Project to commemorate 50th anniversary of Bikini tragedy starts in March
A variety of events will be held next year to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bikini tragedy in which the Japanese tuna fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon #5) was showered with fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb text explosion at Bikini Atoll. A project for commemorative events will start in March.
A foundation which runs the Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall in Tokyo announced the plan at a press conference on February 13.
The project includes a collection of the crew members' oral and written testimonies, improvement of the facility that houses the fishing boat, and the holding of special exhibitions and other events.
On March 1, 1954, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposed to radiation from the U.S. hydrogen bomb test explosion at Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific. Six months later, crew member Kuboyama Aikichi died. So far, 11 out of the 23 crew members have died.
The Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall, which was built in 1975 is visited by about 120,000 people a year.
Oishi Matashichi, one of the surviving crew members, will talk about the Bikini incident and his life after the experience at a gathering on March 1 this year. (end)
