Hibakusha Series

Sugako Akizuki is pictured at her home in Nagasaki. (Mainichi)

"The memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are etched in the minds of the world," U.S. President Barack Obama said during an interview prior to his arrival in Japan on Nov. 13. During his visit to Tokyo, Obama hinted again at visiting the A-bombed cities at some point during his presidency, and survivor Sugako Akizuki, 91, says she welcomes him.

"I would very much like to see him come to Nagasaki. I think it would have a big effect on the American people," she says, adding that her husband Tatsuichiro, who died in 2005 at the age of 89, would also have been pleased to see the nuclear abolition movement gather momentum.

The last time the couple spoke was 17 years ago. When he heard that plutonium was being transported from France to Japan for use in the Monju fast breeder reactor in Fukui Prefecture, he stormed out of the house. That night, he collapsed after an asthma attack, leaving him in a 13-year coma.

"That was the one day he forgot to take his inhaler," says Sugako. "Do I regret it? Of course I do. I couldn't take care of him properly."

The anti-nuclear weapons movement suffered during Tatsuichiro's younger years. During the Cold War, as nations scrambled to increase their nuclear capabilities, and during the high growth period, few were willing to listen to the A-bomb survivors. There was also a split in the movement itself, but Tatsuichiro gained a reputation for moving past party affiliations to focus on people, an approach that became known as "the Nagasaki method."

"Thanks to Mr. Obama, people have finally started to listen," Sugako said as if she was telling her husband.

Profile: Sugako Akizuki is a former nurse, who worked with her future husband Tatsuichiro to provide relief for A-bomb victims, despite being exposed themselves. She later supported him in his role as the leader of a peace movement.

(By Yuichi Nishigori, Nagasaki Bureau. This is the second part of a six-part series on Hibakusha)