Suzuka Nakamura from the southern Japanese city of
Nagasaki, which along with Hiroshima, was targeted by an
atomic bomb at the end of the Second World War, is
determined to create the museum to bring the stories of hibakusha
(atomic bomb survivors) to communities far beyond those two
cities.
Ms. Nakamura, whose grandmother was a
hibakusha, was selected as one of the 17
Young Leaders for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
for 2025-2026.
She spoke to UN News ahead
of the International
Day for Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation
Awareness, marked annually on 5 March.
“There
are more than 12,000 nuclear weapons globally. There is a
possibility that everyone could be a victim of an atomic
bomb.
When I was a high school student, I started my
career as a peace activist. In my hometown, I did a
signature campaign and a lot of activities with
hibakusha.
I really respect the
hibakusha because they try to tell how cruel and
terrible it is to experience an atomic bomb.
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They want
to make world peace by highlighting their own experiences.
Their role in this world is huge because people tend to
forget history. We need to remember the tragedy of this city
and the history of what people experienced.
The
challenge is how to keep these activities going as they are
mainly organised by volunteers.
I thought if I could
create new activities that would engage and inspire young
people to participate then we could keep the message of the
hibakusha relevant to my generation as
well.
Mobile atomic bomb museum
When I entered
university, I decided to make a community where young people
could work for the elimination of nuclear weapons. After
that, I wanted to make that my job.
Now, I am trying
to develop a mobile atomic bomb museum to spread the message
that the eradication of nuclear weapons is crucial. Since
the anti-nuclear organization founded by hibakusha,
Nihon
Hidankyo received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, more
visitors have come to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to see and
learn what happened.
However, there is nowhere outside
Hiroshima and Nagasaki where people can learn about this
topic.
I thought if I could create a mobile museum
which could reach across Japan and indeed the world, there
could be more opportunities to discuss peace, human rights
or anything else that is so essential for our life and
society.
What I learned from hibakusha
The UN
is an indispensable organization. It is where people from
all over the world can gather to discuss and decide how we
will live in the future.
So, as a Young Leader for the
SDGs, I thought I could pursue solving this
issue.
Being a Young Leader will enable me to create
networks and connect with ideas from people in other
countries.
There is no specific SDG goal that
encompasses nuclear disarmament, although this is a
cross-cutting issue through all the SDGs.
Quite
simply, there can be no sustainable world with the existence
of atomic bombs.
One thing I learned from
hibakusha is patience. This issue is so huge that
maybe I cannot solve it during my life.
We need
patience so as not to stop doing this activity. We have to
continue. We have to keep moving
forward.”
