losses of Iwo Jima and Okinawa were parts of a grand strategy to lure the American forces closer and closer to the homeland, until they could be pounced upon and utterly annihilated. He himself had come to have some doubts as a result of various inconsistencies in official reports. Also he had seen the Ford assembly line in operation and knew that Japan could not match America in war production. But none of the soldiers had any inkling of the true situation until one night, at ten-thirty, his regiment was called to hear the reading of the surrender proclamation. id the atomic bomb bring about the end of the war? That it would do so was the calculated gamble and hope of Mr. Stimson, General Marshall, and their associates. The facts are these. On July 26, 1945, the Potsdam Ultimatum called on Japan to surrender unconditionally. On July 29 Premier Suzuki issued a statement, purportedly at a cabinet press conference, scorning as unworthy of official notice the surrender ultimatum, and emphasizing the increasing rate of Japanese aircraft production. Eight days later, on August 6, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima; the second was dropped on August 9 on Nagasaki; on the following day, August 10, Japan declared its intention to surrender, and on August 14 accepted the Potsdam terms.

On the basis of these facts, I cannot believe that, without the atomic bomb, the surrender would have come without a great deal more of costly struggle and bloodshed.

Exactly what role the atomic bomb played will always allow some scope for conjecture. A survey has shown that it did not have much immediate effect on the common people far from the two bombed cities; they knew little or nothing of it. The even more disastrous conventional bombing of Tokyo and other cities had not brought the people into the mood to surrender.

The evidence points to a combination of factors. (1) Some of the more informed and intelligent elements in Japanese official circles realized that they were fighting a losing battle and that complete destruction lay ahead if the war continued. These elements, however, were not powerful enough to sway the situation against the dominating Army organization, backed by the profiteering industrialists, the peasants, and the ignorant masses. (2) The atomic bomb introduced a dramatic new element into the situation, which strengthened the hands of those who sought peace and provided a face-saving argument for those who had hitherto advocated continued war. (3) When the second atomic bomb was dropped, it became clear that this was not an isolated weapon, but that there were others to follow. With dread prospect of a deluge of these terrible bombs and no possibility of preventing them, the argument for surrender was made convincing. This I believe to be the true picture of the effect of the atomic bomb in bringing the war to a sudden end, with Japan's unconditional surrender. f the atomic bomb had not been used, evidence like that I have cited points to the practical certainty that there would have been many more months of death and destruction on an enormous scale. Also the early timing of its use was fortunate for a reason which could not have been anticipated. If the invasion plans had proceeded as scheduled, October, 1945, would have seen Okinawa covered with airplanes and its harbors crowded with landing craft poised for the attack. The typhoon which struck Okinawa in that month would have wrecked the invasion plans with a military disaster comparable to Pearl Harbor.

These are some of the facts which lead those who know them, and especially those who had to base decisions on them, to feel that there is much delusion and wishful thinking among those after-the-event strategists who now deplore the use of the atomic bomb on the ground that its use was inhuman or that it was unnecessary because Japan was already beaten. And it was not one atomic bomb, or two, which brought surrender; it was the experience of what an atomic bomb will actually do to a community, plus the dread of many more, that was effective.

If 500 bombers could wreak such destruction on Tokyo, what will 500 bombers, each carrying an atomic bomb, do to the City of Tomorrow? It is this deadly prospect which now lends such force to the two basic policies of our nation on this subject: (1) We must strive generously and with all our ability to promote the United Nations' effort to assure future peace between nations; but we must not lightly surrender the atomic bomb as a means for our own defense. (2) We should surrender or share it only when there is adopted an international plan to enforce peace in which we can have great confidence.

What do you think? Discuss this article in the Politics & Society conference of Post & Riposte.

Copyright © 2002 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved. The Atlantic Monthly; December 1946; If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used; Volume 178, No. 6; page 54. Mary Lim's Adventures On The Land Of The Rising Sun

"My Hiroshima" by Murakami, Keiko

I was born in Hiroshima City in 1937. In those days Japan was trying to take the initiative in Asia to establish the empire under the leadership of Tenno (Emperor), the god. The Japanese people believed in Tenno. Wives and mothers were willing to send their husbands and sons to the battlefields when notices came from the government ordering them to report for military services. Children were asked, What would you like to become when you grow up? Boys answered, I want to be a soldier. Girls answered, I want to be a nurse. From the time they were very young, they were asked the same question again and again by adults, and their minds were totally controlled.

