13 replies to this topic

[moonwell]

TOKYO – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only person officially recognized as a survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings at the end of World War II, has died at age 93.

Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip for his shipbuilding company on Aug. 6, 1945, when a U.S. B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He suffered serious burns to his upper body and spent the night in the city.

He then returned to his hometown of Nagasaki, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) to the southwest, which suffered a second U.S. atomic bomb attack three days later.

On Aug. 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, ending the war.

The mayor of Nagasaki said "a precious storyteller has been lost," in a message posted on the city's Web site Wednesday. Yamaguchi died Monday morning of stomach cancer, the mass circulation Mainichi, Asahi and Yomiuri newspapers reported.

Yamaguchi was the only person to be certified by the Japanese government as having been in both cities when they were attacked, although other dual survivors have also been identified.

"My double radiation exposure is now an official government record. It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die," Yamaguchi was quoted as saying in the Mainichi newspaper last year.

In his later years, Yamaguchi gave talks about his experiences as an atomic bomb survivor and often expressed his hope that such weapons would be abolished.

He spoke at the United Nations in 2006, wrote books and songs about his experiences, and appeared in a documentary about survivors of both attacks.

Last month he was visited in the hospital by filmmaker James Cameron, director of "Titanic" and "Avatar," who is considering making a movie about the bombings, according to the Mainichi.

Immediately after the war, Yamaguchi worked as a translator for American forces in Nagasaki and later as a junior high school teacher.

Japan is the only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks. About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Yamaguchi is one of about 260,000 people who survived the attacks. Some bombing survivors have developed various illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer and liver illnesses.

Certification as an atomic bomb survivor in Japan qualifies individuals for government compensation, including monthly allowances, free medical checkups and funeral costs.



Taken from Yahoo



Now here is my question, how would you feel if you were that man? Cause getting hit by one had to suck, but he was hit by two!

*offensive comment removed*

[k0nk0n]

Oh man a storyteller is gone. He must have been great to have survive both of the nuclear bomb.

[Mai17]

not sure if it's good luck or bad luck

got hit by the two atomic bombs that EVER used in history @ two different time, date and location yet still lived to his 90s


one thing is sure ...

it sucks to be him ...

[Waku!Waku!]

Lets pray for his soul...

[Chudreav]

Lets pray for his soul...

I agree. I only heard about his story last year. Really bad luck..

[яιвση♥]

Poor guy.

This is the first I've heard of him actually

[pesbs]

@Mai17

Yes, I agree with you.
The thing is that it can actually be both bad and good luck. Bad because he got hit by both atomic bombs and good because he survived both attacks.

[Arche-JoIyO]

Gawd, so he got hit by 2 atomic bombs!? Man that sucks... I'm surprised he lived till his 90s D: !

Rest in peace, I hope those horrible bombs won't be used again

[TerryXX]

wow tis the first time i heard about this, poor guy!

^agreed

[MatchinColorGurl08]

Wow!! I never heard of that part in Japanese history books at my college.

[moonwell]

There is many important things they leave out in the history books.

[ダコタ！]

^ Very true.

History books cannot explain the horrors and truth of firsthand experiences like the tragedies this man had endured in his lifetime because such tragedies cannot be described in words.

I hope the rest of the world has learned the devastation that these bombs have caused. The bombings may have occured long ago, but repercussions of the attacks still plague Japan today. Ever since I read the Sadako and the Paper Cranes story in elementary school, I've been very hostile towards this topic. This man was unlucky enough to be in the worst two places at the worst two times the world has ever known.

He will surely be missed, it must have been incredibly sad to hear his story, but it would also give the listener a lot of knowledge about the bombings.

I hope to one day live in a world that condones worldwide peace instead of using violence and terrorism to put one country above the rest. Innocent lives are lost for terrible causes, but this is the harsh reality of this cruel world. No one can save you.

What we have here is a strange case of luck; the man was unlucky enough to be hit by both blasts, but lucky enough to survive until he reached an age above the normal life expectancy, and probably much more than anyone who had been caught up in these events.

[sailormari]

well sad hear he died sucks he had to go through it twice aty least he can finally rest now

made me think

man: thanks god i finally made it home after living through that awful night nightmare.....hey isnt that a us plane up in the sky
second bomb hits

that just suck

but lets say this to remember him
lets hope no one else will ever know what it was like to be atomic bomb survivor and never use such weapons again


anyways RIP
let history never forget

[wvTanakaFan]

I seen a small blurb about this on CNN..its unfortunant that they couldn't give anymore time than just 2 mins. The use of Atomic weapons were terrible and all we can do is hope that they will never be used again for any reason. My prayers are with your soul Yamaguchi-san

Yamaguchi-san
Requiescant in Pace(rest in peace)