During the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6th 1944, American soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division who had stormed Omaha Beach in France were killed by the German army, and their bodies lay scattered across the beach.

     On June 6th 1944, during the Allied invasion of Normandy, soldiers from the US 1st Infantry Division stormed the beach at Omaha Beach in France, but were killed by the German army and their bodies scattered across the sand.The names of 4,427 soldiers are inscribed on the National D-Day Memorial, including 2,510 American soldiers and 1,917 soldiers from allied countries who died in the battle. The Germans lost around 2,000 men.

      On June 6th 1944, on the Western Front of World War II, the Allies invaded German-occupied France and carried out the Normandy Landings. Omaha Beach is an 8km section of the Normandy coast of France that faces the English Channel. The main force of the landing troops on Omaha Beach was the US Army, which gained a continuous 8km beachhead on the Normandy coast of the Seine Bay. The US Army that landed on Omaha Beach worked in cooperation with the British Army to the east and the 7th Army Corps of Utah to the west.

     The German 352nd Infantry Division was the one to oppose the Normandy landings. Of its 12,020 men, 6,800 were combat-experienced troops, and they were dispatched to defend a 53km front line. The German attack repelled the Allied naval attack at the water's edge, and the defense was mainly deployed in the assault bases along the coast.

    The first assault by the Allied forces did not weaken the defenses on the Normandy coast, and the ships that followed were unable to land. Most of the landing craft, which had difficulty navigating, missed their targets on June 6th. The German defenses were unexpectedly strong, and the landing American forces suffered considerable casualties. Amidst the heavy German fire, the US Army Corps of Engineers struggled to clear the obstacles on the beach. The remaining assault troops, weakened by casualties immediately after landing, were unable to clear the exits on the Normandy beaches. This caused delays in subsequent landings, and ultimately the surviving troops made a day-long assault. A small-scale invasion was achieved by climbing over the cliffs between the most heavily defended points. By the end of the day on June 6, two small isolated footholds had been gained. After that, the weakened German lines inland were attacked, and on June 7 the original Normandy D-Day objective was achieved.

During the Battle of Saipan, American troops gave first aid to a seriously injured Japanese soldier on June 23, 1944. After that, they laid the Japanese soldier on a stretcher on his back, but it was too late and he died in battle.

 　　During the Battle of Saipan, American troops gave first aid to a seriously injured Japanese soldier on June 23, 1944. After that, they laid the Japanese soldier on a stretcher on his back, but it was too late and he died in battle. Next to him, the bodies of Japanese soldiers who had died in battle lay scattered on the road on Saipan's west coast.

　　The battle for Saipan, where the American army landed on June 15th 1944, saw the Japanese army's defensive line stretch from Garapan on the west coast to the south slope of Mount Tapachu to Magician's Bay on the east coast. The Japanese army occupied the high ground on Saipan Island, monitoring the movements of the American army, and the rugged terrain was filled with caves hidden by trees and plants. The American attack was renewed on June 22. The 2nd Marine Division on the west coast invaded towards Garapan and Mount Tapachu, while the 4th Marine Division invaded along the east coast. That night, the 27th Infantry Division invaded at Nafutan Point and moved into the difficult terrain between the two Marine divisions.

　　On June 22, the Marine divisions on the flanks invaded, but the 27th Infantry Division, which had started its attack late, was stalled in its attack on the valley surrounding the low ridge defended by about 4,000 Japanese soldiers. The fighting around the terrain that American soldiers called “Death Valley” and “Purple Heart Ridge” began to bend the American advance into a horseshoe shape. A gap was created on the flanks of the Marine Division, and they were forced to stop.

　General Holland Smith became frustrated with the 27th Division and relieved its commander, Major General Ralph Smith, replacing him with Major General Sanford C. German of the Army. The appropriateness of Smith's dismissal caused a dispute between the services. Even with a change of commander, it took six days to capture the valley. Even after German was replaced as division commander, there was no significant progress in the battle situation. German removed Colonel Russell G. Ayers, the commander of the 106th Infantry Regiment, from his position due to his responsibility for the delay in the advance, but this had the opposite effect of lowering the morale of the 27th Infantry Division, and four days later, on June 28th, the division commander was replaced again, this time with Major General George W. Greener. The dismissal was called the “Smith vs. Smith Incident” and became a major problem within the US military, causing major problems with the coordination of the three services. In the Battle of Okinawa, which was a large-scale operation involving the three services, the overall commander of the land operations was Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner of the Army, but the Navy and Marine Corps were hesitant to go against the Army, making it difficult to make proactive proposals for operations, and this was one of the reasons for the difficult battle of Okinawa.

Almost all of the Japanese garrison on Saipan, around 30,000 men, were killed in the battle. In the end, 1,700 Japanese soldiers and around half of the Korean workers were taken prisoner. The American military suffered around 16,500 casualties, with 3,100 killed and 13,000 wounded, and of the 71,000 men who were part of the attacking force, more than 20% were killed or wounded.

On April 28, 1945, at the end of World War II, 15 fascist leaders were shot dead by a squad of 12 partisans led by Riccardo at Dongo on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy.

 　　On April 28th 1945, at the end of World War II, 15 senior fascist officials were shot dead by a partisan firing squad led by Riccardo, who called himself by his battle name, in Dongo on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. In the morning of April 27th, a column of fascist officials fleeing towards Valtellina was abducted by partisans in Dongo were abducted by partisans from Dongo. At 17:47 on April 28, they shot 15 fascist leaders lined up on the shore of Lake Dongo. The 15 fascists were lined up on the metal railing on the lakeside of the town, facing the lake and with their backs to the firing squad, and executed by firing squad. In the evening, the executed bodies were taken to Milan.

　　From April 10th 1945, Italian partisans, patriots and civilians liberated the main cities one after another, regardless of the intentions of the Allied forces. The isolated German forces surrendered, and Benito Mussolini's regime showed signs of its terminal illness. On April 28, a firing squad made up of 12 partisans was formed, and Riccardo, whose real name was Alfredo Mordini, was appointed commander of the firing squad.

　　Mussolini arrived in Milan in the evening of April 18th 1945 and settled in the prefectural office. On April 25th, the National Liberation Committee demanded unconditional surrender to the republican government at the Archbishop's residence in Milan. Mussolini was put on trial by the Italian People's Court. On April 26, the National Liberation Committee took control of the government. On April 27, Mussolini and the others were forcibly taken from Lake Como to Milan. Mussolini was shot dead in the courtyard of the De Maria residence in Bonzanigo on the morning of April 28th, between shortly after 9am and just before 10am. On April 29th, Mussolini's body, along with those of his mistress Clara Betta and other senior Fascist officials, were hanged upside down in Piazza Loreto in Milan.

