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families of my two aunts who lived the explosion were horrible. I think
A Life Shaped by the Blast near the hypocenter. I hiked up a even during war time, nuclear weap- The devastating experience paved
small hill with my mother…There I ons should not be used and must be the way for Tanaka to embark on his
saw the destruction of Nagasaki. All banned forever,” the survivor says. lifetime career of pushing for peace,
houses were burnt and corpses scat- while he worked as an academic at the
tered around. Many people were badly About 140,000 people died in Hi- university.
injured. They were still alive, but no- roshima and 70,000 people died in
body could help them. I had no emo- Nagasaki from August to December “I was quite healthy at that time.
tions…not even sympathy. I just kept 1945, according to the International I also had a job with a stable income.
walking to find my aunts,” Tanaka re- Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weap- I decided to help other atomic bomb
calls. ons. survivors who lived worse lives,” Tan-
Despite all the hardship, Tanaka aka says.
“I found the burnt-out body of one was determined to resume his study.
aunt at the ruins of her house which “I had to work for five years to save The Japan Confederation of A-
was 400 meters away from the hypo- up money for my university studies. I and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations,
center, and the body of her grandson, managed to be admitted to a universi- also known as Nihon Hidankyo, was
who was a student from Tokyo Uni- ty and my major was physics,” he says. founded in 1956. Tanaka offered help
versity. Her grandson travelled back to the organization in Miyagi Prefec-
home to Nagasaki in hope of having ture. Later, he was invited to become a
food to eat. Food was scarce during member of the organization.
war time. He was killed by the atomic
bomb before heading back to Tokyo. “My duty was to understand the
My grandfather also died because of situation of the survivors in different
severe burns all over his body,” he places and help them. I also led atom-
shares. ic bomb survivors to testify at the
United Nations, and held an atomic
“Another aunt’s house collapsed bomb exhibition at the UN every five
and the whole place became a pile of years,” he shares.
wood. It took us a long time to figure
At 93, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Terumi Tanaka out where the house was. My aunt was “I believe all these efforts led to
shares his harrowing memories of the atomic bombing severely burned, and died just before the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nu-
we arrived. We then cremated her re-
clear Weapons in 2017, and we were
and a lifetime dedicated to ending nuclear weapons. mains with our own hands. When we at last awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
picked up some unburned bones, I in 2024,” he adds.
person of the anti-nuclear weapons felt sad and was in fear. Then I began
By Della Qing in Toyko group says in a sharing session with “I lost consciousness when I got to to wail. My mother didn’t say a word. Tanaka stresses maintaining
students of the Chinese University of the first floor. When I woke up, I found She was desperately suppressing her peace requires dialogue and coopera-
Atomic bomb survivor Terumi Hong Kong in Tokyo. that my home was flattened. The wind emotions,” Tanaka sighs. tion between different countries: “I
Tanaka who received the Nobel Peace was very hot. Two large pieces of glass hope everyone will talk more about
Prize in 2024 on behalf of Nihon Hi- The date was August 9, 1945. Tan- pressed against me. It was a miracle Tanaka says everyone lived in ter- peace rather than war - how to main-
dankyo shares his story of struggles aka heard the roar of a Boeing B-29 that I was somehow spared from inju- ror and anxiety, as they did not know Terumi Tanaka getting ready for tain peace and create peace, rather
with university students, as wars in Superfortress bomber carrying out its ries,” he continues. if they had internal injuries which sharing session. than discussing possible wars or what
the Middle East and Europe continue mission flying over Nagasaki. could take their lives any time. to do when war happens.”
in 2025 – a year that marks the 80th Tanaka, former associate professor He began reading more about
anniversary of the end of World War “I never expected it to drop such in the school of engineering at Tohoku “My uncle, after staying a few days social science when he was back in Edited By Suan Yeon & Kieon Paek
II. a terrifying weapon…Suddenly the University, explains energy generated at a relative’s home, suddenly had a school. “The terrible condition that
whole world turned completely white. by the explosion can cause damage by fever and died ten days later because we suffered made me think, me and Sub-edited By Erica Hwang
“I was at home in Nagasaki when I could not see or hear anything. I hot rays emitted by the flash of light, of the visceral injury caused by radia- my family did not do anything wrong,
the explosion happened. My home ran to the first floor. Then an intense radiation, and hot winds. tion,” he adds. why we were so unfortunate. I then
was 3.23 kilometers away from the shock wave passed through our entire realised that I must do something to
hypocenter. I was 13,” the co-chair- house,” he recalls. “Three days later, I went to find “The deaths I witnessed after push for changes,” he says.