THE WAR 70 YEARS ON

70 years ago this month, the first and only atomic bombings in history occurred. Hiroshima was the first city to be attacked, and then Nagasaki, 3 days later. Some people were exposed to radiation from both bombs. Very little has been written about these double victims. NHK recently spoke with one of them.

Notes from a survivor give a first-person account of what happened in both cities in the summer of 1945.

"The flash of light was blinding."

"Hot air came blowing towards me."

"It was a living hell."
The words were written by Kuniyoshi Aikawa, now 82. When the bomb fell, he was at home in Hiroshima -- about 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter -- and went to seek shelter in Nagasaki. By the time he arrived, the bomb had fallen there too. For decades, he avoided recounting his experience.

He says that from a distance, Nagasaki was covered by black smoke. People suffered burns there, just like the victims in Hiroshima. He says it made him break out in goose bumps.

Aikawa says very few people have gone through the experience twice, and he thought talking about it would have brought him discrimination.

This June, Aikawa had plenty of time to think. He was in a hospital in Nagasaki for surgery. The view from the window reminded him of his horrific memories. He remembered the scene at Michino-o Station in Nagasaki, just after he arrived from Hiroshima. He says bodies were lying everywhere, and there was nowhere to walk. He says it was like approaching hell.

 

Only 18 people are known to have experienced the suffering in both cities. One woman is working to preserve their testimony. Miyako Jyodai is a survivor of the Nagasaki blast herself. She says she was surprised to find out that he had been exposed twice. Seventy years have gone by, and she says no one else is likely to come forward after so much time.

Jyodai paid a visit to Aikawa in the hospital. She introduced herself and mentioned she survived the bombing in Nagasaki. She told him she was surprised to hear about his experience, and asked if he would tell her about it. Little by little, Aikawa began to open up. He recalled a memory when a woman beside him extended her hand and begged for water. He gave her some. She drank it and thanked him, but after a while, she stopped moving. He looked over, and she was dead. He thought maybe he was responsible, and that worried him for a while.

Jyodai says she understands. She recalls they were told later on not to give victims water because they would die. Somehow, Aikawa managed to find his way to his grandparents' home. Jyodai says he did well to survive. Now, he's decided it's time to tell what he knows. His story can then be retold, even after he is no longer able to tell it himself.