　　The written agreement for the surrender of Caserta on April 29, 1945 officially decided the surrender of the German and Italian Fascist forces on the Italian front. On May 2, the Italian front came to an end when the German Army's Southwest Group surrendered unconditionally to the British Army.

On November 21, 2024, in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip of Palestine, Mahmoud bin Hassan mourned the bodies of his two eldest children and his daughter, who had died before the funeral.

    On November 21, 2024, in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip of Palestine, Mahmoud bin Hassan mourned the bodies of his three children before their funeral. On November 21, in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip of Palestine, a man kissed the bodies of three children who were being carried for burial. Hamza, aged seven , his five-year-old brother Abdellaziz and his four-year-old sister Layla Hassan were among nine people killed in Khan Younis on November 20 in an Israeli attack. The graves of three children from the same family who were killed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, November 21, were covered with earth during a burial ceremony.According to Palestinian health officials, the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas has exceeded 44,000.

    On November 21, 2024, in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, after the funeral of her three children, their mother, Aliji al-Qadi, wept as she dressed them in their clothes. Mother Aliji al-Qadi shows her daughter Layla's dress. On November 21, in a tent in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, she showed a photo of one of her three dead children while holding her fourth child, her father Mahmoud bin Hassan, who is still alive.

    Since July 21, 2024, Israeli air raids have intensified in Khan Younis in northeastern Palestine. Palestinian refugees headed for the Al-Mawasi neighborhood of Khan Younis. The Al-Mawasi neighborhood has no resources to support the large number of civilians, and there is no shelter or humanitarian aid to save lives. Even though the Israeli military claims it is a humanitarian zone, air strikes and shelling continue, and the UN Human Rights Office has stated that there is no safe place in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian health authorities, the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas has exceeded 44,000. The Gaza Ministry of Health does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts, but it says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, but it has not provided evidence.

Warning: A man kisses the body one of three children as they are carried for burial in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday Nov. 21, 2024. Seven-year-old Hamza, his five-year-old brother Abdelaziz, and his four-year-old sister Laila Hassan were among 9 people killed by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis on Wednesday. Palestinian health officials say the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Akira Yamaguchi, who was exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, suffered burns to both forearms on April 8, 1947.

　　　　　　　Undisclosed photos of Japanese

Atomic-bomb survivors

U.S. Atomic Bomb Surveys

The National Archives College Park, Maryland

February 23, 2024 

SC-298047

SC-298047

14819 X(FEO-47-73152)X

8 APRIL 1947

HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMS SURVIVOR 

RETAINS SCARS FROM INJURIES:

AKIRA YAMAGUCHI RETAINS HEAVY SCARS FOLLOWING THE HEALING OF BURNS SUSTAINED FROM THE ATOMTO BOMB EXPLOSION AT HIROSHIMA. 

HE WAS SEEN AT THE POST OFFICE THERE.

PHOTOGRAPHER - BLOCK

Atomic Bomb Casualties

RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION, PUBLIC INFORMATION DIVISION,WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON

Photograph by Signal Corps US. ARMY

During the Battle of Saipan, a Japanese soldier who had been seriously injured by tetanus was treated for tetanus on the aircraft carrier USS Sargent Bay on July 28, 1944. He soon died of tetanus infection and his body was buried in the Pacific Ocean.

    During the Battle of Saipan in the Pacific War of World War II, the American military took prisoner a Japanese soldier who was seriously ill with tetanus. On the aircraft carrier USS Sargent Bay, the prisoner was treated for tetanus on July 28th 1944. He soon died of tetanus infection and his body was buried in the Pacific Ocean. After a period of 3 days to 3 weeks of being infected with tetanus bacteria, symptoms such as difficulty opening the mouth, stiffness in the neck, and body pain appear. After that, numbness and pain spread throughout the body, and after the appearance of a posture that bends the whole body into a bow and breathing difficulties, death occurs.

    As the situation for the Japanese forces in the Battle of Saipan worsened, the Allied forces produced a large number of leaflets and newspapers calling for mass surrender, and many of these were dropped into the hands of Japanese soldiers, along with submission forms that explained how to surrender. With the situation becoming increasingly desperate, an increasing number of Japanese soldiers were swayed by the sweet whispers of the leaflets and loudspeakers. The psychological tendency of Japanese soldiers to understand the claims of the leaflets and respond to them was cultivated. Japanese prisoners of war were to play a role in spreading the wisdom of how to adapt to captivity and life in the camps to the Japanese people as a whole when they returned home after the surrender.

   The Office of War Information (OWI) and other American military agencies and units began to use leaflets and loudspeakers to encourage surrender, and they stepped up their propaganda efforts. The number of soldiers appearing from the jungle with surrender papers increased. Among the many Japanese soldiers who were hesitant to surrender, a small number of voluntary surrenderers appeared. As the war situation deteriorated further, deserters from units that still had fighting strength also began to appear. The number of cases of sick or injured soldiers who were unable to move due to illness or starvation being captured by the enemy American forces and becoming prisoners of war increased. The number of cases of soldiers falling asleep away from the main Japanese army and being attacked by American-backed indigenous guerrillas and becoming prisoners of war also increased. There were also cases of people who had failed to commit suicide using grenades or razors surrendering. 

 

An der Westfront des Ersten Weltkriegs lagen im Juli 1916 in der Nähe der belgischen Grenze in den Schützengräben der Schlacht von Fromelles in Frankreich die Leichen britischer Soldaten, die von der deutschen Armee getötet und getötet wurden.

　　On the Western Front of World War I, British soldiers were killed and their bodies scattered in the trenches by German troops during the Battle of Fromelles in France near the Belgian border in July 1916. The attack on Fromelles on July 19, 1916, was a large-scale and brutal battle fought by British and Australian troops on the Western Front. On July 1st, the Allied forces prevented the German army from reinforcing their troops in the Somme area, where they were planning a major offensive, but it was a disaster.

　　In the evening of July 19th, 1916, the British and Australian forces aimed to capture the front line at Sugar Loaf. The British artillery bombardment, which began on July 16th, alerted the German army to the invasion. The British troops moved into position on July 19, but were observed by the Germans at close range. The Germans fired heavy artillery at the British and Australian troops' assembly point and communication trenches, causing hundreds of casualties.

