War Criminal Conference & Exhibition
[Dewan Merdeka, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur]
The Tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Dr Shoji Sawada
- First visit to Malaysia
- Apologise for Japanese barbaric invasion of countries including Malaysia
- Thank Tun M- give me chance to talk in this conference
- Talk about tragedy of atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - to prove the dangers of nuclear weapons
- Atomic blast - like a fire storm - mother asked him to escape from the fire storm - from his home - asked for mothers forgiveness for leaving her - last conversation to her mother
- Double responsibility to human kind - against nuclear bomb and also to his mother, and other survivors
- The hydrogen bomb testing - in 50's gave him a great shock - as nuclear bomb is deadly enough to destroy human society
- Physical damages of A-bomb-
- Heat rays - causes burns 30% of the body
- Shock wave
- Radiation
- During nuclear fission - gamma rays - create super high heat rays. High pressured air - from the fireball - become shockwaves. After the shockwaves - strong blast caused by the shockwaves - many buildings are destroyed
- Pictorial evidence of the damage of the a-bomb - to humans, buildings, homes
- Map of Hiroshima and Nagasaki burned and destroyed regions and partial damage - pointed out where he was during the blast
- Radiation - from fireball - primary radiation - less than 1 minute, residual radiation (after 1 min from the source)
- Fireball - rise to the stratosphere - mushroom cloud emerge - lower part - rain particles - dropped and then - becomes fine particles radiation. Heavy rain - in these region - radioactive fine particles - causes internal exposure
- Typical symptom - acute radiation - epilation and purpura, and diarrhea
- More pictorial evidence
- A-bomb deaths - before end of 1945
- Effect of radiation of Chain of DNA - electronss will be released - a single radioation particle can produce 1000 ionisation in the human body
- Living cells can repair cut off parts - but sometimes - errors in repair - chromosome aberration
- 60 years after the a-bomb - survivors suffering effects of radiation - govt. is providing assistance to those survivors - criteria adopted - very strict - far removed from the actual situation - based on study from Radiation Research Foundation - successor of a foundation which is set up by the US - only emphasize results - that could support the use of nuclear weapons now.
- He is studying - the real effects - survivors - lawsuit - the government to change the criteria
- Need to analyse the many manifestation of the acute diseases of the survivors - not done before he started it showed chart
- Primary region of 2.5km - primary radiation, but after 2.5 km - there are various acute diseases - anlysed the ratio of incidence ration of acute diseases - incidental rate and exposed dose of radiation - assuming exposed radiation chart - Fallout exposure of Nagasaki - effect from primary radiation - is almost zero, at 2.5 km from Ground Zero, but when the effect of fallout is retained - most important part of residual radiation - up to 5km - the effect decreased, but 5-12km - reaction - from mushroom cloud structure - quite similar - Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Most distant part - about 10-15km, up to 20km from Ground Zero
- Different features between internal and external exposure -external exposure - uniform effect, internal exposure - tissues - severely damaged from radiation
- Results from the Foundation - does not consider the effect of residual rays - the cover the effects of residual radiation. That effect from a-bomb is limited - but this is not true - now - US - wants to use aspirating penetrating nuclear bomb - affect 10-15km from ground zero - but no primary radiation, no mushroom cloud - so many residual radioactive particle - very dangerous - 21st century's hell on earth
- Present situation of survivors and collective lawsuits
- He testified in courts - course recognized his statements - Nagasaki - made judgment in favour of 9, and Hiroshima 41 - suits - in favour. Japanese government - appealed to higher courts - disputed the scientific evidence - but I think it would not work
- Article 9 of Japanese constitution - Japanese cannot have functioning military - now - pressed by the US government - Japanese govt. is contradicting Article 9 - change this article - many Japanese people - 60% of people - wants to retain Article 9 - which can continue - the peaceful development of ASEAN + 3
- Hope - this conference - contribute construct peaceful world - strong movement anti a-bomb combined with the peace movement - balance to the Bush administration's urging for war - and fight for peace