 1954 Tragedy of Bikini remembered On March 1st, about 1,800 peace activists from trade unions as well as youth, women's, and religious organizations held a rally in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, to mark the 51st anniversary of the U.S. hydrogen bomb text explosion at Bikini Atoll. Remembering the enormous damage the hydrogen bomb test caused to South Pacific islanders as well as Japanese men on fishing boats, including fishermen on the Lucky Dragon No. 5 (Daigo Fukuryumaru), they renewed their determination to increase efforts to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons. The assembly was co-sponsored by the World Conference against A & H Bombs Organizing Committee and the Bikini Day Assembly Shizuoka Prefectural Organizing Committee. Earlier in the day, the assembly participants marched to the grave of Kuboyama Aikichi, the Lucky Dragon No. 5's chief radio operator who died six months after exposure to the radiation at the age of 40. In Shizuoka City on the eve of Bikini Day, scientists held a meeting to discuss the investigation of the Bikini tragedy. (end) |