On May 3rd, 2016, renowned Japanese actor Sayuri Yoshinaga and composer & pianist Ryūichi Sakamoto visited UBC as part of a series of events organized by the Centre for Japanese Research, in collaboration with the Liu Institute for Global Issues, The Simons Foundation, the Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue and sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun. The Program for the events may be downloaded here.
Photo courtesy of The Asahi Shimbun
To set the stage for discussion, a public panel was held on “Nuclear Dangers from Hiroshima to Fukushima.”
Chair: Jennifer Allen Simons, Founder and President, The Simons Foundation
Panellists:
- Fumi Yoshida,Visiting Scholar, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Paul Meyer, Adjunct Professor of International Studies and Fellow in International Security at the Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University; and Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation
- Brian Job, Professor of Political Science; Associate Director, Institute of Asian Research, UBC
- Yves Tiberghien, Associate Professor of Political Science; Director, Institute of Asian Research, UBC
Later that afternoon in the Chan Telus Studio Theatre, Sayuri Yoshinaga recited poetry by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs and the Fukushima “triple disaster” while Ryūichi Sakamoto accompanied her beautifully on the piano. Haley Blum, Elsa Chanez, Kazuhiko Imai, Kurtis Hanlon, graduate students specializing in Japanese literature, translated and read the poems by a Fukushima resident writing as a nuclear refugee. The sold-out performance was a moving tribute to the resilience of survivors of nuclear disasters and a warning about the dangers that nuclear power still poses the world today.
A reception followed at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, where guests reflected on the importance of the events with the actor and composer in attendance.
Media reports can be found in the Japanese daily newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, local Japanese-language newspaper the Vancouver Shinpo, local website LifeVancouver and the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
On May 4th, a free screening was held at Vancity Theatre of the film Nagasaki: Memories of My Son, starring Sayuri Yoshinaga and Kazunari Ninomiya, as mother and son in postwar Nagasaki, with music composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
UBC students Kazuhiko Imai, Clara Kumagai and Elsa Chanez shared their thoughts on their involvement in the events and on the topic of nuclear dangers:
Kazuhiko Imai, Master’s Student, Asian Studies / Civilization, UBC:
Did your involvement impact your knowledge of nuclear dangers in Japan and around the world and if so, in what ways?
It may not be much of knowledge, but the way I relate to them has definitely changed. The poems we read and discussed collectively present diverse voices of the affected individuals and communities. These poems portray minute details of human lives, and that concrete snapshots helped me rethink of these issues.
Do you think the involvement of Yoshinaga-san and Sakamoto-san in these UBC events has helped raise awareness of nuclear issues among UBC students and the broader community? If so, in what ways?
As I have been profoundly moved by their performance, I suspect that people who were there may have been likewise influenced. I was deeply touched by the exquisite performance. I feel so fortunate that I was there to see it happen before my eyes.
Clara Kumagai, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, UBC:
Did your involvement impact your knowledge of nuclear dangers in Japan and around the world and if so, in what ways?
Taking part in the Nuclear Poetry made the individual, personal experiences of survivors very immediate and intimate. I think that what we know about tragedies is often made distant by the news or history books, but the poems remind you of each human that suffered. It felt like each person is speaking directly to you, and reading them felt like I was just passing on their words. The event has made me more aware of the lasting effects of nuclear damage in Japan and around the world, and that the fight to end nuclear weapons is far from over.
Do you think the involvement of Yoshinaga-san and Sakamoto-san in these UBC events has helped raise awareness of nuclear issues among UBC students and the broader community? If so, in what ways?
I think that Yoshinaga-san and Sakamoto-san’s involvement certainly did bring the event to the attention of a wider audience. They have both achieved so much through their creative careers and have used their distinction and popularity for a very good cause. Their participation highlighted the issues not only on campus and in Vancouver, but through coverage in wider media. And I think that all of us who participated became involved and invested and passed that on to the people we know, too.
Elsa Chanez, Master’s Student, Department of Asian Studies, UBC:
Did your involvement impact your knowledge of nuclear dangers in Japan and around the world and if so, in what ways?
I felt that translating a piece by someone who was directly affected by these events allowed me to hear directly from a fellow human and put a voice to the suffering of many. Instead of hearing about it on TV or in the news, it allowed me to have a little glimpse of the reality of the horrors of nuclear melt down and the triple disaster of March 11th. It was a very strong experience. Hearing Yoshinaga-san’s and Clara’s voices helped convey this experience as well and allowed the voices of many people to be heard strongly by many people.
Do you think the involvement of Yoshinaga-san and Sakamoto-san in these UBC events has helped raise awareness of nuclear issues among UBC students and the broader community? If so, in what ways?
I feel that Yoshinaga-san’s voice and presence and Sakamoto-San’s piano bring another dimension to the poetry reading. Again, hearing the poems and the accompanying music bring forth the experience and suffering of the people who wrote the poems. I was particularly touched by the poem ‘I will deliver the child’ that mixed together the horror of the bombing and the powerful moment that is childbirth and how it united together survivors and brought them hope despite their situations. I feel the event allowed many people in the Chan Center to reflect on difficult situations that they might experiences in relation to nuclear and catastrophic events but also other disasters. The event created a space for reflection and discussion about what it means to be a survivor and what we, as the collective human population, should do in order to not recreate these types of catastrophes.
