The Everlasting Effects Of Hiroshima On The Hibakusha?

I am researching the effects of Hiroshima on the “hibakusha” to understand World War II and the everlasting impact of the atomic bombings. In Japan, "hibakusha" means "the people affected by the explosion." The devastation left by the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima served as a reminder of the damage that it can do. The Manhattan Project began the development and research of nuclear weaponry. The dual bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Japan to surrender to the Allies on August 15, 1945, unwillingly. The nuclear bombs altered the lives of numerous Japanese civilians medically and socially, and these individual stories are forgotten in World War II’s narrative. Hiroshima was a demonstration of America’s military power and what
I will begin with the earliest memoirs of Hiroshima. One is John Hersey’s book Hiroshima. Hersey focused on six Japanese survivors. This was published in 1946 which makes it one of the earliest accounts of Hiroshima. Interestingly, Hersey was one of the first Western journalists to travel to Hiroshima. Hersey witnessed the unexpected effects of the bomb as he states “their faces were wholly burned, their eyesockets were hollow, the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks." He also mentions that the reproductive processes of the survivors “were affected for a time; men became sterile, women had miscarriages, menstruation stopped." This is a valuable source in diagnosing the effect and impact of the atomic bomb. The book illustrates the Japanese suffering from the bombing and stresses the psychological after-effects of it. The perspectives of the survivors are incorporated in many studies as “a scarce and precious intellectual resource” rather than an authentic voice. Another account of interest is Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6-September 30, 1945 by Michihiko Hachiya. Hachiya was the director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital
This stems from the collective American attitudes towards Japan because of Pearl Harbor. According to a Gallup poll conducted on August 16, 1945, indicated that 85 percent of respondents approved the use of the atomic bomb. The specifics and the atrocities of the atomic bombing were unknown since the U.S. military suppressed American and Japanese reporting on the aftermath of the bomb. General Macarthur issued a ten-point press-code for the Japanese news media. Between October of 1945 and November of 1949, Japanese publishers were required to submit two copies of their proposed publications to the Civil Censorship Detachment for review. To supplement this lack of knowledge, the “hibakusha” are often mute about their experiences. This overlooks the everlasting impact that the atomic bombs have on the Japanese survivors. The motives behind the bombing of Hiroshima is more of focus and, this slights the medical, social, and psychological effects of the bomb. Robert Holmes, the director of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, stated that the Japanese are “the most important people living.” The “hibakusha” “are a few chosen people challenged to fulfill so crucial a role in human history.” Survival accounts are important because they can reveal that the effects of nuclear weapons are just as significant as the motives behind developing and using nuclear weaponry. Robert Holmes, the director of