　　The other Australian troops attacked the uninhabited area on the other side of Sugar Loaf. The Germans, who had defended against the British artillery fire, attacked with machine guns and annihilated the attacking Australian troops. The British troops who attacked the south side of Sugarloaf were similarly annihilated. The Australian troops launched another attack after the operation was delayed, and suffered a similarly disastrous annihilation.

　　On the morning of July 20th, the Australian troops, who had broken through the German lines, were forced to retreat back to their original positions. The Australian troops suffered 5,533 casualties in one night, making it the worst 24 hours in history. Many of them fell victim to German machine gun fire. The number of Australian casualties at the Battle of Fromelles was equivalent to the total number of Australian casualties in the Boer War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The Battle of Fromelles was a staggering disaster with no tactical justification.

During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, a Japanese soldier committed suicide in February 1945 by lying face down on a slope of volcanic terrain and detonating a hand grenade that he had placed on his chest.

　　During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, a Japanese soldier committed suicide in February 1945 by lying face down on a slope in volcanic terrain and detonating a grenade that he had placed on his chest. The Japanese soldier was cornered by the American army and refused to surrender or be killed, so he killed himself. In 1945, the American army invaded the central Pacific Ocean, and the fighting with the Japanese army became increasingly bloody. In the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Marines struggled with the tenacious defense of the Japanese army, which had entrenched itself in the volcanic terrain of Iwo Jima, and suffered heavy casualties.

　　In the Battle of Iwo Jima, a volcanic island located between the Mariana Islands and Japan, the Japanese Army dug a network of underground fortifications to turn the volcanic island into a death trap for the invading US Marines. When the US Marine Corps Division landed and invaded on February 19, 1945, the Americans expected the battle to be short. However, the Japanese army waged a fierce defense for over five weeks until March 26th. The Japanese army launched unrelenting close-quarters attacks from caves and other strongholds. The American army uprooted and cleared them out. The Iwo Jima massacre horrified American soldiers and American citizens. The Allied forces feared that a far greater massacre would accompany an invasion of the Japanese mainland.

　　General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Japanese commander on Iwo Jima, recognized that it would be impossible to defeat the American invasion. Instead, he decided to prolong the battle on Iwo Jima, engaging in a long and costly defensive campaign that would shake the resolve of the American forces invading the Japanese mainland. He positioned weapons that could deliver deadly fire onto the beaches. He concentrated his forces in gun emplacements linked by underground tunnels and bunkers in the northern part of Iwo Jima. The deadly isolationist defensive network resulted in horrific casualties for both sides.

The US Marine Corps described the bloodiest and cruellest fighting on Iwo Jima as the “Grindstone” and the “Bloody Gorge”, where nearly 850 Marines died trying to capture a Japanese fort and where the Japanese defenders put up their last stand. 6,821 of the American landing force were killed and 19,217 were wounded. The Japanese garrison of around 20,000 men were mostly conscripts. They refused to surrender and fought on tenaciously until only a few hundred were taken prisoner.

 

On April 3, 1941, nationalist Rachid Ali attempted a palace revolution in Iraq.The fratricidal fighting in Syria. Senegalese soldiers of the Vichy army killed near Saïda.

     In World War II, fighting broke out in Syria in April 1941. The bodies of Vichy Senegalese soldiers who had died near Saida in Syria were scattered around. In October 1941, Admiral François Darlan awarded General Dents the Legion of Honor for his services in Syria.

    On April 3rd 1941, the nationalist Rashid Ali attempted a palace revolution in Iraq. In order to support the rebellion against British interests, Germany asked the puppet state of Vichy for permission to use the Syrian air base. Admiral François Darran gave his immediate approval and the Paris Protocol was signed on May 27th and 28th. Under the three agreements, Vichy agreed to hand over arms to Iraqi insurgents. It granted the German Luftwaffe access to Syrian airfields. It allowed German troops to send reinforcements to the Afrika Korps via Bizerte. The German Navy was able to be freed in Dakar. In exchange, the German Empire reduced the cost of occupation, released nearly 100,000 prisoners of war, and allowed the rearming of ships. The British military considered the military installations to be sophistry, and through negotiations, the British stopped pandering to Vichy and, by force, took over Syria in June and July 1941.

     On June 10th 1940, the Allied forces were defeated in just four weeks, and the French government moved from Paris to Bordeaux. On June 22nd, France signed an armistice agreement, and Paris, the north and west of the country were occupied by the German army. Marshal Philippe Pétain, who shook hands with Hitler in Montoir on October 24th 1940, began a system of cooperation at the highest level. The meeting was held in a railway carriage near the railway station in the town of Montoir. This symbolic meeting was used for propaganda purposes. The Pétain faction considered it to be a betrayal by the fighters of the Resistance.

The body of Helga Goebbels, the eldest daughter of Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, was discovered in an underground bunker with her siblings on May 2, 1945, and a pathological autopsy by Soviet experts concluded that she had been poisoned with cyanide.

 　　At the end of World War II, the bodies of Helga Goebbels, the eldest daughter of Joseph Goebbels and Magda Goebbels, the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, were discovered in an underground bunker along with her siblings on May 2, 1945. An autopsy conducted by Soviet experts concluded that she had been poisoned with cyanide.

　　The report on the discovery of the bodies of the Goebbels family was summarized in a document dated May 3, 1945. On May 2, 1945, in the bunker of the German Chancellery in the center of Berlin, the partially burnt bodies of a man and a woman, the small body of a man, a right leg bent with a metal prosthesis, and partially burnt bodies were scattered. The burnt remains of a National Socialist Party member's uniform and a burnt gold party badge were found on the bodies, and next to the burnt remains of a woman, a gold cigarette case, a gold NSDAP party badge and a gold brooch were found. There were two revolvers on the head of the body. On May 3rd, the bodies of five girls and one boy aged between 3 and 14 years old were found lying on a bed in a separate room in the bunker of the Führer's residence. They were wearing light nightclothes and there were signs of poisoning.

　　The bodies were identified as those of Dr. Goebbels, his wife and their children, and all the bodies were sent to the counter-intelligence department after death for identification. Through interrogation and autopsy, the bodies were identified as those of Goebbels, his wife and their children. Goebbels' wife was identified from the partially burned body of a woman.

