Discussion on the Continuation of Hibakusha Federation, Origami Crane Experience Space, Hiroaki Mito Receives Tanimoto Kiyoshi Peace Prize — People Who Are Structuring ‘Memory Inheritance’

The average age of hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) has surpassed 85 years. The number of people who can share their experiences is dwindling — this fact has been known for many years. However, there is an immense gap between simply “knowing” this and actually “structuring” it.

In the spring of 2025, three pieces of news arrived from Hiroshima. The ongoing discussion about the continuation of the Hibakusha Federation, the newly established Origami Crane Experience Space at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and the awarding of the Tanimoto Kiyoshi Peace Prize to Hiroaki Mito, a hibakusha from in utero exposure. At first glance, these seemingly disparate movements are grounded in the same question — “How can we pass on memories to the next generation without relying solely on individual dedication?”

—

Continuation of Hibakusha Federation — What Will It Transform From a ‘Hibakusha Organization’ Into?

In 2024, the Japan Council of Atomic Bomb Victims Organizations (Hibakusha Federation) received the Nobel Peace Prize. Behind this honor, the foundation of the organization is quietly shaking.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of the end of March 2025, there are approximately 106,000 people holding hibakusha health cards. This is a significant decrease from about 370,000 at its peak in 1980, now less than a third. Within the member organizations of the Hibakusha Federation, many are facing challenges in maintaining activities due to the aging of executives and the passing of members.

At the national representatives’ meeting held in Tokyo, this issue was addressed directly. The necessity of “continuation centered on the second and third generations of hibakusha” was repeatedly emphasized in the interim report. The Hiroshima Prefectural Hibakusha Federation clearly requested “continuation” and called for discussions to redefine the organization.

Here, I want to pause for a moment. The term “continuation” does not merely mean preserving the organization. It raises the question of how to design a system that continues the functions the Hibakusha Federation has performed — creating spaces for testimonies, making policy proposals, and connecting hibakusha with one another — even after the survivors are no longer present.

Notably, during the meeting, “collaboration with local educational institutions” was proposed as a concrete measure. The Hiroshima Prefectural Hibakusha Federation is considering building a lesson program utilizing video archives of hibakusha testimonies in cooperation with local elementary and junior high schools. Even when there are no narrators left, the structure of storytelling can remain. The transition from individual inheritance to institutional inheritance — this is the turning point at which the Hibakusha Federation currently stands.

However, challenges are also apparent. Many second and third generation hibakusha are approaching their 60s and 70s, making it difficult to refer to them as a “next generation” due to their aging. Furthermore, how to open pathways for younger generations — those who are grandchildren or great-grandchildren of hibakusha — to engage is crucial. This will likely become the true core of the continuation discussion.

—

Origami Crane Experience Space — Designing the Shift from ‘Seeing’ to ‘Doing’

The newly established “Origami Crane Experience Space” on the first floor of the East Building of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum should not be viewed merely as an addition of an “experience corner.”

The museum attracts approximately 1.9 million visitors annually (as of 2023). The proportion of foreign visitors has surged in recent years, reaching a record high in 2023. In response to multilingual and multicultural visitors, the museum aims not only to “show” exhibits but also to design experiences that engage the body — the Origami Crane Experience Space is a realization of this philosophy.

The act of folding an origami crane transcends language barriers. Even if one cannot read the English instructions, they can learn how to fold by observing the hands of the person next to them. Taking a piece of paper, aligning the corners, and making creases — during those few minutes, visitors transform from “onlookers” to “doers.” This distinction in the inheritance of memory is significant.

Another noteworthy aspect is the destination of the completed origami cranes. The museum has established a system where the cranes folded by visitors are collected and dedicated to the “Children’s Peace Monument” in the Peace Memorial Park. Individual actions accumulate and reach a public space. This design of the pathway reflects the intention to transform memory from being merely a “personal impression” into a “shared act.”

For children, how to digest the shock experienced in the exhibition room is a pressing issue. After witnessing heavy truths, they have the opportunity to create something with their own hands. This serves as a mechanism to slightly alleviate feelings of powerlessness. By engaging physically, they can ground experiences that would otherwise be overwhelming — this space can function as such a place.

—

Hiroaki Mito and the Tanimoto Kiyoshi Peace Prize — The Weight of ‘Every Day’

Hiroaki Mito is a “hibakusha from in utero exposure,” having been exposed to the atomic bomb while in his mother’s womb. He has no direct memories of the bombing. Nevertheless, for over 20 years, he has continued to convey the horrors of nuclear weapons to visitors at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park.

I want to take a moment to reflect on the weight of this fact.

“Speaking without memories” — this is not a contradiction. What Mito has been conveying are not his own memories, but words he heard from his mother, testimonies from hibakusha, and facts presented in documents. In other words, Mito himself has already been functioning as a “system of inheritance.” From primary experiencers to secondary experiencers, and then to listeners. He has continuously placed his own body at this transmission point.

The Tanimoto Kiyoshi Peace Prize is named after Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a pastor who was exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and later moved to the United States to engage in peace movements. The award is given to individuals or organizations that have contributed to peace activities. Mito’s receipt of this award can be interpreted as recognition of the power of persistence — not just a one-time lecture, but “standing there every day.”

What Mito’s activities demonstrate is that inheritance does not necessarily require being an “experiencer.” Even without direct experience, one can learn the facts, receive words, and convey them in one’s own voice. This structure could serve as a model for inheritance after hibakusha are no longer present.

—

What the Three Scenes Indicate

The discussion on the continuation of the Hibakusha Federation, the Origami Crane Experience Space, and Hiroaki Mito’s award. When these three events are lined up, what emerges is the multi-layered structure supporting “memory inheritance.”

The Hibakusha Federation is attempting to institutionalize inheritance within the framework of an organization. The Origami Crane Experience Space is designing points of contact with memory through physical actions. Mito proves that the sustained individual practice itself can become a system.

The approaches differ. However, what the three scenes share is the same recognition — in the face of the reality that “there will be no one left to speak,” we can no longer leave memory solely to individual goodwill or sense of duty.

We support through systems. We support through spaces. We support through types of practice. None of these alone is sufficient. Only when multiple layers overlap can memory reach the next generation.

The future focus will be on how these initiatives connect. The possibility of integrating the Hibakusha Federation’s testimony archive into the museum’s experience programs. The potential for cultivating “narrators without experiences” like Mito to overlap with the activities of the Hibakusha Federation’s second and third generations. Individual points becoming lines, and then surfaces — it is in this process that the true power of inheritance resides.

Memory fades if left unattended. Knowing this, people create systems. Within these systems, there are those who strive to preserve the warmth of that day.