U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his fellow Group of Seven foreign ministers laid wreaths at the cenotaph in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on April 11.
On the day before, a funeral was held for an atomic bomb survivor.
Early on the morning of Aug. 6 in 1945, she spoke with her parents and younger brother as usual before going to her elementary school. This was her last opportunity with her parents and younger brother, because they were killed by the atomic bomb. When she entered her school, the bomb exploded. Fortunately she would live, but eventually she became the only survivor of the school, though her teacher and a friend remained alive for a certain period of time.
I hesitate to describe her life as an atomic bomb survivor in detail. However, in spite of fiercely fighting for life against health problems and discrimination, after first hiding her past she became an evangelist of peace, telling as many people as possible for the rest of her life that we should not repeat the nuclear tragedies under any circumstances. She believed it was her mission to tell her own experience to people around the world by every means, such as talks, DVDs, movies and any other way possible.
We will never forget her and her message, relaying to future generations as well as making every effort to create a nuke-free world. I pray and believe that she is at last happy with the reunion with her family in paradise.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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