　　The children's bodies were identified as those of Goebbels' children. A medical examination of the bodies of the children proved that they had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The partially burned bodies of the man, woman and six children were identified as those of Dr. Joseph Goebbels, the German Minister of Propaganda, his wife and their children. The military doctor who conducted the autopsy on the bodies of the six children mistakenly believed that the children had died of carbon monoxide poisoning and failed to notice that they had been poisoned with cyanide. The smell of cyanide was detected in the brain, and cyanide poisoning was confirmed. From the interrogation protocol of May 7, it was learned that the dentist of the SS injected 0.5cc of morphine into the arm below the elbow of each child on May 1 to make them fall asleep, and then injected an ampoule of potassium cyanide into each child. The cause of death for the Goebbels family was cyanide poisoning, not a gunshot. The pathological examination of the first family's bodies found in the bunker area concluded that they were Joseph Goebbels, his wife, and their children.

Kikuiwa Kiyoshi, who was exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima at Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, has a scarred and contracted wound on his wrist that has become ulcerated.

　　　　　　　Undisclosed photos of Japanese

Atomic-bomb survivors

U.S. Atomic Bomb Surveys

The National Archives College Park, Maryland

February 23, 2024 

SC-298045

SC-298045

HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMB

SPARS FROM INJURIES:

KIYOSHI KIKUIWA RETAINS SCARS IN BURNED 

AREAS RESULTING FROM THE ATOMIC ROMB EXPLOSION HIROSHIMA.

HE WAS SEEN AT THE RED CROSS HOSPITAL IN HIROSHIMA. ULCERATED IN SCAR 

ARE AS REPAIR IN SCAR CONTRACTURES LOCATED ON THE WRISTS.

PHOTOGRAPHER-BLOCK 

Atomic Bomb Casualties

14819

RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION

PUBLIC INFORMATION DIVISION

WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON

In the attack on the Kursk region by the Ukrainian army, the North Korean army suffered heavy losses from December 14 to December 15, 2024, with around 30 soldiers killed or injured, and the bodies of North Korean soldiers lying on the snowy plain.

ウクライナ軍のクルスク地方の攻撃で、北朝鮮軍は大損害を伴って、補充が必要となった。ウクライナ情報筋によると、北朝鮮軍の部隊は2024年12月14日から12月15日にかけて大きな損害を被り、少なくとも30人の兵士が死傷した。北朝鮮軍兵士は複数の部隊のFPVドローンの連携攻撃によって排除された映像には20数人の死体が映っていた。雪に覆われた野原に20体以上の北朝鮮兵士の死体が横たわり、ドローンが死体体をトラックで急いで運ぶ映像を撮影した。　

　ウクライナ情報総局（HUR）は、テレグラムを通じて、クルスク地域での攻撃で大きな損害を被った北朝鮮（朝鮮）軍部隊が補充を余儀なくされたと報告した。2024年12月14日から15日にかけて、ロシアのクルスク地方のプレホボ村、ヴォロジバ村、マルティノフカ村の地域で、朝鮮民主主義人民共和国軍の部隊が大きな損害を被った。少なくとも3人の北朝鮮軍人がクリロフカ村付近で行方不明になった。損失により、クルスク地方での戦闘活動を維持するために、北朝鮮軍の第94分離旅団から新鮮な人員で襲撃隊を強化する必要が出た。

　12月15日にウクライナ軍は、ロシア・ウクライナ戦争で殺害された最初の北朝鮮兵士の遺体を映したビデオを公開した。ウクライナ軍のの攻撃無人航空機システムの第414別連隊の指揮官は、ドローン映像をテレグラムで共有した。映像には、クルスク地方でロシア軍と戦っている北朝鮮兵士の死体の山が映った。国防評議会傘下の偽情報対策センターはロシア軍における北朝鮮の犠牲者総数はもっと多い喧伝した。北朝鮮軍の死体は、ロシア軍兵士の死体に混じって横たわった。この2日間の攻撃でロシア軍が失った犠牲者は数百にのぼった。

　ロシア軍は北朝鮮軍を統合部隊に加え、クルスク地方での作戦に参戦していると12月14日に喧伝した。ロシア軍司令官は、北朝鮮部隊を肉弾攻撃でロシア軍と一緒に参戦しているが、北朝鮮軍の戦闘能力を過小評価した。

Warning: Screenshot from Ukrainian Armed Forces video said to show the bodies of Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in fighting in the Kursk Region over the weekend.

 

On July 1st 1917, on the Eastern Front of World War I, in Ternopil, Ukraine, a Russian soldier with a rifle and bayonet threatened two demoralized Russian soldiers who had deserted from the Russian army to return to the battlefield.

 　On July 1st 1917, on the Eastern Front of World War I, in Ternopil, Ukraine, a Russian soldier with a rifle and bayonet threatened two demoralized Russian soldiers who had deserted from the Russian army to return to the battlefield.　Desertion is the act of deserting from a military unit while on the march or in a location, or leaving a combat position, in order to avoid participating in combat or war. In armies of all times and countries, desertion has always existed, both in the past and today.

　　The First World War was one of the bloodiest wars in human history. More than 9 million soldiers and millions of civilians were killed on all sides. Tens of millions of soldiers were injured and maimed, and it was unclear whether they had even set out to fight in the war. Soldiers were sacrificed at the whim of the emperor, without knowing why. Soldiers, including officers, deserted while on the move. Soldiers were to be in the rear of the army, wandering about and not going to the front. The number of deserters in the Russian army during World War I was reported to be about 195,000 deserters during the war.

　　In the Russian Empire, military criminal law defined desertion from military service as leaving military service without permission. The subject of desertion was any military personnel, regardless of whether they were conscripted or volunteered. The criminal act of desertion is the intention to leave one's post and leaving one's place of service without permission. Article 128 of the Russian military regulations of the 19th century stated that “the absence of a serviceman without permission, which lasts longer than six days in peacetime and longer than three days in wartime, is considered to be desertion”. Considering the enemy, for all servicemen, an absence of more than 24 hours is considered to be desertion from duty. The punishment for deserting from duty during service is made dependent on various conditions. Special circumstances that aggravate the crime are stipulated, and finally, special exceptions for the punishment of repeat offenders and instigators are introduced.

An der Westfront des Ersten Weltkriegs, in der Schlacht von Pozières in Nordfrankreich, wurde deutsche Artillerie getötet, als das Bombardement der australischen Armee die Stellung der deutschen Armee mit einem direkten Treffer zerstörte.