December 8, 1941 was the day when The Japanese army attacked Pearl Harbor. After that, all Japanese people were to live under the system supporting the Emperors military forces, forced to give up all sorts of comforts (extravagances, small and large). My father said, The war against the USA has begun. Japan I sure to win because this is just a war. We must be grateful to the soldiers since they are fighting for the Emperor. Let us be patient and endure this hard life. My mother nodded.

In the spring of 1942. I entered kindergarten, but I was not happy there. We had to sing and dance in order to cheer up the soldiers, and we had to send our origami and paintings to those who were to be sent to the battlefields. Clothing and food were rationed. We all watched each other saying I will not want anything until we win, or Comfort is our enemy. In the spring of 1943. I entered a public elementary school which was located on the north side of Hiroshima Castle, 1.2 kilometres from the spot where the Atomic Bomb was dropped. Nearby was a large number of troops, said to be the heart of the Japanese army. The town was filled with soldiers and war horses. In those days many places in Japan were being bombed, but Hiroshima had not yet been targeted. We expected, however, that someday the city would be attacked severely. It was advised that older people, women and children be evacuated. Children who did not have relatives were evacuated with their teachers to local villages, where they lived in some old temples.

At the beginning of 1944. My father was working for the city office. He was secretary-general of the volunteer army headquarters. In case of need, his position was to lead the citizens. His family concerns were a private thing, which should rank after public matters. Father decided to stay on in Hiroshima, living in a hotel at the centre of the city. My 38 year old mother, who was pregnant, my three year old brother and myself, then eight years old, went to live in my fathers birthplace which was located in the northern part of Hiroshima prefecture. The families of my fathers sisters also were there to get away from the dangers of the city. My grandfather was a carpenter specialising on the building and repair of shrines, and did not have much land for growing vegetables, so there was very little food to share among so many relatives. We needed a good deal of patience to live together. It was especially hard for my mother. She decided to go back to the city saying, We may have bombs dropping on us, but it will be much better for the family to be together. We came back to Hiroshima at the beginning of May, and on June 11 my sister was born. We heard the news of air raids in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe and also news about the tragedy of Okinawa. There were very few children remaining in the city of Hiroshima. School buildings were confiscated for the use of the army. Children were studying in temples, with study hours getting shorter and shorter. Everyday we took part in air raid drills, collected used tealeaves for feeding the horses, cut grass to feed people (food was always insufficient), and picked up horse manure for fuel.

There was no summer vacation during the war. It was a very hot day on August 6, 1945. There was an air raid the night before, so everybody had to stay in shelters; nobody had a good sleep. That morning my father stayed home later than usual, and my mother was preparing breakfast. I casually said to my father that I did not want to go to school on that day. He was a very strict man, but strangely he gave me permission to cut classes. So I was inside, reading a magazine with my brother. Suddenly father yelled from the yard, I hear the plane! My brother and I rushed outside. Father shouted Watch out! Its not the sound of a Japanese plane. Go into the shelter! My brother and I jumped into the underground shelter. The next instant, I felt a shock all over my body. At the same time, father jumped in with us. The three of us were buried under the collapsing house. I could see a tiny piece of sky form underneath the debris. My brother and I clung to my fathers waist, and we crawled out. Because my father was one second too late getting into the shelter, so he was badly wounded on the left side of his body. He tore a piece from my clothes and bound the wound tightly to stop the bleeding. All the neighbouring houses were damaged. There was nothing left standing. We yelled for my mother. Soon the heap of rubble moved, and she appeared with my baby sister in her arms. Many pieces of glass were stuck all over her body. Her right eyeball was out and drooped around her breast like a lump of blood. My father took off my mothers obi (waist sash), and used it to tie my sister on my back. He held onto my mother and we started walking. We walked to the river about 300 metres away; during that time we saw nobody. It was dead silent as if we were the only ones left in the world. Because we acted quickly, we seemed to be the first to come to the riverside. Father had my mother lie down in the shade of a bush. Before long wounded people were all around us people badly hurt, people with their flesh melting and drooping because of the burns. They were all crying and yelling. Their faces were so damaged by the heat of the blast that nobody could recognise anyone else. Probably it was only my brother and I who had no apparent injuries. With water from the river, my father roughly washed my sister who was covered with my mothers blood. Thank God, she started breathing again. We thought she had suffocated. Father was wild with joy. But my mothers milk had stopped. When he dipped a piece of cloth into the water and tried to get my sister suckle it, she just cried in a feeble voice. Something had to be done. Then father found a woman who was squeezing the milk from her own breasts; he begged her to give her milk to my sister. She said, My milk belongs to my child, who just passed away. I shall never give it to strangers. Father kneeled down on the ground and begged her again and again. Dying people around them also raised their voices saying, Your dead baby will never come back, but you can save this living baby. Please give your milk to her. Finally, the woman collecting herself, offered to do just that, and my sister was saved. On our side there was a well about 2 metres across. Wounded people peeped down into it. Having no means of scooping out the water, they ended up jumping into the well one after another, until it became a heap of people. Many died of suffocation. Some were still alive, but could not move because of the many dead people on top of them. Within the same day, we were infested with maggots. They were creeping about not only on dead bodies, but also in living peoples wounds. There was a bad smell all over the place.

