Bikini H - Bomb Test Survivor Dies At 87
A former Japanese fisherman exposed to radioactive fallout from a US hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean in 1954 died at the age of 87 on March 7, after contracting pneumonia.
Oishi Matashichi was one of the 23 crew members on board a tuna fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, based in Yaizu Port, Shizuoka Prefecture, when the United States conducted the test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The chief radio operator, Kuboyama Aikichi, died half a year later, after being treated in a hospital.
Oishi was hospitalized for 14 months. He suffered from the aftereffects of radiation exposure, including hair loss and blisters.
The incident led to a nationwide movement for nuclear disarmament and the establishment of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations.
Oishi wrote about his experience in a book, gave speeches across the country to raise awareness about the horror caused by nuclear weapons and exposure to radiation, and also warned about the danger of nuclear power plants.