The Chugoku Shimbun

Aug 6, 2002
Sharing the common legacy of the atomic bombing
― Hiroshima’s day of prayer

Today Hiroshima observes the 57th anniversary of the atomic bombing. With the average age of the hibakusha now in the 70s, the solemnity of August 6, 1945 deepens.

Over the last year, the world turned its back on Hiroshima’s ceaseless cry for lasting peace. Instead, it was rocked by successive acts of terrorism and retribution. With India and Pakistan teetering at the edige of nuclear war, the world flounders in chaos. Even against this background, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda made the unacceptable statement that Japan should reconsider its three non-nuclear principles.

“Let all souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.” Elderly hibakusha have been silently praying in front of the Memorial Cenotaph in the hallowed ground of Peace Memorial Park in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, since before dawn. As they quietly place their hands together, the people of Hiroshima fervently hope that the memory of the atomic bombing 57 years ago will become a shared human legacy, and that the message sent by Hiroshima will help make this century one of peace and humanity.
2002/08/06/00:15
The A-bomb Dome stands next to the Motoyasu River in Naka-ku, Hiroshima City. This "witness to the atomic bombing" perpetually conveys memories of that day.
2002/08/06/00:45
"I am alive today because of my grandfather." Self-employed Tsuneshi Nishioka (52) and his wife Yuriko (50) of 3-chome Higashino, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima City, quietly offer incense in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims.
2002/08/06/00:25
"Sleep here in peace..." Starting at midnight on the 6th, people begin coming to the Memorial Cenotaph to pray for the souls of their relatives.
2002/08/06/01:50
"I'm older now than my mother, who was 46 when she died." Kazuko Yoshino (48) of Fukushima-cho, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City, says, "Every year I come at this time to avoid the heat of the day."
2002/08/06/05:50
"I lost six uncles and aunts. At 8:15, we'll be sitting in front of our Buddhist altar." Joined by his family, Tadashi Sumida places his hands together at Saikokuji Temple just across the street east of the A-bomb Dome.
2002/08/06/06:45
At the A-bomb Victims Memorial Ceremony conducted at the A-bomb Memorial Mound in Peace Memorial Park, company employee Masahei Yanazawa (left, 63) of Nekoya-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City offers flowers representing bereaved families. "Two of my grandchildren (a first-year student in elementary school and a three-year-old) will be with me all day up through the lantern floating this evening."
2002/08/06/07:40
An air of solemnity envelops the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Peace Memorial Park.
2002/08/06/08:00
Atomic bomb survivors and Prime Minister Koizumi are among the 45,000 participants in the Peace Memorial Ceremony.
2002/08/06/08:15
At 8:15, the time the bomb dropped, participants silently pray for the repose of the victims' souls and lasting peace.
2002/08/06/08:15
The ringing of the Peace Bell starts a "die-in" around the A-bomb Dome. Around 400 students from junior high schools in northern Hiroshima Prefecture and others pray for the repose of the victims' souls as they appeal for peace.
2002/08/06/09:05
"I was at home in Nishi Kan-non-cho when the pillars around me toppled and glass shattered everywhere." Toshiko Miyoshi (80) of Kameyama Minami, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima City, gazes at the A-bomb Dome as she relates her memories to daughter Yasuko Yoshimura (59), granddaughter Misako Taguchi (35), grandson Hiroshi Fukuoka (29), and great grandson Yudai Fukuoka (2).
2002/08/06/15:00
At 3:00 p.m., the temperature is 32.9 degrees Celsius. Despite the oppressive heat, people continue to pray in front of the Memorial Cenotaph.
2002/08/06/19:30
For the sixth time this year, the A-bomb Dome is encircled by 2,500 orange-colored "peace candles." Children in Hiroshima Prefecture wrote messages and drew drawings on the theme "dream."
2002/08/06/19:40
"No more wars." "Rest in peace." Brightly colored paper lanterns covered with messages written in Japanese, English, Hangul, and other languages quiver as they float down the Motoyasu River.
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