Father had a responsibility to help other citizens, and he tried to go to the office to grasp the situation. Fires had started here and there; the river was filled with people and animals and furniture. Many people were gathering at the river to get water, so it was impossible for him to cross the river. Father gave up going to the office and decided to help the people around him. He announced that rescue would soon come, asked them to be patient, and tried to prevent rioting and plundering.

We could not fill our stomachs. I tried to eat cucumbers and eggplants which grew on the riverside, but spewed them out on the spot. After many years, I learned that those who ate them at that time died because of the radiation effects on the vegetables. Soon, night fell. I could not sleep at all and kept watching the blazing flames. Towards daybreak the fires were under control, but it was a morning of unearthly quiet. Mountain folds on the other side of the river showed no damage. My fathers colleague lived in that area, so we thought if we could get there, somehow we would be safe.

Father went back to the place where our house had been, and dug through the runs left by the fire, finding a bottle of some pickled scallions and plums. On a piece of unburned wood, he wrote, The Murakami family are all alive. I am staying at the house of my colleague. He left the sign there so that anybody coming to search for us could see it. My sister was fed by the woman once more. Father gave her the bottle of scallions and plums as a token of gratitude. I wonder what happened to her after she ate them, because Im afraid that the pickles also had been affected by the radiation. After many years when things were setting down, we tried very hard to inquire after her, but in vain. We always remember her with agony, wondering if those pickles had taken her life. I carried my sister on my back and took the arm of my brother. Father carried Mother on his back. Under a scorching sun, we started walking through the burnt out area with bare feet. The bottoms of our feet got burned and our skin stuck to the soil. Our pace was very slow. Always there was an emergency siren sounding. Mother seems very ill. I have to hurry on. Keiko, you come later. Father said to me. He put Mother into a baby carriage left on the road and started to run. I felt helpless but kept walking, trying very hard to protect my sister and brother. The house we reached was full of people who had fled from the city. Father managed to find a space for Mother to lie down among those who were fatally injured. My brother and I had no place because we had no injury. We kept standing, with our backs against the wall. In the evening of that day, we had the first meal after the bomb. It was a ball of boiled water with a few pieces of vegetables and some grain. I dipped a piece of cloth in the soup and had my sister suckle it. The next day, Fathers colleague got some skim milk from somewhere. Father melted the milk powder with a lantern and fed my sister, but my brother and I had nothing more to eat.

