Living with Hiroshima

Twin Cities
Minneapolis and St. Paul, two cities on both sides of a bridge crossing the Mississippi River are called the Twin Cities. I hear that Minnesota is a state where Native Americans and people from Europe dwell half and half, which makes it typically America that stands for liberty and equality. On the birthdays of Reverend Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, the citizens have a peace walk, and on August 6 and 9, they hold a memorial gathering of Hiroshima and Nagasaki wishing for nuclear abolition.

The places we visited so far did not necessarily accept us, the A-bomb victims, open-mindedly. Remembering the last three weeks which was continually disappointing, I was kind of worn out.

Somebody’s words at one church gathering, “Building a Hiroshima- Nagasaki Museum in America would be nice,” were good enough to boost me. I responded, “That would be more than nice, but there are many impediments. I would rather you, Americans, make it, please.”

October 6, 1998 was the day when the “Atomic Bomb and Peace Gathering” was scheduled at Macalester College, the last program of our trip. It is the college people speak well since a number of figures renown for their contribution to world peace, including Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the UN, graduated from it.

The gathering was to start in the early evening. People including students were coming in one after another, and the large place was filled before long. Since it was going to be our last presentation, we were full of spirit. When all four of us, finished speaking, silence dominated the place. The MC urged the audience to ask questions more than once, but nobody said anything. We were looking at one another feeling uneasy.

After a while, there was somebody who commented, “You have talked enough. We have learned about the facts of the A-bombing. Let’s work together for peace.” The next moment a storm of clapping hands arose, and many came up to us to shake our hands.

There were a few Japanese students studying in America who helped to interpret during the Q and A session. “How long did it take Hiroshima to be rebuilt?” “Don’t you bear a grudge against America?” The questions were similar to the ones commonly asked anywhere, but nobody brought up Pearl Harbor. I don’t know if we can give credit to Macalester College about it or we just happened not to be exposed to that kind of question.

Having been able to have little dialogue, we were to go home with frustration, half resigned. However, I found a little hope in America.