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Japan A-bomb survivors’ group to release 500th monthly newsletter
© The Mainichi Kazuto Yoshida, left, and Masako Kudo are seen reflecting on the history of the newsletter “Hidankyo” at the headquarters of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Aug. 21, 2020. (Mainichi/Kayo Mukuda)
TOKYO — Japan’s sole national organization of A-bomb survivors, or “hibakusha,” will release in September its 500th monthly newsletter since its launch in 1976, as it continues to fulfill its role of sharing the voices of survivors while also connecting them with one another.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, also known as Nihon Hidankyo, issues the newsletter “Hidankyo” on the 6th of every month. The circular was launched in 1976 against a backdrop of increased global anti-nuclear sentiment and a movement demanding compensation for A-bomb survivors. Nihon Hidankyo has continued to publish its newsletters while some organizations operating on a prefectural scale have been left with no choice but to dissolve or suspend their activities due to the aging of the hibakusha.
The first issue of the Hidankyo newsletter shows a picture of a sit-in protest in front of the former Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, along with a headline which literally translates to “Raising the tide of the hibakusha movement even further.” Although the newsletter had initially been issued irregularly, monthly publication began in 1979. At one point it had a circulation of over 20,000 copies. The figure now stands at about 10,000. The newsletter continues to share information about activities including online sessions where survivors speak of their experiences and efforts toward the implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The newsletter is also being delivered overseas to Brazil, South Korea and the United States, among other countries.
“It is the world’s only bulletin on A-bomb survivors. It is a collection of records that document the survivors’ wishes and what kind of movements they’ve engaged in. I think that it has value on par with a world heritage listing,” said Kazuto Yoshida, 88, former deputy chief of Nihon Hidankyo’s administrative office, who also served as the editor in chief for the newsletter from 1980. Yoshida, who became involved in the newsletter shortly after it was first published, was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb in the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki when he was 13 years old. Although he did not sustain any severe injuries, he has devoted himself to movements supporting A-bomb survivors for many years, as he felt that maybe someone else had died in place of him during the bombings.
Yoshida has an especially strong attachment to the newsletter issued in January 1981. An advisory council to the welfare minister that discussed relief measures for A-bomb survivors had just submitted a report which was criticized for upholding the doctrine that victims who suffered war damages should endure and accept the losses incurred during a state of national emergency. Yoshida sent out a letter to public figures from various fields asking them to provide comments for the newsletter, and received contributions voicing anger from Kenzaburo Oe, a writer and Nobel laureate, as well as geochemist Yasuo Miyake.
“Hiroshima Shoenzu” (“The Holocaust at Hiroshima”), a work by Hiroshima painter Ikuo Hirayama, who created the piece based on his experience of the atomic bombing, was shown in the newsletter of August 1981, which marked the 25th anniversary of the organization’s establishment. Yoshida visited the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum with a photographer to take photos of the artwork. He recounted the memory, saying, “Curators with gloves on carried out the folding screen slowly and quietly.”
The editorial group consisting of seven members is currently in charge of decision-making. The yearly subscription fee is set at 1,500 yen, which has remained unchanged for over 30 years, to encourage more people to read the bulletin. The newsletter also provides useful information for daily life, including on nursing insurance. The organization plans to compile comments from readers in its 500th issue to be released on Sept. 6. Masako Kudo, 58, who is in charge of editing, owns a handbook for creating the circular, which reads, “This is a newsletter that ‘visits’ atomic bomb victims every month and is something they can turn to while encouraging one another.” Kudo commented, “I completely agree with this. We’d like to value the voices of the hibakusha.”
For inquiries regarding subscriptions, phone Nihon Hidankyo at 03-3438-1897 (in Japanese).
(Japanese original by Kayo Mukuda, City News Department)
Source: MSN
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