On a sunny August morning in 1945, when a US warplane released a 4,400kg atomic bomb over Hiroshima, eight-year-old Teruko Yahata was enjoying playtime in her garden. Just 43 seconds later, the bomb detonated 600 metres above the city.
She recounted to Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Friday that her first realization of the catastrophe was the sudden and dramatic illumination of the sky, which she described as a blinding “bluish-white” light.
The second sign was a towering black and grey nuclear cloud, which Ms. Yahata likened to “the heavens becoming a massive flower.”
Then, the force of the explosion surged through her neighborhood, over two kilometers from where it detonated, knocking her to the ground and rendering her unconscious.
The extreme heat from the blast triggered a firestorm that consumed district after district.
It’s estimated that 70,000 people were instantly annihilated by the explosion, with another 70,000 succumbing to ‘radiation sickness’ in the ensuing months.
More than half the city’s population was decimated.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin captures a moment at Hiroshima’s ‘Atomic Dome’.
Hiroshima became the first city globally to experience a nuclear attack, and astonishingly, nearly eight decades later, Ms. Yahata recounted her incredible eyewitness account.
I noticed a modest, bespectacled woman, dressed in a white cardigan over a dark dress adorned with a pearl necklace, entering the office of Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui while Mr. Martin engaged with Japanese journalists.
It was either her determined gait or her careful handling of a map of Hiroshima that piqued my interest.
Regardless, I felt compelled to inquire about this unassuming and elegant woman at the back of the room.
An official whispered to me: “She’s one of the hibakusha,” a term that translates to “bomb-affected people.”
Ms. Yahata was introduced to the Taoiseach, marking the spot on her map where the epicenter, or more accurately the hypocenter, of the blast was located in relation to her suburb.
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She spoke with conviction in English, a language she embraced at the age of 83 to connect with a broader audience without the need for translators.
This small detail provided significant insight into the petite, strong-willed woman seated before us.
Ms. Yahata shared that she regained consciousness shortly after the atomic blast on August 6, 1945, responding to her mother’s frantic calls.
Like her city, her childhood had been shattered by the blast, launching her into a harrowing nuclear reality.
When she finally saw her mother, she noticed shards of glass embedded in her back, and her once white dress was now bloodied.
She recounted seeing her father carrying her great-grandmother on his back while they fled their home.
“Smoke filled the room, making it difficult to see inside our house. It was overturned, with shattered glass from the sliding doors scattered everywhere,” she recalled.
Ms. Yahata remembered her mother praying as they abandoned their devastated family home: “The outside was eerily quiet, and nearly all the surrounding houses were in ruins.”
Accompanying this devastation was the looming fear of further attacks.
“We believed there would surely be a second and perhaps a third bombing.”
In light of that uncertainty and the vast destruction, Ms. Yahata’s family decided to flee to the mountains, seeking refuge with friends.
Yet, hunger persisted there, as the societal structure they once knew had vanished.
Her poignant testimony about surviving in a post-nuclear winter resonated deeply with everyone present, including the Taoiseach.
Mr. Martin later expressed his horror as Ms. Yahata described the nightmarish scenes she witnessed, including individuals suffering with “skin peeling off their arms” from radiation burns.
He shared how Ms. Yahata’s memories of family and community facing starvation in the months after the bombing profoundly affected him.
She emphasized the lasting significance of a bowl of rice to her, recalling how a kind stranger offered her one when she was starving as a child.
Mr. Martin articulated that his visit to Hiroshima was meant to express sympathy for victims like Ms. Yahata, while also reaffirming Ireland’s dedication to disarmament and denuclearization.
In the context of Israel and the US’s current military initiatives targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities, he characterized today’s world as “a very dangerous place.”
“If Iran… were ever to develop a nuclear weapon, the risk of proliferation in the Middle East would escalate significantly,” he argued.
The Taoiseach highlighted the paradox of humanity—its capacity for both “remarkable ingenuity” and “profound stupidity”—as seen in its escalating capability to forge weapons that could annihilate the planet.
“At the AI [Artificial Intelligence] summit in Paris, a discussion arose about AI’s potential application in warfare, hinting at a level of destruction that could be unprecedented for humanity.”
During his visit to Hiroshima, the Taoiseach spent most of his time alongside Mayor Kazumi Matsui.
In the scorching midday sun, they laid a wreath and stood together at the cenotaph dedicated to the victims, a sculptural arc intended to shelter the souls lost in the bombing.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Taoiseach Micheál Martin lay a wreath in the Peace Memorial Park.
In the distance, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, widely known as the A-Bomb Dome, stood resilient. This iconic structure remained intact despite being only 160 meters from the hypocenter of the explosion.
The Taoiseach shared insights gained from Mayor Matsui—not just about the events of August 1945, but also about how the community has recovered from this collective trauma.
“The mayor made a compelling point when he said that breaking the cycle of hatred is essential,” he noted.
“The people of Japan have endured immense suffering and must learn to let go of hatred. Only then can peace be built,” he emphasized.
However, the most unforgettable figure introduced to the Taoiseach in Hiroshima was Teruko Yahata.
“The overriding thought while speaking to her was the resilience of humanity. It’s remarkable that she survived,” he reflected.
The Taoiseach, like many others, was moved by Teruko Yahata.
In 2013, she was appointed Ambassador for Denuclearization by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a formal recognition of her relentless advocacy.
The Peace Bell symbolizes a commitment to achieving peace free from nuclear arms and warfare.
Yet, while she has shared her powerful story with audiences of diverse nationalities, there was a personal reason behind Ms. Yahata’s desire to engage with Ireland’s Taoiseach.
After their meeting, Mr. Martin revealed: “Interestingly, her daughter married an Irishman living in the United Kingdom, and she has a grandson named Conor, after a notable Irish king… reinforcing the notion that the world is indeed a small place.”
It is certainly a small world, just as it remains fragile, as Ms. Yahata has attested for the past 80 years.
