Tsutoma Yamaguchi Survived Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki

His Story is the Flip Side of "Oppenheimer."

In the recent film “Oppenheimer,” we are saved from witnessing the actual results of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with their aftereffects, only because of the discretion of the director, Christopher Nolan. Rather than witness the actual scenes, we watch as Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) reacts uncomfortably and with revulsion to a newsreel of the devastation and human toll. Later, when he gives a speech to a proud, patriotic audience, he can’t help but imagine scenes of many in the crowd with their skin burning and screaming just as the Japanese must have on those fateful days.

Few survived within 5 km of the Hiroshima bombing. One of those that did was TsutomaYamaguchi. What makes his story so interesting, is that after surviving it, he returned home, to Nagasaki just in time to survive the second atomic bomb. He is the only person recognized by the Japanese government as having survived both nuclear bombs.

Hiroshima

Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima for business. He and two compatriots had gone to Hiroshima for the Mitsubishi Corporation and were in town for meetings. On the morning of August 6th, he was at the train depot when he forgot an official stamp on his papers used for travel. He returned to the offices to receive the stamp when he witnessed the B-52 Enola Gay, high overhead, and its payload slowly descending with its two parachutes. He was less than 2 miles from ground zero.

Then there was "a great flash in the sky, and I was blown over". The explosion ruptured his eardrums, blinded him temporarily, and left him with serious radiation burns over the left side of the top half of his body. After slowly recovering, he crawled to a shelter and, having rested, he set out to find his colleagues. They had also survived and together they spent the night in an air-raid shelter before returning to Nagasaki the following day. They still had no idea what it was they had witnessed.

Nagasaki

Upon returning home to Nagasaki, he received bandages for his wounds. Despite everything he had endured, he showed up on the morning of the 9th for work. Word of the atomic detonation n Hiroshima had not yet made its way across the country yet as Japan assessed the damage and contemplated what to say and do next. So when Yamaguchi described a “mega bomb” that flattened the city, he was met with disbelief from his supervisor, who thought Tsutoma was trying to fabricate some story to cover for why there was no follow up from those he met in Hiroshima. While being berated, at 11 a.m. the American bomber Bockscar dropped the plutonium based “Fat Man” atomic bomb over the city. Yamaguchi’s workplace again put him within 2 miles from ground zero, but this time he was unhurt by the explosion.¹ However, he was unable to replace his now ruined bandages and he suffered from a high fever and continuous vomiting for over a week.

After the War

In the early 1950s, he and his wife, also a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing, had two daughters. He later returned to work for Mitsubishi. When the Japanese government officially recognized atomic bombing survivors as hibakusha in 1957, Yamaguchi's identification stated only that he had been present at Nagasaki. He was content with this, satisfied that he was relatively healthy, and put the experiences behind him. At first, Yamaguchi did not feel the need to draw attention to his double survivor status. However, in later life he began to consider his survival as destiny, so in January 2009, he applied for double recognition. This was accepted by the Japanese government in March 2009, making Yamaguchi the only person officially recognized as a survivor of both bombings.

As he grew older, he became to be more of an activist for nuclear disarmament. In his eighties, he was invited to take part in a 2006 documentary about 165 double A-bomb survivors (known as nijū hibakusha in Japan)² called Twice Survived: The Doubly Atomic Bombed of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was screened at the United Nations. At the screening, he pleaded for the abolition of atomic weapons. Yamaguchi became a vocal proponent of nuclear disarmament. He told an interviewer "The reason that I hate the atomic bomb is because of what it does to the dignity of human beings". Speaking through his daughter during a telephone interview, he said, "I can't understand why the world cannot understand the agony of the nuclear bombs. How can they keep developing these weapons?"

Tsutoma Yamaguchi is a testament to survival. Oppenheimer was always a significant, brilliant man who wanted to save the world by building a bigger weapon before our enemies did. But in doing so, all he found was regret, professional jealousy and shame. Yamaguchi was insignificant who found his destiny in the ashes Oppenheimer wrought, and became a voice for peace. As “Oppenheimer” the movie continues to break box office records, I look forward to the day when we have a movie on Tsutoma Yamaguchi.

PurpleAmerica’s Recommended Stories

Many a high school english class requires reading the book, “Hiroshima” by John Hersey. It’s still a great book to revisit and remember.

PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Fact of the Day

The Hiroshima, uranium-based bomb yielded the equivalent of 15 kilotons, or roughly 15,000 TONS of dynamite. The Nagasaki, plutonium-based bomb resulted in roughly 21 kilotons. Oppenheimer in later years became a proponent for international control of nuclear weapons and disarmament. Before dying, he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The largest nuclear detonation ever was the “Tsar Bomba” in northern Russia which had the yield of 55 MEGATONS, or the equivalent of 55,000,000 TONS of TNT. That nuclear device was detonated in 1961, 62 years ago. It was designed by Andrei Sakharov, who became a Soviet dissident and nuclear disarmament proponent, earning himself the Nobel Peace Prize.

It should not be lost on anyone either that Alfred Nobel, the eponymous creator of the Nobel Peace Prize, was the inventor of dynamite.

One can only imagine how big the scientists of today have increased the yield of nuclear weapons. However, it is heartbreaking to consider that whoever creates the next giant mass-killing device can express some regret and then be considered a philanthropist and Nobel Peace Prize possibility.

PurpleAmerica’s Cultural Corner

The “hibakusha” is the name given to survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Aside from the detonation and obliteration of their cities, they also had to endure radiation sickness, long term cancers, and health problems their entire lives. In 1956, Japan acknowledged the physical and social problems these people had and offered financial assistance for their health care.

However, they also endured a painful social death in Japan. Many hibakusha not only suffered ill health due to radiation exposure and surviving a nuclear bomb, but also were subjected to discrimination at the hands of fellow Japanese. In 1945, little was known about the effects of radioactive contamination, and rumors spread that radiation exposure was akin to an infectious disease. Already traumatized by their experience of the “unforgettable fire” they fell victim to discrimination and were often found ineligible for work and marriage. Sadly, discrimination against hibakusha continues to this day and has been renewed by the on-going radiological catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex.

PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject

I’d say Mr. Yamaguchi has earned the final word.

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Footnotes and Fun Stuff

1. His supervisor however was killed. When Yamaguchi would tell the story years later to crowds, he would always kind of smile and joke how it was somewhat deserved for disbelieving and mocking him. The crowd would always erupt in laughter.

2. In the case of all other double atomic bombing survivors, they were mostly on the outskirts of town for one or the other. Most were Hiroshima survivors sent to the Nagasaki hospital as the hospital in Hiroshima was destroyed. While there at that hospital, they were far enough away to not feel the full impact. Tsutoma is the only survivor to be within 2 miles of both bombings.