Kanto Regional Event with Hibakusha Storyteller Koko Kondo

Koko Kondo was really emotional, meaningful, and incredibly impactful. Organized by TOMO Alumni Regional Rep Emily Wilson and TOMO Alum Koh Matsuki, partnering with 1Future productions. The main message of the day was the importance of passing the message/lesson from person to person and people-to-people relations 人から人、人と人 as a deterrent to never make these mistakes again.

 

Time flew by as she shared her story of survival and emotional growth. She experienced the atomic bomb in Hiroshima when she was just 8mo old and survived. Her father was a pastor who built good relations with the U.S. and the whole family was invited on the ABC show “This is your life” where they met Captain Lewis who co-piloted the Enola Gay who showed remorse for his actions and Koko-san found it in her 10yr old heart to hold his hand in a sign of empathy, forgiveness, I’m not sure exactly what the word would be but it wasn’t hate that she had felt until she saw this man cry for his actions.
After her story, we went around the room sharing our thoughts and there was a common sense of understanding and community that came out of this day.Most of the 20 attendees were TOMO alums, but we also had USJC members Hirokazu Oki and Atsushi Usami attending, and a reporter from Japan Times as well.

 

Some quotes:

• “Humanity is the real deterrent [of war and to not make the same mistakes.]” — Hirokazu Oki, USJC Member
• 「世の中のインパクトを与えるものとしてしっかり伝えていきたいと思ってます。」— Atsushi Usami, USJC Member