Interview with Nagasaki School Children

What message would you send to the nuclear weapon states?

Eri
“You mentioned influence (interviewer had mentioned influence of bomb in lead up to interview). The truth is that it effects generation to generation. I have a bruise on my back that if it gets any bigger then it could effect me seriously and I believe it is attached to my grandmother being Hibaksha. Even though I have this bruise it is too scary to go to hospital. This is the same for all third generation Hibaksha. We are too scared to get medical attention. If the bomb was not dropped I would not need to feel nervous of my own body. I don’t want other young people to feel nervous of their bodies.”

Kazuto
“My grandmother is Hibaksha and I guess my grandmother went through terrifying atomic bomb. Maybe these harsh experiences could be witnessing love ones deformed, friends’ burning, walking around the city desperate and not knowing what to do. My grandmother is alive but she could be dead. If she was dead I wouldn’t be here, my parents wouldn’t so I wouldn’t. So I feel myself that me being alive must be really lucky thing. So if the bomb had not been dropped then other Hibakusha children would be here. The fact is because of the bomb people that should be here are dead and this is an unchangeable fact. It has taken away lives of people like him that could have been born. Never repeat that sadness. I demand that nuclear weapon states abolish their weapons. I don’t want to see the faces of people suffering from the effects of the bomb ever again. The atrocities will be carved on future generations not just on the victims. These hibaksha could have lived as normal beings, same could be said of the second and third generation hibasksha.

The third generation Hibaksha doesn’t like to be addressed as Hibaksha. So I demand they abolish nuclear weapons so that people like me don’t have to feel different anymore.”

Originally I intended to interview these students about their project to collect signatures to abolish nuclear weapons. The intention was to collect the information revise it and provide an edited version for the purposes of this manual. However the stories told and the sentiments expressed need no dilution, their passion and power speak for themselves and I would do them no justice by intervening. Below is as close to an accurate account as could record, word for word for what they chose to share with me.

Five High School pupils were present at the interview: Sachiko Eto (18), Eri Baba (17), Sakura Sasano (16), Rie Kondo (17), Kazuto Nakamura (17). Two Youth Ambassadors were present: Iain Naughton (24) and Zahora Omar (20). The translator was Hazuki Yasuhara

What is your project about?

Sachiko
“Our activity is a to collect a petition of 10,000 signatures organized by high school students from Nagasaki. Calls for everyone for abolition of nuclear weapons everywhere and a peaceful society. Not only getting signed in Nagasaki but by many people in Japan also many other places like Brazil. Can be taken up by high schools, Hibakusha, support groups anyone.

Started by a girl called Mayumi Ishi Zuka. She was the third peace ambassador to visit Geneva and went to Auswitz. She was very moved by this visit and wanted to do something so she started the petition. Another campaign associated to this is the 10,000 pencil campaign where we are collecting 10,000 pencils to send to children of developing countries. Pencils chose cause the shape is similar to bomb and want o replace bombs with pencils.”

Sakura
“Every year the petition is taken from Nagasaki to UN in Geneva.”

How many signatures have you collected now?

Eri
“We count year by year. This year cause it is 60 years we were aiming for 60,000 already have 80,000. 80,622.”

How are they collected from around the world?

Sakura
“In the global campaign they are collected all round the world. Huge network all round the world. We visit the places ourselves and collect signatures, sometimes people in these places collect signatures and become part of the programme. The places we visit changes depending on each year last year it was Brazil and New Zealand. Different places each year. Funding comes from purely donations from civil society no corporate funding.

Within Japan other high schools support us. Nagasaki is a big tourist place so we get a lot of signatures from that. We are part of the peace education so some people get to hear about us that way. On this boat there are many schools which have brought petitions for us to collect.

Personally deliver the petition to the chairperson of the UN disarmament Committee. It is recorded and stored at the UN. Every time it is delivered we speak directly to this person last time he said ‘you are the ones who create the futures so when you come back next year I want enough petitions to fill up this room’.”

How did you get involved and why?

Rie
“Just talking at school with friends wanted to do volunteer work. My mum brought home a pencil campaign brochure. I talked to my friends and they got involved. I heard about the petition campaign from it. I was too busy when I firs got to high school but when I got used to it I sent an email and got involved.”

Eri
“My junior high school is very close to ground zero. So we have a very good peace education. They have lots of input. I hated peace education because it was always drummed into us. We had to school even though everyone else had a holiday. Although I hated it I’m a third generation Hibakusha. I knew ground zero, the museum and visited a lot of places. I had a basic knowledge. I was shocked when I graduated and went to a school further away from ground zero. These students didn’t even know even though they were from Nagasaki. This made me think I had o do something to translate to future generation. Cannot let memories disappear. I wanted to do something. Motivation is to spread message our generation to get as many youth involve as possible. Not visiting the UN or any of that stuff.”

Much of this I did not know before this interview, their candidness and spirit should stand as testimony to us all. They are our hope for the future, our inspiration for the present and a constant reminder of the horrors of the past. It was an honour to be considered their friend and share in their experience.

Iain Naughton, UK

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