Senji Yamaguchi (Nagasaki, 1930–2013) Mr. Senji Yamaguchi was 14 years old when Nagasaki was bombed. Only 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) from the blast center, his upper body was severely burned by thermal radiation (heat rays). He lay unconscious for 40 days and barely escaped death. Eventually he seemed to recover; his acute radiation symptoms went away. But then he began suffering from diseases such as skin cancer, kidney disease, emphysema, and asthma. He also had trouble finding work because of his extensive scaring on his body. Despite his health problems, Mr. Yamaguchi remained an active campaigner for total nuclear disarmament. He represented the NGO delegations from Japan at the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament in 1982. In his speech he appealed for “No More Hibakusha! No More War!” Mr. Yamaguchi hands out flyers of the hibakusha appeal in downtown Tokyo, May 1990. Photograph by Ittetsu Morishita. From the film The Lost Generation. Copyright Association to Establish the Japan Peace Museum. Mr. Yamaguchi using a razor. Photograph by Sakae Murasato.
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