(戻る)

In front of the monument to the atomic bomb victims

Clinician’s Thought and Mission in a Country with Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Toru Hanai

The day of memorial service for the Atomic bomb victims comes again.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to make a memorial address.

This monument at Inohana Mountain is important for all A-bomb survivors to unite their thoughts as one. Also, it is important for the people who make efforts everyday with the A-bomb survivors for creating a nuclear-weapon-free and peaceful Japan and the rest of the world. This important symbol was washed clean once again for today. I thank the people who prepared it for today in the summer sunshine, mourning for your family and friends and thinking of your road ahead.

I believe that politicians who really know and understand the feeling of these A-bomb survivors wouldn't make a law to join a U.S. war and to kill people of other countries. They wouldn't say that Japan might become a nuclear-armed country in a future.

However, we might not have made enough efforts yet. I am amazed that the leader of our country does not attend the meeting with A-bomb survivors which is held on the A-bomb memorial day every year, while visiting the Yasukuni Shrine (which is the major center for propagating the argument that Japan’s past war was a “just war.”)

Today, in front of this monument, I remind myself that we keep making efforts to change Japan from a country governed by such a shameful leader into a country that firmly stands on its pacifist constitution and upholds the three non-nuclear principles by legislating them.

Every year, on the day of the A-bomb memorial service, I confirm my way of life. I look back my life to date, and consider how I live and how I work from tomorrow.

As I was born in 1940, I went to elementary school and junior high school in postwar days. I learned about Japan's new Constitution in the class. A teacher at junior high school went off to war and luckily came back alive from the front. Returning to the podium in a classroom, he taught us the new Constitution in great detail. He mentioned that the Constitution must be the foundation for us to deal with not only domestic issues but also foreign relations.

I am convinced of the rightness of the Constitution not only because my teacher taught me that, but also because it has been proved by my own experiences. The Constitution of Japan is the roots of life. I later became a doctor and understood the importance of health care of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) as a doctor in Japan with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I will keep having faith in the Constitution through this work.

For 35 years, I have been engaging in the health management of Hibakusha in Chiba prefecture. From last year to this year, I helped two Hibakusha submit applications to the government for recognizing his A-bomb disease and special medical allowance. One of them has thyroid gland cancer, and was approved by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare. I am happy for him. Now that the matter causing worry has been settled, he may put everything aside to concentrate on convalescence. The other patient has just filed the application. 8-7 years ago, he received the first surgical treatment for colorectal cancer, and the second one a year later. Last year, gastric cancer was found and removed by another surgery. I hope his case will also be approved as soon as possible.

Cooperating with Fellowship of A-bomb survivors (Yuai-kai) and The Japan Council against A&H Bombs (Gensuikyo), we provide medical examinations of Hibakusha 4 times a year at Kensei Clinic. There are two regular exams and two cancer exams, so that patients can pick and take one of each. We also offer clinical treatments to them every Friday morning. Please visit us when you don’t feel well or have a disease that needs a regular treatment. Recently, a few patients are visiting us and asking if there is any way to be qualified to receive healthcare allowances. I will do the best I can to help them as a doctor.

This year marking the 60th anniversary of A-bombing, Yuai-kai organized an association for the 2nd generation of A-bombing survivors to develop their movement more active.

I believe that it is important for parents to tell their feelings to the next generation and pass them along, and there might be medical and social issues to deal with for the 2nd and 3rd generations themselves. We are willing to support them.

I am not so old yet, but I would better look for and train our heirs, 2nd generation of doctors who can sincerely take care of A-bombing survivors, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations to come. Young doctors have never experienced war in Japan, but they know Vietnam war back in 60-70’s and Iraq war today. I am convinced that there are young doctors in Japan who are concerned about unforgivable killing of many people, especially children and have sympathy for the weak.

However, there is a different kind of the 2nd generation with a ridiculous stance. They don’t pay attention to the tragedy that innocent children are killed in war, but have a thought that peace can be maintained by armed forces and wars, and act to that thought. We see this kind of 2nd generation a lot in the national parliament, and many of them are at the major positions of the government. This 2nd generation is trying to scrap the pacifist Constitution which was enacted 60 years ago in view of the horros of war, including atomic bomb. We must fight back against them.

I believe that the 2nd and 3rd generation who make every effort to defend Article 9 of the Constitution will certainly be the majority.

In Chiba prefecture, there may be more A-bomb survivors who have been silent and who may not even know Yuaikai. I wish Yuaikai's activities will be known to those people as many as possible, and the movement will be stronger with each other’s support and cooperation. I will also keep supporting you through the healthcare work as much as I can. Thank you.