80 Years On: Orphaned Hibakusha Conveys Reality of A-Bomb

   Hiroshima, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--An 83-year-old orphaned hibakusha atomic bomb survivor continues to speak out about the reality of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 80 years ago.
   Kunihiko Iida was 3 years old when the United States dropped the bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II. He has made it his mission to share his experience, believing that conveying the truth of the bomb will "lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons."
   Iida was exposed to the bombing with his 25-year-old mother, Toshiko, and his 4-year-old sister, Makiko, in the home of Toshiko's parents roughly 900 meters from the hypocenter.
   After a flash of light, Iida was blown into the air with the tatami mat under him, and shards of glass pierced his face and arms. Exposure to the bomb discolored their bodies and caused their hair to fall out.
   They fled to the home of his mother's cousin, but his mother and sister both suffered necrosis starting in their legs and died a month after the bombing.

(2025/08/06-08:30)