The annual service for victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs is traditionally held at Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. (MARIO GERSHOM REYES/Rafu Shimpo)

2020 marks 75 years since atomic bombs were detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki — the only times nuclear weapons have been used during warfare.

On Sunday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time), the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors and Koyasan Betsuin Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo invite the public to their 75th annual commemoration service for A-bomb victims and survivors, which will be held online for the first time in order to keep the community safe during the pandemic.

Robert Horsting

This year’s guest speaker will be Robert Horsting, a peace advocate and co-founder of Shadows for Peace, a nonprofit organization promoting peace through artistic expressions of dance, theater and art based on the real-life stories of atomic bomb survivors.

This year, there will be special messages from the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki plus testimonies from Junji Sarashina, Howard Kakita, Hiroko Nakano, and Taeko Okabe, who all survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

This event will be emceed by Midori Seino, Darrell Miho and Dr. Gloria R. Montebruno Saller.

The link for registration can be found on the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors’ Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HibakushasLegacy/). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining this event. As you enter the seminar room, keep your microphone muted and your video turned off.

For questions, contact Dr. Saller at gmontebrunophd@gmail.com or Miho at darrellmiho@gmail.com.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *