Iida was keenly aware that fewer foreigners had been visiting because of the coronavirus pandemic, and he was desperate to seize the moment. In May of this year, the world's gaze was on Hiroshima when the city hosted the G7 summit. But age has not dimmed Iida's determination one bit. Iida then pulled out his dictionary - only to realize that he had been taught "incinerate" already. His American teacher responded by explaining the word "incinerate." One day, Iida spoke about a fire that tore through a reinforced concrete building after the blast. To ensure he can communicate his message effectively, he frequently attends an English conversation class. These days, Iida delivers as many as 20 speeches a month. I felt an energy welling up inside me." Iida talks with his English teacher. "So I wanted to use the time I have left to convey what actually happened. "The push to abolish nuclear weapons had lost momentum," he says. In his early 70s, after retirement, Iida started sharing his life story with students and foreign tourists as an official witness of the bombing. After that, he enjoyed a long career as an engineer. ![]() At one point, he was one of the worst-performing students, but he eventually graduated top of the class. "I never imagined I would not be able to join any club activities."īut Iida did not give up, and his grades dramatically improved. "My teacher told me I wasn't good at studying, so I had to use my spare time to catch up," he says. He always came last in running races, and couldn't even play jump rope. School was a struggle both academically and physically. Oftentimes, he would just while away the days lying down. He always suffered headaches and dizziness, and was woefully short on energy. The blast thrust shards of glass into Iida's own body, and the wounds took seven years to close. The atomic bomb took away everything I had." Iida Kunihiko, left, pictured with his elder sister A life of ill health ![]() "But then she stopped, no matter how often I tried. "For a while, my mother replied when I called out," he says. Their bodies turned black, and they both died of necrosis. The blast robbed his mother and sister of their hair and skin. Their home was just 900 meters from the hypocenter. He was living in his mother's hometown, Hiroshima, after his father had been killed in the war in Okinawa. Iida was just three years old on Augthe day when life changed forever.
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