My grandfather and uncle saw the notice on the ruins of our house, and came looking for us. They explained, Its said that a special bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Father had to stay to help the people. Mother was seriously injured, and my sister had to be with her. So, it was decided that my grandfather and uncle would take my brother and me to my grandfathers place. Very early next morning we started walking. My brother and I had no clothes on and walked with our bare feet. We made a desperate effort to get through the area that had been burned out. I can still vividly remember what I saw that day. The familiar sights were all gone. The burned out area went as far as my eyes could see. The water pipes were broken everywhere. Around those places, many dead bodies were piled on top of each other, with lots of maggots on them. In hunger and thrust, they had come to at least have some water, and died. Under the crushed houses there were half burned bodies. Even with great effort not to step on the bodies, I did so many times. This memory is the one I shall have to carry all through my life. Even now, after more than 50 years, the soles of my feet ache when summer comes. In the evening, we arrived at my aunts house, which was about 10 kilometres north from the city centre. But it was full of victims, so one of the neighbours kindly let us stay one night. The next morning we started very early to avoid the heat of the sun. Many people were walking, fleeing to the mountain area, and there was a long queue of victims on the street. Some women were giving these people rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves. One rice ball for one person, they said. I received two rice balls for my brother and me, but I had to carry one in each hand. One of the women hugged my shoulders saying, Keep going. My brother and I wanted to eat the rice ball right there, but my grandfather spoke to us severely, Wait until we go much father, because we will have to go very, very far. It was really difficult to keep walking on the rough road with two rice balls in my hands. It was unbearably hot. After a long walk, we finally rested to eat the rice balls. Alas! The soybeans in the rice balls had become fermented and badly spoiled. Grandfather told us to drink water instead from the well of a nearby farmhouse. We drank some water and had to keep going with empty stomachs. I dont remember very well what happened after that, but we managed to walk for more than 50 kilometres, sometimes along the ridge of a cliff and other times through winding ravine, finally arriving at Grandfathers house at the end of the day. Already the family of my fathers sister had arrived, having fled from the city like us.

Grandfather, as a shrine carpenter, had only a small piece of farmland. All the neighbouring farmers had their own relatives to support, so it was hard for us to get enough food. My brother and I were lonely without our parents, and we were always hungry. I had hard times to comfort my brother.

One day in early fall, suddenly I had a severe stomach-ache. There was blood in my urine and faeces. I shook all over with a high fever. The only doctor in town said, It is dysentery. She must be kept in isolation. I was put in a dark storehouse. My hungry brother was crying outside, but I was forbidden by my grandmother and aunt from sharing my food with him. I was desperate. After several days, my cousin, who was two years younger than I, got sick. The doctor said the same thing about her illness; she died right after that. My aunt said, Keiko gave her the disease! She came to my bedside and kicked and hit me. With a high fever I could put up no resistance. She continued to do this. One day Grandmother found out about her violence toward me. Keiko is my dear granddaughter, she said. Whoever ill treats her must get out of my house! Then my aunt left the house and never returned. After the war, more than 20 years later, I met her, but we could not make peace. I did not receive any medical treatment, but just lay down for a month, and became a little better, but before I knew it, pus began oozing out of my ears, giving off a bad smell. The doctor said that it was because I was not keeping myself clean. So I took extra care to wash myself and wipe off the pus, but there was no sign of getting well. Somebody told me to apply the sap of the firewood, and I tried that, but my condition got worse. It was not reasonable that the doctors at that time diagnosed my illness as dysentery, since they had no knowledge about the A-Bomb. They didnt know until long afterwards that I was suffering from the after- effects of radioactivity.

Here, let me tell about my parents and my sister. After my brother and I went to grandfathers place, many temporary accommodations were built, and rescue activities were carried out in many places. An elementary school building which was only 600 metres from the spot where the atomic bomb was dropped, was not completely damaged because it was made of concrete. The outside walls were still standing. It was made into a temporary hospital for severely injured people. Father put Mother and my sister there. Mother had treatment for the first time after the bomb at a temporary hospital. She had lost her right eye, but after the doctor pulled out a piece of glass off her left eyelid, her eyeball was all right. The light came back! When the bomb was dropped, Mother had been hugging my sister, so although the baby had many pieces of glass stuck in her head and feet, the injuries were not serious. The hardest thing for her was the shortage of milk. The only thing to do was to cook the rationing food until it became very soft.

The mayor and many staff members were killed instantly by the bomb. With few civil servants left, Father worked day and night for the rebirth of the community. He did not care about his own injuries to the right half of his body. Once in a while he visited my brother and me, bringing lots of blankets and clothing for the victims. He tried to exchange those things for food with the neighbouring farmers, but he was not good at doing that. Sometimes he was deceived. One time he exchanged clothing for a bicycle to use for getting back and forth, but somebody stole it the same day.

