80 Years On: Hibakusha Gives Account in English, Urging Dialogue for Peace

   Hiroshima, Aug. 19 (Jiji Press)--Teruko Yahata, 88, who survived the August 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, began studying English five years ago so she could share her experiences with a wider audience and convey the horrors of nuclear weapons.
   Yahata, a hibakusha atomic bombing survivor recognized by the Hiroshima city government as an official witness, says she believes that "creating openings for dialogue and resolving (differences) is the path to peace."
   Eighty years after the nuclear attack, and amid rising international tensions, she continues to bear witness to the human toll of nuclear war and to voice her hopes for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
   On Aug. 6, 1945, Yahata was 8 years old, standing in the backyard of her home about 2.5 kilometers from the hypocenter, when the atomic bomb exploded.
   "The entire sky flashed a pale blue, like a huge fluorescent light," she recalls. When she attempted to drop to the ground, she blacked out. Coming to, she found herself at the front entrance, hurled 5 or 6 meters, with blood running from a cut on her forehead, a scar that remains to this day.

(2025/08/19-10:30)