被爆と敗戦後� �生きる――ABCC の核爆小頭児� �関する内部情� ��を流出させた 日本人職員を� �心として.pdf

In 1964, a group of writers and journalists in Hiroshima formed the "Hiroshima Research Group" to record the current state of Hiroshima, 20 years after the atomic bombing. The group's members, including writer Ba Yamashita, conducted interviews and wrote reports on various themes, including the struggles of atomic bomb survivors, the difficulties faced by survivors in Okinawa, and the experiences of burakumin (outcast communities) who were affected by the bombing. One of the themes they explored was the issue of "atomic bomb microcephaly," a condition that affected some survivors who were exposed to radiation while in the womb. However, the group had difficulty finding individuals who were willing to come forward and share their experiences.

In 1965, a woman named Sakiko Yamaguchi, who worked at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), secretly leaked internal information about the condition to writer and poet Munetoshi Fukuda. This information eventually reached the hands of Akira Shigenobu, a member of the Hiroshima Research Group, and led to the formation of the "Kinokai" (Mushroom Club), a support group for individuals with atomic bomb microcephaly and their families. The group's efforts ultimately led to the establishment of a research team by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1966, and the official recognition of atomic bomb microcephaly as a condition caused by radiation exposure in 1967.

Sakiko Yamaguchi, whose maiden name was Sakiko Katsuhiko, was a student at the Hiroshima Prefectural Women's Higher Normal School at the time of the bombing. She was 17 years old and in her second year of school. Yamaguchi's family did not have a farm, and they struggled to make ends meet, relying on meager rations and wild grasses to survive. Despite the difficulties, Yamaguchi was educated to be a loyal and obedient subject of the emperor, and she believed that it was her duty to sacrifice herself for the country if necessary.

On the day of the bombing, Yamaguchi was on her way to school when she saw a massive fireball in the sky. She took shelter in a nearby air raid shelter, but the blast and heat from the bomb still reached her, causing her to suffer from radiation sickness. Yamaguchi's school was destroyed, and many of her classmates were killed or injured. She herself became an "entry survivor," meaning that she was not directly exposed to the bomb but entered the city after the bombing and suffered from radiation exposure.

After the war, Yamaguchi's family struggled to survive, and they were forced to live on meager rations. When Japan surrendered, Yamaguchi's mother cooked a special meal of white rice, which was a rare luxury at the time. However, Yamaguchi was so traumatized by the experience of the war that she could not eat, and she considered taking her own life and the lives of her siblings. It was only when a neighbor intervened, telling them that the war was over and that their father would return, that Yamaguchi and her family were able to find the strength to carry on.

Yamaguchi's experiences during and after the war had a profound impact on her life, and she continued to suffer from physical and emotional trauma for many years. Despite these challenges, she found the strength to speak out about her experiences and to advocate for the rights of atomic bomb survivors, including those with microcephaly. Her story is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit and the importance of remembering and learning from the past.