   An der Westfront des Ersten Weltkriegs wurden in der Schlacht von Pozières in Nordfrankreich deutsche Artilleristen getötet, als ihre Stellungen durch direktes Feuer australischer Artillerie zerstört wurden. Die Schlacht von Pozières fand vom 23. Juli bis zum 3. September 1916 statt. Sie fand in der Gegend um das Dorf Pozières in Nordfrankreich während der Schlacht an der Somme statt. Diese Schlacht auf dem Hochplateau endete damit, dass die britische Armee das Plateau nördlich und östlich des Dorfes besetzte und die deutsche Stellung von Thiepval von hinten bedrohen konnte. Die Kammlinie von Pozières war mit mehr toten Soldaten der Mittelmächte bedeckt als jeder andere Ort auf der Welt.

   Der erste Angriff in der Schlacht von Pozières erfolgte am 23. Juli 1916, als die australischen Truppen die deutschen Linien überrannten und die Hauptstraße bei Pozières erreichten. Die Deutschen starteten bei Tagesanbruch einen Gegenangriff, wurden jedoch von den Australiern zurückgeschlagen. Der Rest von Pozières fiel zwischen dem 23. und 25. Juli. Das gesamte Gebiet um Pozières wurde von Granaten übersät.

   Die australische Armee eroberte das Dorf Pozières bis zum 27. Juli. Sie erhielt den Befehl, das Pozières-Plateau zu erobern, und startete ihren Angriff am 29. Juli. 3.500 australische Soldaten wurden von der deutschen Armee getötet, die sich auf die Schlacht vorbereitet hatte. Am 4. August, nach schwerem Beschuss der deutschen Stellungen, übernahm die australische Armee das Pozières-Plateau. Die australischen Truppen rückten entlang des Posières-Kamms nach Norden vor und erreichten die Mouquet-Farm, wo die Deutschen die Linie bis zum 26. September 1916 hielten.

  Die alliierten Streitkräfte des Ersten Weltkriegs starteten am 1. Juli 1916 eine Großoffensive in der nordfranzösischen Region Somme. Die Deutschen starteten am 21. Februar 1916 eine Großoffensive gegen die Franzosen in Verdun. Die britische Armee führte die Schlacht an der Somme mit geringer Unterstützung der französischen Armee an. Der Vormarsch der britischen Armee in Richtung Thiepval beinhaltete Kämpfe um die Stadt Pozières, die eine wichtige Position auf einer Anhöhe einnahm. Im Laufe von 42 Tagen startete die australische Armee 19 Angriffe auf deutsche Stellungen, wobei 6.800 der 23.000 Gefallenen und Kriegsgefangenen letztendlich im Kampf getötet wurden.

On the Eastern Front during World War II, a Romanian citizen of Bucharest recognized the body of a deceased relative and conducted an autopsy after an air raid by the German army at the end of August 1944.

      On the Eastern Front of World War II, a Romanian citizen of Bucharest recognized the corpse of a deceased relative and conducted an autopsy after an air raid by the German army at the end of August 1944. From August 23 to 26, 1944, German bombers bombed the capital Bucharest on a daily basis in retaliation for Romania's defection from the Axis powers.

    The end of fascism in Romania came about when armed workers' detachments arrested Ion Antonescu, the Prime Minister, on August 23, 1944. On August 24, the country surrendered to the Allies, and on August 25, the Romanian Democratic Union Government declared war on Germany. Even the coup d'état in Bucharest could no longer change the course of events.

    The Romanian army was unable to put up much resistance against the Soviet army, which attacked the Romanian region in mid-August 1944. The German army lost 22 divisions in the siege battles in Rasi and Kishinev, and the Romanian army units effectively collapsed. The Romanian army, which was subsequently reorganized, supported the Soviet army in the Romanian domestic mopping-up operations and the subsequent attack on Hungary. Bulgarian citizens welcomed the Soviet army's entry into Sofia in early September.

     In May 1946, Ion Antonescu was tried by a people's court for a series of war crimes. He was convicted of capital crimes and executed by a firing squad of Romanian troops on June 1, 1946. As an instigator of the Holocaust, Antonescu was responsible for the deaths of 400,000 people, most of whom were Bessarabians, Ukrainians, Romanian Jews and Romanian Roma.

American military chaplain Father O'Callaghan, injured in the explosion that followed the attack by a Japanese bomber on March 19, 1945, moved around on the sloping flight deck, barefoot, performing last rites for the dying.

     Despite being injured in the explosion that followed the attack by a Japanese bomber on March 19, 1945, the American military chaplain, Father O'Callaghan, moved around on the sloping flight deck, bare-handed, performing last rites for those who were dying. Lieutenant Commander Joseph O'Callaghan, a chaplain in the US Navy, is performing the last rites for the dying wounded on the USS Franklin, an American warship that exploded on the deck, with his gloved hands together. The aircraft carrier suffered more than 1,000 casualties. The hangar deck quickly became a hell of exploding gas tanks and ammunition. O'Callaghan was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, for his actions during and after the attack on the aircraft carrier.

     In the Pacific War of World War II, on March 19, 1945, at a point in the ocean only about 80 km from the Japanese coast, a Japanese dive bomber pierced the clouds and dropped two semi-armor-piercing bombs before the Franklin's anti-aircraft battery could fire. The Japanese dive bombers dropped two 550-pound bombs. One of the bombs exploded after penetrating the hangar deck. After that, the American ship USS Franklin, although heavily tilted, returned to the United States.

    The explosion of the bomb that hit the USS Franklin caused fragments to fly off. The intense explosion, which shook the 27,000-ton aircraft carrier, caused the steel plates of the surrounding ships to resonate. Most of the 31 bombs and the fuel-laden fighter planes immediately caught fire. The 13 to 16 tons of high explosives on board immediately began to explode gradually. The cruiser Santa Fe and other ships rescued many of the wounded. The Franklin was the most heavily damaged American aircraft carrier, and the Franklin's crew suffered 924 casualties, second only to the USS Arizona in terms of the number of casualties.

After Japan's defeat in the Pacific War of World War II, a former Japanese military officer who had surrendered to the Allied forces and become a prisoner of war in a camp in Dutch-controlled Indonesia on August 15, 1945, committed seppuku in November 1945.

 　After Japan's defeat in the Pacific War of World War II, a former Japanese military officer who had surrendered to the Allied forces and become a prisoner of war in a camp in Dutch-controlled Indonesia on August 15, 1945, committed seppuku in November 1945. The Japanese military officer committed seppuku in grief and despair at the shame of Japan's surrender, and a large amount of blood flowed out of his abdomen. After committing seppuku, he lay face down and sobbed, holding his eyes. Seppuku was a form of ritual suicide in Japan, and was prescribed by Bushido. Seppuku was a more honorable form of suicide than falling into the hands of the enemy.

