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| Brazilian Hiroshima survivors campaign against new push for nuclear power | Brazilian Hiroshima survivors campaign against new push for nuclear power |
| (1 day later) | |
| Seventy years on and more than 10,000 miles away, a group of atomic bombing survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are campaigning for a nuclear-free world in their adopted home of Brazil. | Seventy years on and more than 10,000 miles away, a group of atomic bombing survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are campaigning for a nuclear-free world in their adopted home of Brazil. |
| Despite their advanced age – some are in their 90s – they have stepped up their activities this year both to mark the anniversary of the US attacks, and to oppose the Brazilian government’s plans to more than double nuclear power generation. | Despite their advanced age – some are in their 90s – they have stepped up their activities this year both to mark the anniversary of the US attacks, and to oppose the Brazilian government’s plans to more than double nuclear power generation. |
| The survivors – known in Japanese as hibakusha – were among a wave of 20th-century migrants who moved across the world in search of a better life. There are now believed to be more than 1.5 million people of Japanese descent in Brazil – the biggest diaspora in the world. | The survivors – known in Japanese as hibakusha – were among a wave of 20th-century migrants who moved across the world in search of a better life. There are now believed to be more than 1.5 million people of Japanese descent in Brazil – the biggest diaspora in the world. |
| More than 100 of them are registered survivors of the bombings on 6 and 9 August 1945, a trauma that continues to define their identities despite the intervening distance and years. | More than 100 of them are registered survivors of the bombings on 6 and 9 August 1945, a trauma that continues to define their identities despite the intervening distance and years. |
| Takashi Morita was 21 years old when Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. | Takashi Morita was 21 years old when Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. |
| “I was walking on the street, when suddenly paaaaa! a big flash and then everything collapsed,” he recalls. | “I was walking on the street, when suddenly paaaaa! a big flash and then everything collapsed,” he recalls. |
| Morita was burned and injured by debris, but recovered and 10 years later took a boat to start afresh in Brazil, which relaxed restrictions on Asian immigrants in the late 1950s. | Morita was burned and injured by debris, but recovered and 10 years later took a boat to start afresh in Brazil, which relaxed restrictions on Asian immigrants in the late 1950s. |
| Like many of his counterparts in Japan, he and other hibakusha formed a peace association dedicated to banning nuclear weapons and closing nuclear power plants. | Like many of his counterparts in Japan, he and other hibakusha formed a peace association dedicated to banning nuclear weapons and closing nuclear power plants. |
| Related: Hiroshima and the nuclear age - a visual guide | |
| In the 1970s and 80s, both were a major concern in Brazil. The military dictatorship – in competition with Argentina – had launched an atomic weapons programme, starting with construction of two pressurised water reactors at Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state. Public fears about radiation hit a peak in 1987 when a capsule of caesium 137 from a radiotherapy device was taken from an abandoned hospital and lead to widespread contamination and the death of at least four people. | In the 1970s and 80s, both were a major concern in Brazil. The military dictatorship – in competition with Argentina – had launched an atomic weapons programme, starting with construction of two pressurised water reactors at Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state. Public fears about radiation hit a peak in 1987 when a capsule of caesium 137 from a radiotherapy device was taken from an abandoned hospital and lead to widespread contamination and the death of at least four people. |
| The hibakusha have worked with victims’ groups of this and other contamination cases to raise public awareness of radiation risks posed by power plants, waste dumps, mines, factories, medical devices and mineral dumps – including more than a thousand tonnes of uranium and thorium residues which are still held at a former Nuclemon site in a densely populated neighbourhood of São Paulo. | The hibakusha have worked with victims’ groups of this and other contamination cases to raise public awareness of radiation risks posed by power plants, waste dumps, mines, factories, medical devices and mineral dumps – including more than a thousand tonnes of uranium and thorium residues which are still held at a former Nuclemon site in a densely populated neighbourhood of São Paulo. |
| “Many people don’t know that radiation is so close to our lives. People must be aware of it, what radiations are and what kind of effect they have in our body,” said Junko Kosumo, a hibakusha who lives in São Paulo. “We must pass on [what we know of the risks] to future generations. | “Many people don’t know that radiation is so close to our lives. People must be aware of it, what radiations are and what kind of effect they have in our body,” said Junko Kosumo, a hibakusha who lives in São Paulo. “We must pass on [what we know of the risks] to future generations. |
