The Shadows of Hiroshima and Kenya’s Stand against Nuclear Weapons
- venessa hanson
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
August 6th 1945 at 8:15 AM the world changed forever. The United States dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy” on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb leveled over 60 percent of the city and seventy thousand residents died instantly as hundreds of thousands affected by radiation sickness decades after. Among those touched by its horror was Jiro Hamasumi who was yet to be born. The atomic bomb dropped 2.5 miles away from the hypocenter near the Yaga railway station on the Geibi line. His mother was expectant of him on that infamous day that his father was last seen. . Little did the pregnant lady know that the emitted radiation would shape her child’s destiny. Jiro grew up in post-war Japan haunted by harrowing tales of immolated bodies and a city razed to ashes. As Jiro grew older, he felt the weight of a past he never personally witnessed –but one that lived inside him. Today, at 79, Jiro Hamasumi is a leading advocate in the fight against nuclear weapons. He serves as the current assistant secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of the Atomic Bomb Sufferers Organizations,. a leading voice in the advocacy against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. He has spent his life advocating for an aversion of another Hiroshima by keeping the memory of the monumental tragedy alive in human memory.
On March 5th 2025, he gave an address at a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In December 2024, he represented Nihon Hidankyo in Oslo as they were decorated with the Nobel Peace Prize, a testament to decades of unflagging advocacy. Jiro’s mission is clear in calling the nuclear bomb the “devil's weapon” an instrument of destruction that vanquishes lives and robs people of their futures. He speaks not for himself but for the countless lives, dead or alive, that bore the brunt of atomic radiation. But what does this have to do with Kenya? Although Kenya has never suffered directly from a nuclear attack, it is a vocal advocate of nuclear nonproliferation. Kenya has voted in favor of adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 at the United Nations negotiating conference. It has consistently voted in favor of the annual United Nations general Assembly resolutions on the treaty. More than just diplomacy, Kenya believes that the absolute guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons lies in their complete elimination. Beyond international agreements, local organizations have emerged to advance this cause. The Eastern Africa Association for Radiation Protection and the Women in Nuclear Kenya have taken the initiative to sensitize the public on the peaceful use of Nuclear Technology while stressing the dangers of nuclear weapons. These efforts align with the broader African vision of having a continent free from nuclear threats and focusing on other pacific applications of nuclear such as energy, medical advancements and scientific development. Nuclear weapons do not distinguish between races, borders or nations; it destroys everything. Jiro Hamasumi’s story is a lesson to both Kenya and the world. As Kenya moves forward to implement its first nuclear reactor it must ensure that the program remains peaceful and transparent adhering to international safety standards. Standing firm against nuclear weapons, to ensure that no one has to experience the shadows of nuclear weapons.
The world has already witnessed the unimaginable once. Let’s make sure no one ever has to live through it again. Written by: Diana Ajema Kamadi. Contact Diana here: deekamadi@gmail.com.