In Hiroshima everything within 2 kilometres of the hypo-centre was destroyed. My house was 1.7 kilometres away, so it was a miracle that my family members were all alive and that my brother and I had no injuries. Within 4 kilometres, most houses were burned down. But a river 2.5 kilometres south of the hypo-centre had cut off the fire, so there were some houses left standing. Father rented one of these and repaired it by himself. At the end of fall, my brother and I went to live in this house with our parents and sister. From then on, my job was doing all the house chores and taking care of my Mother and sister. My ears were getting worse so I went to a hospital for treatment. To save money I walked straight to the hospital through the burned out area. There was rubble everywhere, but weeds were beginning to grow, which made me realise that I was alive and well. My ears were in bad condition, continuing to run. A nurse whispered to me, If only you have penicillin Before long, Father got three ampoules of penicillin. The nurse injected me with one ampoule and said, Please keep it a secret. Further she said, Bring an ampoule each time. Be careful not to be robbed on the way. After that, my ears became better and better.

Within the same year, kokumin gakkou or citizens school had its name changed to shogakkou or elementary school. Mot school buildings in the city were burned, and nearby schools were also damaged. Children had to study in combined classes. We shared textbooks. Most children did not have pencils nor notebooks. We listened to the teachers and memorised the words written on the blackboard. I went to school with my sister on my back. In my bag, instead of school supplies, there were diapers and a feeding bottle filled with vegetable soup. Being malnourished, my sister was always crying feebly on my back. Then all students looked at us with reproach. During the war, most children were evacuated, so they did not experience the atomic bomb blast. They did not know much about it. Thos who were injured or burned in the blast were still hospitalised or in bed at home. Often people who walked around and digged in the burned out areas or those who looked after the injured people were also affected by radioactivity. Many of those people tried to hide that they too were connected somehow to the atomic bomb explosion. So, I was the target of curiosity, and called child of Ganchi. Ganchi was a discriminatory word for a one eyed person. Because my mother had only one eye, they were mocking me.

At my parents suggestion, I entered a Christian middle high school. At the prefectural junior college I specialised in sociology. My intention was to work for peace, to do nothing to produce victims of war. After graduation from college, I began working for the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital, which was recently established in those days. My job was interviewing victims of radiation sickness and making records of their condition. Getting to know that there were people who had received more injuries than my family made me suffer everyday. In that hospital I made a close examination of myself. The result was that my red and white blood cells were fewer than average. I was always having dizziness which I thought was a constitutional thing. The news, then, that it came from radiation exposure gave me a shock. Ever since that time, I have been having regular examinations, but the number of the blood cells are always under average. The Lord has helped me live up to this time, for which I am humbly grateful. The work in the hospital was so painful for me that I had to quit after a little more than a year. I think I was too young to continue this hard job. I change directions and became a beautician.

My mother had a big scar on her face, so she hated to have her photograph taken. In fact, I have no photographs of my mother and me taken together. But after I became a beautician, I permed and dyed her hair and made her look as beautiful as she wanted. Mother was always sick in bed, but she was the strong spiritual support of the family, especially while her children were growing up. Because of her being physically challenged we acquired the attitude of always supporting the weak. She kept saying, I lost my eye, and Im feeble and always sick. But I think it was a great fortune that only one of the family members was injured seriously, and that it was I. She lived for 31 years after the war. She could visit church only one time, but her favourite book was the Bible. She memorised Mathew chapter 5 and 6, and acted according to those words. You should live for the sake of other people. Then, other people will live for the sake of you. This was the message she left me the day before she passes away. My sister who miraculously recovered was always feeble. But God gave her a wonderful talent. She became a singer of childrens songs and spent much time working at the Hiroshima Broadcasting Station. Many times we eagerly listened to her beautiful voice on the radio in the morning. When she was in high school, she and her school chorus group won first prize at the national school chorus competition. In this event, she was very active as the soprano soloist. Right after that, she had some problem with her thyroid gland and heart, which made her change her routine. I have no courage to tell about her present situation. My brother has been blessed with health. But, of course, he has had to endure being a member of a family with radiation victims. He married a woman who had lost her father during the war, and now they have two sons. Father went to heaven in 1994, at the age of 87. It was spring, his favourite season, with lots of cherry blossoms all around.

I have visited many foreign countries, and have received many non-Japanese friends in my home. Through this experience, I have learned that every country has experienced the tragedy of war. Japan has a history of repressing Asian countries. The world accuses Japan for lacking effort to confess our true history to younger generations, so that the past mistakes will not be repeated. I feel guilty for this countrys not apologising for the past deeds, rather, trying to grow economically as fast as possible. God has given us wisdom of culture and civilisation. We must develop it with humble love as the medium. I would like to continue to talk about the peace of past, present, and future with all the people I meet. To be able to do this, Id like to live a little longer!