Today marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an event that resulted in the deaths of 330,000 victims. In Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, a solemn record known as the “Register of the Names of the Atomic Bomb Victims” (原爆死没者名簿,
Genbaku Shibōsha Meibo) honors those who died from the bombing. This register is a set of parchment-like books that contain the names, birthdates, and dates of death of victims who died immediately or from related causes like radiation sickness or cancer over the years.
The volumes of the Register are kept in a stone chest beneath the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The cenotaph is inscribed with the powerful message: “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.”.
The first registry was created in 1946 to serve as a public and enduring memory of the victims. Each year on August 6, during the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, new names of those who died in the previous year due to the bomb’s effects are added to the registry with great solemnity. This annual act is a symbolic ritual that reinforces Hiroshima’s identity as a city of peace. The registry is inclusive of victims of any nationality who died from the bombing, including Korean forced laborers. The books are stored in a granite chest beneath the arched cenotaph, which is sealed and opened only once a year for the ceremony. As of 2024, the register includes over 330,000 names.
In the past 22 months, the world has seen destruction in Gaza equivalent to five atomic bombs. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll is over 60,000. Our social media feeds have been filled with stories of lost lives and horrific crimes of collective punishment, including death, starvation, and destruction.
Our goal with ParentsPlea.com is to document the biographies, images, news articles, and demands of surviving family members related to the civilian victims of this genocide. We believe that a simple name and age are not adequate for documenting the lives that have been impacted. We are doing this work for several reasons:
- To document the lives impacted by the genocide in case a trial is ever held to bring justice and hold people accountable for these crimes.
- To identify victims and the demands of their surviving family members, which is necessary if restitutions are to be paid.
- To ensure that if a memorial is built to honor the lives of the dead civilians, it tells their stories and is not just a list of names and ages.
We have the technology to capture these stories so that these souls are not forgotten. That’s why we have maintained ParentsPlea.com for the past year to document stories of crimes against humanity and injustice. While we are currently focused on Gaza, we acknowledge that war, conflict, police brutality, and corporate crimes are global. Some countries have victim databases, while other conflicts, like the one in Sudan, are completely neglected due to a lack of reporters and resources. We hope to have the financial means to cover more regions and document the stories of surviving relatives.