Three times we have killed Japanese citizens with nuclear weapons, first Hiroshima then Nagasaki. March first is the 65th anniversary of the Castle Bravo explosion which irradiated the 23 crewmen of the tuna boat Daigo Fukuryū Maru, Lucky Dragon 5. Radioman Aikichi Koboyama died from radiation poisoning.
While the atomic bombing of the cities killed approximately 200,000, the death of Aikchi Koboyama and the fallout on the Lucky Dragon 5 may have had more lasting impact.
As the cliche goes the death of one is a tragedy, while the death of a million is a statistic.
70 to 85 million people died in WWII. In the midst of that carnage a couple of cities are a rounding error. The death of a fisherman from a poorly run, ill conceived American bomb test is an indisputable atrocity.
The Castle Bravo explosion was over twice as powerful as planned. At 15 megatons it was a thousand times larger than the bomb which leveled Hiroshima. The tuna boat was missed in the clearing of the shipping exclusion area for the test.
The Lucky Dragon 5 is on display in Tokyo’s Yumenoshima Park and is a popular destination for Japanese school trips.
From the Japan Times 2012:
Outside the hall is a monument on which there is an inscription recording Kuboyama’s jisei (dying wish) from his hospital bed in 1954. It reads: “Gensuibaku no higaisha wa, watashi wo saigo ni shite hoshii.” (“I pray that I am the last victim of an atomic or hydrogen bomb.”)
Godzilla’s 1954 movie contained an homage to the Lucky Dragon.
A small Japanese fishing boat floats quietly at sea. The fishermen are making music, playing games and sleeping on deck. Suddenly, their tranquil moment is shattered by the sound of an explosion. The fishermen all rush to the railings, looking out across turbulent waters. Piercing white blindness overtakes everything, and their screams are silenced by an unseen, all- consuming force.
That’s the opening scene of Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla, but to Japanese audiences of the time, it was an instantly recognizable tribute to a very recent tragedy.
Black and white footage of the Castle Bravo test.
Given that the soulless grifter leading our country has ruminated on why do we have nukes if we aren’t going to use them?, and bragged that my button is bigger, it is not unreasonable Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would risk looking foolish flattering President Trump with a letter saying Donald should receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
If it would lower the risk of nuclear explosions give him an extra large super duper medal.
Below is an excellent 10 minute 2008 documentary award-winning Maryland History Day documentary, by Lauren White.