■　お知らせ

　On March 1st, 1954, the United States conducted a Hydrogen bomb test called Bravo shot near Bikini Atoll, Marshall Island in the Pacific. "Daigo Fukuryu Maru" (Lucky Dragon #5) wooden tuna fishing boat encountered the test and was exposed to radiation. Twenty three fishermen were on board. They felt sick, suffered from diarrhea and hair loss on board. Aikichi KUBOYAMA, forty years old, died after six months. He was the first victim to die from an H-Bomb test.
The Bravo shot was 1000 times stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and the fallouts contaminated the environment. Very strong radiation was detected in fish, vegetables and milk. Japan was thrown into a panic.
　Aikichi's wife Suzu worked hard to raise her three daughters and continued saying "No more nuclear weapons." Many people were encouraged to see her way of life. The Bikini Incident triggered the grass-roots movement for peace. World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen bomb started. Suzu joined these events. On March 1st, Memorial Events have been held every year.
　Many ships besides "Daigo Fukuryu Maru" (the Lucky Dragon #5) were exposed to radiation. The recorded exposures of ships were 992. After around 30 years, high school teachers in Kochi investigated exposures with their high school students. There were many exposed fishermen in Kochi and some died very young. Many of the fishermen who had been hushed up, scared of discrimination against exposure, began to talk about their experience near the Bikini Atoll. "Hata High School Student Seminar" in Koch Prefecture worked hard and learned eagerly about the disaster. They visited Suzu KUBOYAMA, wife of Aikichi, in Yaizu City Shizuoka Prefectue. One of the students asked Suzu to send Koch clippings of roses which were blooming in her garden. Aikichi planted the roses and Suzu tended them for 30 years since her husband died. The roses became a symbol of peace like paper cranes. They are called "Roses of Aikichi-Suzu"
　In 2018, a picture book about Kuboyamas and "Roses of Aikichi-Suzu" was published both in Japanese and English. The title is A Prayer of Roses. It is appreciated as a handbook of the Bikini incident and peace making material.