| Brazil’s anti-nuclear campaigners claimed a victory in 1990, when the government renounced its nuclear weapon ambitions. They have also been relieved by long hold-ups in reactor construction plans. Today, Brazil still has only two nuclear reactors, which generate 3% of its electricity. | Brazil’s anti-nuclear campaigners claimed a victory in 1990, when the government renounced its nuclear weapon ambitions. They have also been relieved by long hold-ups in reactor construction plans. Today, Brazil still has only two nuclear reactors, which generate 3% of its electricity. |
| Related: The man who survived Hiroshima: 'I had entered a living hell on earth' | |
| But, under the Workers party, the government has resurrected the nuclear energy program as a back-up to hydroelectric dams during the dry season. The state-run operator, Electronuclear, has resumed construction of a third reactor at Angra, which is due for completion in 2019 after a two-decade delay. Earlier this year, the energy minister, Eduardo Braga, announced that he was looking for private sector investment for another long-mooted plan to build four new nuclear plants. | But, under the Workers party, the government has resurrected the nuclear energy program as a back-up to hydroelectric dams during the dry season. The state-run operator, Electronuclear, has resumed construction of a third reactor at Angra, which is due for completion in 2019 after a two-decade delay. Earlier this year, the energy minister, Eduardo Braga, announced that he was looking for private sector investment for another long-mooted plan to build four new nuclear plants. |
| Opponents, however, question the wisdom of any expansion, considering the industry – even at its relatively small scale – has been hit by a succession of accidents and scandals. In February, Angra 1 had to be powered down after a cooling system problem. Last month Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, a retired admiral who heads Electronuclear (and formerly ran a government project to build nuclear submarines), was arrested for allegedly taking 4.5m reais (£800,000) in bribes from engineering firms working on Angra 3. | Opponents, however, question the wisdom of any expansion, considering the industry – even at its relatively small scale – has been hit by a succession of accidents and scandals. In February, Angra 1 had to be powered down after a cooling system problem. Last month Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, a retired admiral who heads Electronuclear (and formerly ran a government project to build nuclear submarines), was arrested for allegedly taking 4.5m reais (£800,000) in bribes from engineering firms working on Angra 3. |
| Such cases give the hibakusha fresh motivation to continue their long struggle. Morita makes at least one visit each month to a church, school or university. This June, he estimates he gave 20 lectures. He has also been to the Angra site to register his opposition to the construction of the third reactor. | Such cases give the hibakusha fresh motivation to continue their long struggle. Morita makes at least one visit each month to a church, school or university. This June, he estimates he gave 20 lectures. He has also been to the Angra site to register his opposition to the construction of the third reactor. |
| This week, anti-nuclear groups will attend an exhibition in Angra on the fallout from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “We have to warn the population of the danger. I believe that Brazil, being a country that is close to the equator with a tropical climate has no need for nuclear energy,” said André Lopes Loula, a teacher who works with the hibakusha. | This week, anti-nuclear groups will attend an exhibition in Angra on the fallout from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “We have to warn the population of the danger. I believe that Brazil, being a country that is close to the equator with a tropical climate has no need for nuclear energy,” said André Lopes Loula, a teacher who works with the hibakusha. |
| Morita, meanwhile, is in Japan to mark the 70th anniversary commemorations. Speaking by phone from Hiroshima, he said that after he returns to Brazil, he will continue the work that has defined his life. | Morita, meanwhile, is in Japan to mark the 70th anniversary commemorations. Speaking by phone from Hiroshima, he said that after he returns to Brazil, he will continue the work that has defined his life. |
| Related: Hiroshima’s fate, 70 years ago this week, must not be forgotten | |
| “I experienced the bomb. I saw many die. I have lived until now with a spirit dedicated to ensuring humanity never again sees such a terrible thing.” | “I experienced the bomb. I saw many die. I have lived until now with a spirit dedicated to ensuring humanity never again sees such a terrible thing.” |
| Additional reporting by Shanna Hanbury | Additional reporting by Shanna Hanbury |
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