Kinokokai, or the Association of Atomic Bomb Microcephaly Sufferers and their Families, was established in 1965 in Hiroshima. Atomic bomb microcephaly refers to the condition affecting fetuses who were exposed to atomic bomb radiation near the hypocenter during early pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several factors explain why it took two decades after the bombing to establish the association. Communications concerning the facts about atomic bombs were censored during the American occupation that lasted until 1952. After the occupation was over, survivors were silenced by widespread discrimination that was fueled by speculation about the intergenerational effects of the radiation. More specifically, microcephaly was often wrongly perceived as evidence of an “inherited” effect of radiation. Scientific knowledge about the long-term effects of the radiation was rarely communicated to the public, even after the rigorous epidemiological and pathological studies on the survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A group of writers and journalists played significant roles in identifying persons with microcephaly in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who were not informed of what caused the condition. They also facilitated discussions among affected families, which materialized as Kinokokai. When the first-generation supporters retired, Naomasa Hirao took over. He worked as a video journalist and documentary producer for RCC, the broadcasting station in Hiroshima. Since 1991, he has reported extensively on atomic bomb-related microcephaly, producing television and radio documentaries, news features, and other media programs that have highlighted the experiences of survivors and their families. Two of his documentary films are available online:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The A-bomb: What Happened to Hiroshima?<\/strong><\/em> \u304a\u30fc\u3044\u8074\u3053\u3048\u307e\u3059\u304b\u3000\u88ab\u720675\u5e74\u30fb\u30d2\u30ed\u30b7\u30de\u304b\u3089 (Do you hear us? From Hiroshima 75 years after the Bombing<\/em>)<\/strong>
Based on film footage recorded two months after the atomic bombing and recent interviews with survivors, including families affected by radiation-induced microcephaly, the film reconstructs the events that unfolded in Hiroshima after the bombing and their long-term effects.
https:\/\/iraw.rcc.jp\/play\/videos\/640791<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Members of Kinokokai recall their painful trajectories 75 years after the Bombing of Hiroshima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n