本文选自《经济学人》8月1日刊文章。1945年8月6日,美国向日本广岛投放原子弹“小男孩”,随后8月9日,向日本长崎投放另一颗原子弹“胖子”,这是迄今为止唯一用于战争的2枚原子弹,75年已过,那些原子弹爆炸的亲历者陆续去世,人们对原子弹灾难的恐惧记忆也逐渐淡化,全球范围内核不扩散的努力举步维艰。我曾经在东京看过一个广岛原子弹爆炸后的纪录片,整个纪录片没有声音,但即使隔着屏幕,你都能感受到无声的恐怖。日本将经历过广岛原子弹灾难幸存下来的人称为“被爆者”,75年过去了,“被爆者”陆续去世,当原子弹爆炸的“第一手”陈述的声音越来越弱,谁来接替他们讲述那场至今仍在影响很多人生活的核灾难呢?
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Hiroshima, 75 years on 75年后的广岛Atomic-bomb survivors seek new ways to keep their memories aliveAround the world, non-proliferation efforts are falteringAug 1st 2020 | HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI
These programmes reflect anxiety in Hiroshima and Nagasaki about fading wartime memories. In August Japan marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Although there are still more than 130,000 living hibakusha, their average age is over 83. This will be the “last chance” to hear first-hand from witnesses during a major anniversary, laments Kubo Masayuki, director of the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall.这些计划反映了广岛和长崎对逐渐消失的战争记忆的焦虑。今年8月,日本会纪念原子弹爆炸75周年。虽然仍然有超过13万被爆者活着,但他们的平均年龄已经超过83岁。广岛国家和平纪念馆馆长久保雅之悲叹道,这将是在一个重大的周年纪念日上,听取目击者第一手陈述的“最后机会”。The suffering of the hibakusha animates Japan’s post-war pacifism, as well as anti-nuclear activism internationally. Many worry that the war’s lessons are being forgotten. Fewer than 30% of Japanese can correctly name the dates of the atomic bombings (in Hiroshima and Nagasaki the numbers are higher). Yuzaki Hidehiko, the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, says that “fading memories—not only in Japan but around the world” are leading to growing naivety about the horrors of conflict.被爆者的痛苦激发了日本战后的和平主义,以及国际上的反核运动。许多人担心战争的教训正在被遗忘。不到30%的日本人能正确说出原子弹爆炸的日期(这个日期广岛和长崎的数字更高)。广岛县县长Yuzaki Hidehiko说,“不仅在日本,甚至在全世界,逐渐消失的记忆”正让人们对战争的恐怖变得越来越无知。