Hiroshima bombing recalled in Oregon ‘peace trees’ campaign

SALEM, Ore. — Hideko Tamura Snider was a 10-year-old girl in Hiroshima, Japan, when the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the city on Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II. On Sept. 21, she described the horrors of that day as the guest of honor in a ceremony marking the culmination of a […]

THE HEART OF KANJI: Peace of the world

世 (Se) means “generations.” This character represents a trio of the character 十 or (10). 界 (Kai) means “world.” The top lines represent a rice field. The symbol in the center is a person and the bottom lines are divider lines. 平 (Hei) means “flat, calm.” The top line represents the sky and the bottom […]

U.S. designates WWII nuke projects sites as nat’l park

WASHINGTON — The United States on Nov. 10 designated three sites related to its nuclear weapons program in the 1940s as a national park, stepping up preparations to open it to the public over the next few years. Some U.S. officials told a designation ceremony that the National Park Service, the operator of the park, […]

‘Urban Samurai’: One atomic bomb survivor’s journey to forgiveness

At the age of 8, Takashi Thomas Tanemori lost most of his family in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. His mother and his 14-month-old sister were never found. His eldest sister and father succumbed to radiation poisoning less than a month after the blast. Their deaths left Tanemori, his two older sisters and his younger […]

Looking onward from the year of infamy

Accomplished jazz musician and composer Anthony Brown will debut his “life’s work to date” in remembrance of both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Sunday, Aug. 2 in San Francisco’s Japantown. Brown, founder of Fifth Stream Music, composed “1945: Year of Infamy.” Unlike his 1995 instrumental piece, “Never […]

1st A-bomb exhibition in 20 years in Washington begins

WASHINGTON  — An exhibition underscoring the woe of the U.S. atomic bombings of two Japanese cities in 1945 during World War II began June 13 in Washington for the first time in 20 years in the U.S. capital. Two survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki pleaded for efforts toward the abolition of nuclear weapons before some […]

Court denies full medical coverage for A-bomb survivors in U.S.

HIROSHIMA — The Hiroshima District Court on June 17 denied full medical coverage for survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who now live in the United States. The court turned down 13 plaintiffs’ demand for revoking earlier decisions by the state and Hiroshima prefectural governments that rejected their requests for full coverage under the […]

Hiroshima marks 69th A-bomb day amid worries over Japan security role

HIROSHIMA — Hiroshima marked the 69th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Aug. 6 amid growing concern over the Japanese government’s move to expand the country’s defense capabilities, with survivors, peace activists and dignitaries braving heavy rain to attend an annual ceremony to remember the attack and those who perished. In his Peace Declaration […]

Japanese scholars searching for dispersed A-bomb health records

TOKYO — Japanese scholars are trying to locate records of early research on the health impact of radiation from the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the aim of creating a digital archive accessible from around the world. The group of scholars began by searching for photos, records of medical treatment and other […]