Tsutomu Yamaguchi, born on March 16, 1916 in Nagasaki, holds the unique title of being the only person to be officially recognized by the Japanese government as a survivor of both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On August 6, 1945, Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. About 3 km from the center of the explosion, he was hit by the shock waves, losing hearing in one ear, temporarily blinding himself, and suffering severe burns on the left side of his body. Despite his injuries, he found shelter for the night and returned to Nagasaki the next day.
On August 9, after reporting to work - where he recounted his experience in Hiroshima - he experienced the second bombing. This time, he was also about 3 km from the center of the explosion and survived with fewer physical injuries, but he had a fever and vomiting from radiation exposure.
In 1957, Yamaguchi was officially recognized as a 'hibakusha' (survivor) of the bombing of Nagasaki. It was not until March 2009 that the Japanese government officially acknowledged that he had survived both bombings, a status that was confirmed on March 24, 2009.
Yamaguchi spent the rest of his life advocating for nuclear disarmament, writing memoirs and poetry, and participating in a documentary shown at the UN in 2006 that featured 165 double survivors ('nijū hibakusha'). He died on 4 January 2010 in Nagasaki, aged 93, from stomach cancer.
His story, from surviving two separate atomic bombings to international commitment against nuclear weapons, is a testament to human strength and a painful reminder of the horror that nuclear war brings.
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