　 The devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, also involved the Dutch East Indies in World War II, which continued until August 15, 1945. The Netherlands declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. From early 1942, the Japanese army invaded North Celebes and North Borneo. In early February 1942, the attack on Sumatra began, leaving Java isolated. From March 1, 1942, the Japanese army began its attack on Java.On March 5th 1942, the Japanese army entered Batavia, and on March 6th they broke through to Bandung. On March 8th, they finally occupied Surabaya, and Java was in the hands of the Japanese army. On March 9th, the Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) signed their surrender in Kalijati, near Bandung.

     On September 15th 1944, the Allied Forces landed on Morotai in the Moluccas. With the Allied Forces landing in the Dutch East Indies, the liberation of the Dutch and Indonesian people from the Japanese army became much closer. On May 1st 1945, the Allied Forces also landed in Tarakan and Balikpapan on the island of Borneo. Java, the largest island in Indonesia, remained occupied until the Japanese army surrendered on August 15th 1945. On September 2nd 1945, Japan officially signed the surrender documents on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

     The treatment of Allied soldiers who became prisoners of war was based on Bushido, which treated them as inferior and shameful. Allied soldiers who became prisoners of war were routinely beaten, starved, abused, beheaded, forced to march, forced to work, tortured and massacred. Japanese soldiers justified their treatment of Western prisoners of war and residents by Bushido, which justified suicide rather than shameful surrender and falling into the hands of the enemy.

On August 30th 1951, after the Second World War, the Governor of California, Earl Warren, visited the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors Hospital.

Undisclosed photos of Japanese

Atomic-bomb survivors

U.S. Atomic Bomb Surveys

The National Archives College Park, Maryland

February 23, 2024

SC-389518　　　　　

SC-389518    20274

40TH DIV/FEC-51-47199

30 AUG 1951

GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA EARL WARREN (LEFT CENTER) VISITS ATOMIC BOMB CASUALTY HOSPITAL, HIROSHIMA, JAPAN,

US ARMY PHOTO BY CPL CLIFFORD BROWN (SK) 40TH SIG CO

Reviewed for Military Security

In 1918, on the Western Front of World War I, the bodies of American soldiers and warhorses killed by the German army were scattered across the sunken road of the Aulx River, which crosses the Seine-et-Marne department of France, in the Battle of the Aulx.

In 1918, on the Western Front of World War I, the bodies of American soldiers and their horses were scattered across the sunken road at Barcy, where they had been killed by the German army in the Battle of the Aisne River, which crosses the Seine-et-Marne department of France.

Late in the afternoon of July 26, 1918, troops from the 42nd Rainbow Division of the U.S. Army attacked a heavily defended German position at the La Croix Rouge farm, south of the Ourcq River. As the Germans retreated to their fortifications north of the river, the Rainbow Division took up positions on the front line just 2.74 km south of the Ourcq River. They crossed the Ouluk River on July 28th amidst continuous German machine gun and artillery fire. In the fierce battle that lasted for six days, the American forces captured a key stronghold. The American Rainbow Division, including attached units, suffered a total of 6,459 casualties, with 1,410 killed and 5,049 wounded.

In the Battle of the Ouluk River, the Germans deployed a large number of five-man machine guns and set up a strong defense. About 25 of the captured machine guns later fired 10,000 bullets per minute and hit targets up to about 0.91 km away. The German troops, deployed in camouflaged and fortified positions, covered the tree-lined avenues and paths, and the interlocking fields of fire were measured and mapped. The trees were marked with red paint for aiming, and snipers were positioned.

The German attack was fierce, and it caused heavy casualties among the soldiers of the US Army's Rainbow Division. A fierce battle unfolded on the wooded slopes around the La Croix Rouge farm. The US Army fought hand-to-hand combat with grenades, rifles and bayonets against the German army, which had concentrated its battalion on the farm grounds, and attacked and occupied the La Croix Rouge farm. The American soldiers who crossed the Croix Rouge farm and headed for the Ourcq River struggled to cross the torrent, staining the stream red with their blood. The Rainbow Division suffered casualties of 184 officers and 5,469 soldiers, about a quarter of its total strength, in the defense of Champagne and the attack on the Ourcq River.

On May 25th 1954, on the road from Nam Dinh to Thai Binh in Vietnam, a Vietminh guerrilla was killed by shrapnel from a French tank near the Song Mu Khe River between Vong Dien and Gia Khe, and a French soldier looked down on the body.

     On May 25th 1954, on the road from Nam Dinh to Thai Binh in Vietnam, a Vietminh guerrilla was killed by shrapnel from a French tank near the Song Mu Khe River between Vong Dien and Nga Khe. On the road from Nam Dinh to Thai Binh in French Indochina (now Vietnam), French troops came across the bodies of Viet Minh guerrillas on the road on May 25th 1954.

    Robert Capa, who took the photograph, crossed the Indochina Peninsula from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, to Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. On May 24, he arrived at Nam Dinh Airport, 72km southeast of Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam. On May 25, he was killed in a landmine explosion in Thai Binh, northern Vietnam. As he started to climb up the small slope leading down to the road and the stream flowing to the right, he stepped on an anti-personnel landmine that the Vietminh had laid during the night. The explosion of the landmine almost completely severed his left leg and caused a large wound to his chest. At 3:10 p.m. on May 25th 1954, French soldiers Mecklin and Lucas arrived at the scene of the explosion. Capa was bleeding profusely and looked in agony. Suddenly, Colonel Lacapelle arrived after hearing the sound of an explosion. He saw Capa lying on the ground and immediately called an ambulance. Capa was taken to the nearest first aid station at the Don Quy Ton Fort, which was 5km away. There, a Vietnamese doctor confirmed Robert Capa's death.

    On May 7th 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended in a French defeat. The battle, which began on March 13th, was a fierce one, with 2,200 French troops killed, 8,000 Vietnamese troops killed and 15,000 wounded. The Viet Minh victory led to the Geneva Accords of 1954. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu is regarded as the first time that a non-European colonial independence movement defeated a Western army in an open battle using guerrilla techniques.

 

During the Battle of Saipan, Japanese soldiers made a banzai charge against the American forces on the coast near Tanabaku on Saipan Island, and were all killed in the ensuing battle. On July 12th 1944, the American forces conducted an autopsy and post-mortem on the Japanese soldiers' bodies scattered along the coast.

　　During the Battle of Saipan in the Pacific War of World War II, Japanese soldiers carried out a “banzai charge” against the American military on the coast near Tanabaku on Saipan Island. In response to the banzai attack, the American military killed and annihilated the Japanese soldiers. On July 12th 1944, the American military conducted an autopsy and post-mortem on the bodies of the Japanese soldiers scattered along the coast.

