Hibakusha

Hibakusha are people who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The term also carries legal and social meanings shaped by Japan’s postwar recognition and support systems.

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The United States’ use of atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. These attacks created the population identified as hibakusha.
Setsuko Thurlow: A Hiroshima survivor and nuclear disarmament campaigner who received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of ICAN in 2017. Her testimony connects lived experience of the bombing with international disarmament advocacy.
Atomic Bomb Survivors Medical Care Law: A 1957 Japanese law providing medical support to people recognized as atomic bomb survivors. It established an early statutory framework for hibakusha medical care.
Nuclear disarmament: The reduction or elimination of nuclear weapons through policy, negotiation, or unilateral action. Hibakusha advocacy has made survivors’ experiences a prominent case for abolishing nuclear weapons.
Radiation sickness: Illness caused by exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation. Acute radiation injuries and later health effects shaped survivors’ lives and medical care.
Sunao Tsuboi: A Hiroshima survivor and longtime advocate for nuclear disarmament and hibakusha rights. His public work made survivor testimony a sustained political presence in Japan.
Atomic Bomb Survivors Special Measures Law: A 1968 Japanese law that expanded benefits and assistance for recognized atomic bomb survivors. It broadened state support beyond the initial medical-care framework.
Atomic bomb literature: Literature depicting the atomic bombings and their human consequences, especially in Japan. Survivor writing preserves experiences that official records cannot fully convey.
Atomic bomb survivor certificates: Japanese government-issued certificates recognizing people as eligible for services under hibakusha support laws. Certification translates survivor status into access to medical and other assistance.
Keiko Ogura: A Hiroshima survivor who has shared her bombing experience with visitors and international audiences. Her eyewitness accounts show how survivors communicate memory across generations.

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