Hiroshima o mochikaetta hitobito: “Kankoku no Hiroshima ha naze umareta no ka (Bringing back Hiroshima: The birth of “Hiroshima in Korea”)

Hiroshima o mochikaetta hitobito: “Kankoku no Hiroshima ha naze umareta no ka (Bringing back Hiroshima: The birth of “Hiroshima in Korea”)

This book is about Korean survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Although little-known, approximately 1 in 10 people victimized by the bombs were Koreans who had come to Japan since the turn-of-the-century. Their history has been shaped by multiple layers of suffering: Japanese colonial policies of forced migration and labor, American use of nuclear weapons against civilians, and Korean neglect of survivors’ medical and social needs after the war. These survivors’ experiences have been historically pushed aside because they do not neatly fit into the still-powerful image of the “Good War” fought between good and evil forces. And yet, Korean survivors show the power of transnational experiences, collective identity, and social reorganization. Authored by a Japanese woman dedicated to bringing recognition, justice, and equality to Korean survivors, this book is an important reminder of the global effect of nuclear destruction.

Ichiba, Junko

Tokyo: Gaifū sha, 2000.

07/31/2017

Wake, Naoko

Japanese

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