　For Japan, Saipan was a key strategic point that could not be surrendered in order to defend the absolute national defense zone. Saipan fell to the fierce onslaught of the American forces in just 10 days. Saipan, which became a Japanese mandate territory after World War I, was a quasi-territory. Saipan became a battlefield, civilians were caught up in the fighting, and the island was used as a base by the American forces, allowing them to bomb mainland Japan with B-29 bombers.

　　On June 11th 1944, the US Air Force began bombing Saipan Island. The Japanese military response was slow, with the main ground troops being deployed a month earlier, and the air force being underprepared due to the diversion of troops to the mainland. In the early hours of June 15th, 8,000 US Marines landed at Chalan Kanoa on Saipan Island, and on June occupied the Aslito Airfield. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19th and 20th, the Japanese army suffered a crushing defeat. On June 25th, the Americans occupied Mount Tapocho in the center of Saipan, leaving the Japanese army almost completely unable to fight.

　　On July 5th, the Imperial General Headquarters conveyed the order to die with honor to all Japanese soldiers on Saipan Island. On July 6th, three Japanese generals committed suicide. At 3am on July 7th, with the slogan “Star Festival” as their battle cry, around 3000 surviving Japanese soldiers attempted a final banzai charge, but were almost completely wiped out. Many of the civilians who had fled to the northernmost part of Saipan Island also threw themselves off the cliffs of Banzai Cliff into the Pacific Ocean, or killed themselves with grenades, and the number of dead reached around 1,000.

　On July 9th, the American general commander declared the occupation of Saipan Island. The total number of troops was 127,571 for the American forces and 43,582 for the Japanese forces. 3,225 American soldiers died in battle, and the number of Japanese soldiers killed in battle was 41,244, with over 10,000 civilians also killed. The fall of Saipan was not announced to the public immediately after it happened, and the Imperial General Headquarters announced the “honorable death” of the Japanese soldiers on July 18, nine days later, and the Tojo Cabinet resigned en masse.

 

Nobel Prize lecture given by Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2024 Nihon Hidankyo, Oslo, 10 December 2024.

Nobel Prize lecture given by Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2024 Nihon Hidankyo, Oslo, 10 December 2024.

Delivered by Terumi Tanaka.

Your Majesties,

Your Royal Highnesses,

Excellencies,

Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

And friends around the world striving to abolish nuclear weapons,

Thank you for your introduction. I am Terumi TANAKA, one of the three Co-Chairpersons of Nihon Hidankyo. I am honored to speak on behalf of Nihon Hidankyo, the Nobel Peace laureate this year.

We established Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, in August 1956. Having ourselves survived the inhumane impacts of the atomic bombings, damage unprecedented in history, we launched this movement to ensure such suffering would never be repeated, with two basic demands. The first demand is that the State which started and carried out the war should compensate victims for the damage caused by the atomic bombs, in opposition to the Japanese government’s assertion that, “the sacrifice of war should be endured equally by the whole nation.” The second is to demand the immediate abolition of nuclear weapons, as extremely inhumane weapons of mass killing, which must not be allowed to coexist with humanity.

Our movement has undoubtedly played a major role in creating the “nuclear taboo”. However, there still remain 12,000 nuclear warheads on the Earth today, 4,000 of which are operationally deployed, ready for immediate launch. The nuclear superpower, Russia, threatens to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, and a cabinet member of Israel, in the midst of its unrelenting attacks on Gaza in Palestine, even spoke of the possible use of nuclear arms. In addition to the civilian casualties, I am infinitely saddened and angered that the “nuclear taboo” threatens to be broken. 

I am one of the survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. At the time, I was 13 years old, at home, around 3 kilometers east of ground zero.

It was August 9, 1945. I suddenly heard the buzzing sound of a bomber jet, and was soon after engulfed in a bright, white light. Surprised, I ran downstairs and got down on the floor, covering my eyes and ears with my hands. The next moment, an intense shock wave passed through our entire house. I have no memory of that moment, but when I came to my senses, I found myself under a large, glass sliding door. It was a miracle that none of the glass was broken, and I was somehow spared injuries.

Three days later, I sought out the families of my two aunts who lived in the area near the hypocenter. It was then that I saw the full devastation of the bombing of Nagasaki. Walking with my mother, we went around a small mountain. Reaching a pass, we looked down in horror. Blackened ruins spread out as far as the port of Nagasaki, some three kilometers away. Urakami Cathedral, the largest brick church in the East, had collapsed to the ground, leaving no trace.

All the houses along the path, down to the foot of the mountain, were burnt to the ground and corpses lay scattered around them. Many people who were badly injured or burned, but still alive, were left unattended, with no help whatsoever. I became almost devoid of emotion, somehow closing off my sense of humanity, and simply headed intently for my destination.

I found the charred body of one aunt at the remains of her house, 400 meters from the hypocenter, along with the body of her grandson, a university student.

The other aunt’s house had collapsed and become a pile of wood. My grandfather was crouched down, on the brink of death, with severe burns all over his body. My aunt had been severely burned, and died just before we arrived. We then cremated her remains with our own hands. My uncle, who was initially mostly unharmed, had left the area to seek help. Yet we later learned that he had collapsed at a rescue station, and died after suffering from a high fever for a week. Thus, one single atomic bomb transformed five of my relatives, so mercilessly, taking all of their lives in one fell swoop.

The deaths I witnessed at that time could hardly be described as human deaths. There were hundreds of people suffering in agony, unable to receive any kind of medical attention. I strongly felt that even in war, such killing and maiming must never be allowed to happen.

The Nagasaki bomb exploded 600 meters above the city. Fifty percent of the energy released caused shock waves that crushed houses. Thirty-five percent caused heat rays that severely burned people who were outside, and ignited fires throughout the collapsed houses. Many people were crushed and burned to death inside their homes. The remaining fifteen percent penetrated the human body as neutron and gamma rays, destroying it from the inside, leading to death and causing atomic bomb sickness.

By the end of that year, 1945, the death toll in the two cities is thought to have been approximately 140,000 in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki. 400,000 people are estimated to have been exposed to the atomic bombs, suffering injuries and surviving exposure to radiation. 

The survivors, the Hibakusha, were forced into silence by the occupying forces for seven years. Furthermore, they were also abandoned by the Japanese government. Thus, they spent more than a decade after the bombings in isolation, suffering from illness and hardship in their lives, while also enduring prejudice and discrimination.

