Hiroshima8217;s survivor disturbed by N-tests

NEW DELHI, June 16: In a soft voice, Yasuhiko Taketa, a survivor of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima, talked about the horrors he experienc...

NEW DELHI, June 16: In a soft voice, Yasuhiko Taketa, a survivor of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima, talked about the horrors he experienced in 1945. Taketa was seven kilometers away from ground zero the day Little Boy was dropped. The distance saved him, but his sister and junior high school friends were not so lucky.

8220;I hid under a bench when I saw the the fire column in the sky,8221; he said, reliving the days of the devastation.8220;My sister8217;s hair was singed. Her body was full of burns and she kept asking my mother to help. There was nothing we could do,8221; Taketa recalls.

The 13-year-old who saw his family and friends die in 1945, today travels the world telling nations that what happened then should not happen again. He has lived with the memories of charred bodies and deformed babies.

When both India and Pakistan carried out nuclear tests, Taketa was 8220;deeply disturbed8221; and all the gruesome pictures came rushing back. It was time for him to pack his bags and take a trip.

On a six-day visit to India, Taketa hopes to tell the people about the 8220;devastating effects8221; of the bomb. 8220;I don8217;t think people really know about the after-effects of radio-activity. I realised the same thing when I travelled to other nuclear countries also. People don8217;t know what radiation can do,8221; Taketa says.

Part of a four-member from Japan, Taketa will travel to Pokharan to share his experiences with the people. They will also interact with groups like the recently formed Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament MIND.

Explaining the purpose of the visit, Ken Sakamoto, general secretary of Gensuikin8217;s Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs Hiroshima branch says: 8220;We want to talk to the people and tell them about the destruction caused by A bombs. We have brought pictures highlighting the dreadfulness of the bomb. It not only affects the people who were there when the bomb was dropped, but two to three generations suffer the effects of radiation. Further, we want to talk to people here and see what they think about the NPT and CTBT.8221;

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Taketa said that he was in sympathy with the Indian stand on CTBT, but felt very sorry when India carried out the tests. He added that it was important for Japan to come out of the United States nuclear umbrella and show their determination on making the world nuclear free.

Opposing the sanctions imposed by the United States on India, Taketa says: 8220;Talking to children, I have often come across one question. They want to know whether the United States has a moral right to impose the sanctions. Even I find it difficult to answer that.8221;