Overview

• A government report shows just 99,130 hibakusha remain alive with an average age of 86, underscoring the urgency to capture firsthand accounts as numbers decline.
• Survivors such as Kunihiko Iida and Fumiko Doi are volunteering as guides at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and speaking internationally to highlight the human cost of nuclear weapons.
• Local governments in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have introduced ‘family successor’ certifications to ensure descendants officially carry forward hibakusha testimonies.
• Since 2018, researchers led by Rebun Kayo have excavated burial sites on Ninoshima Island, uncovering around 100 bone fragments believed to belong to bombing victims.
• The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to survivor network Nihon Hidankyo has bolstered global campaigns even as survivors express frustration over renewed nuclear brinkmanship.