The United States hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954 resulted in the exposure of Japanese fishing boats to deadly radioactive fallout, or the “ashes of death.” Among others, all 23 crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru were exposed to radiation and developed acute radiation sickness, and the tuna they caught were discarded. This incident triggered a nationwide petition calling for a total ban on atomic and hydrogen bombs and tests, which spread like wildfire throughout Japan. This gained over 30 million signatures and in August 1955, the first World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs was held in Hiroshima, followed by the second in Nagasaki the following year. Encouraged by this movement, A-bomb survivors who participated in the World Conference formed the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, Nihon Hidankyo, on August 10, 1956 in Nagasaki.

In our founding declaration, Nihon Hidankyo expressed our determination to “save humanity from its crisis through the lessons learned from our experiences, while at the same time saving ourselves.” We launched a movement demanding both “the abolition of nuclear weapons, and State compensation for the atomic bomb damage suffered.”

Our initial campaign resulted in the enactment of the “A-Bomb Sufferers’ Medical Care Law” in 1957. However, the content of the law was limited: besides issuing “Atomic Bomb Survivor Certificates” and providing free medical examinations, medical expenses would be paid only for illnesses recognized as atomic bomb-related by the Minister of Health and Welfare.

In 1968, the “Law Concerning Special Measures for A-Bomb Sufferers” was enacted, providing several types of benefits. However, this was only as part of the social security system, and demands for State compensation remained refused.

In 1985, Nihon Hidankyo conducted a nationwide Survey of Atomic Bomb Victims. This revealed that the damage inflicted on the A-bomb victims had impacted their lives, bodies, minds, and livelihoods. Their lives had been stolen, they had suffered physical and psychological scars, and had struggled to work due to illness and prejudice. The results of the survey strongly supported the basic demands of the A-bomb survivors, reinforcing their determination that no one in the world should again be allowed to experience the horrific suffering they had gone through.

In December 1994, the “Law Concerning Relief to Atomic Bomb Survivors” (A-Bomb Survivors Relief Law) was enacted, combining the former two laws. However, no compensation was provided for the hundreds of thousands of deaths, and to this day the Japanese government has consistently refused to provide State compensation, limiting its measures to radiation damage only.

For many years, these laws did not apply to A-bomb survivors living abroad, regardless of their nationality. Korean Hibakusha who were exposed to the atomic bombings in Japan and returned to their home countries, as well as many Hibakusha who emigrated to the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and other countries after the war, suffered both from diseases unique to Hibakusha and from a lack of understanding by others of the damage caused by the A-bomb. Nihon Hidankyo worked in solidarity with the associations of A-bomb survivors formed in each country, and both in law courts and through joint actions, urged the government of Japan to act, which led to the provision of almost the same support for the A-bomb survivors abroad as those in Japan.

Our movement has continued to call for the immediate elimination of nuclear weapons, urging our own government, the nuclear weapon states, and all other states to take action.

In 1977, an international symposium on the “Damage and After-Effects of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” was held in Japan under the auspices of NGOs associated to the United Nations, clarifying the reality of the damage caused by the atomic bombings to human beings. Around this time, the threat of nuclear war was rising in Europe. Large rallies of hundreds of thousands of people took place in numerous countries, and Hibakusha were asked to give testimony at these rallies.

In 1978 and 1982, nearly 40 representatives of Nihon Hidankyo participated in the UN Special Sessions on Disarmament held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Our representatives spoke in the General Assembly Hall, and gave testimony at local schools and gatherings.

Representatives of Nihon Hidankyo have also secured opportunities to speak at the Review Conferences of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its Preparatory Committee meetings. During the Review Conferences, they held A-bomb Exhibitions in the main lobby of the UN General Assembly Hall, to great acclaim.

In 2012, at the Preparatory Committee for the NPT Review Conference, the Norwegian government proposed holding a Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. Hibakusha testimonies given at the three Humanitarian Conferences, which started in 2013, were taken very seriously, and led to the negotiations toward the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In April 2016, A-bomb survivors around the world launched the “International Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the Hibakusha for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons,” as proposed by Nihon Hidankyo. This campaign grew significantly, and over 13.7 million signatures were collected and submitted to the United Nations. We are overjoyed that on July 7, 2017, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted with the support of 122 countries.

It is the heartfelt desire of the Hibakusha that, rather than depending on the theory of nuclear deterrence, which assumes the possession and use of nuclear weapons, we must not allow the possession of a single nuclear weapon.

Please try to imagine — there are 4,000 nuclear warheads, ready to be launched immediately. This means that damage hundreds or thousands of times greater than that which happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could happen right away. Any one of you could become either a victim or a perpetrator, at any time. I therefore plead for everyone around the world to discuss together what we must do to eliminate nuclear weapons, and demand action from governments to achieve this goal.

The average age of the A-bomb survivors is now 85. Ten years from now, there may only be a handful of us able to give testimony as firsthand survivors. From now on, I hope that the next generation will find ways to build on our efforts and develop the movement even further.

One thing that will serve as a great resource is the existence of the “No More Hibakusha Project – Inheriting Memories of the A- and H-Bomb Sufferers.” This non-profit organization has worked closely with Nihon Hidankyo to preserve records of the Hibakusha movement, the testimonies of A-bomb survivors, and the activities of Hibakusha organizations in various parts of Japan. For nearly 15 years, since its formation, this organization has endeavored persistently to preserve and manage an archive of the grassroots movements of Hibakusha, their testimonies, and the activities of Hibakusha organizations in different localities. I hope that the association will take a major step forward in the movement to make use of these materials externally. I am hopeful that it will become an organization that takes action, devoting its efforts to the dissemination of the reality of the atomic bombings. Furthermore, I strongly hope that it will expand its activities not only within Japan, but also internationally.

To achieve further universalization of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the formulation of an international convention which will abolish nuclear weapons, I urge everyone around the world to create opportunities in your own countries to listen to the testimonies of A-bomb survivors, and to feel, with deep sensitivity, the true inhumanity of nuclear weapons. Particularly, I hope that the belief that nuclear weapons cannot — and must not — coexist with humanity will take firm hold among citizens of the nuclear weapon states and their allies, and that this will become a force for change in the nuclear policies of their governments.

Let not humanity destroy itself with nuclear weapons!

Let us work together for a human society, in a world free of nuclear weapons and of wars!

Copyright © The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, 2024.

Artist: Marie Buskov Calligrapher: Christopher Haanes Bookbinder: Kristine Bekkevold / Merkur Grafisk AS Photo reproduction: Thomas Widerberg Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 2024