As Oppenheimer dominates movie theaters, more attention has been placed on the stories of those whose lives were impacted by the devastating weapon J. Robert Oppenheimer and the other Manhattan Project scientists created.

Near the end of World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, one on the city of Hiroshima and another on the city of Nagasaki, killing at least 110,000 people. Ever since, there’s been a fierce historical debate about whether the use of the bombs was justified.

Those who claim it was say the military action was necessary to bring the Japanese to the table to secure a surrender. Those who say it wasn’t claim, among other things, that Japan was already nearing surrender, and that the impact of being the first and only nation to use an atomic bomb in war left an indelible stain on the U.S.

Amidst this renewed debate have emerged the stories of those who survived the blasts. 

@emmaakiko Toshiko put in enormous effort to share her experience of surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in English, so that I could share it with you. It is essential that we hear and feel the experiences of the hibakusha, or survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are the ones who have seen hell on earth. They are the ones who know just how deep and complete the evil of nuclear weapons is, and if we are to make sure that no one ever again experiences what they did, we must hear them. PART 1 #hiroshima #hibakusha #nuclearweapons #nuclearbombing #nucleardisarmament #nucleardisarmamenttiktok #nuclearabolition #nuclearabolitiontiktok ♬ original sound - Emma

One such story recently went viral after being shared to TikTok. In a series of three videos, a survivor named Toshiko recounts the details of that fateful day. She reveals that she originally lived less than a kilometer away from where the bomb was dropped, moving 2.3 kilometers away only a week before the blast. Despite this relatively large distance, she states that she was still exposed to radiation and burned during the blast.

@emmaakiko PART 2 It is essential that we hear and feel the experiences of the hibakusha, or survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are the ones who have truly seen hell on earth. They are the ones who know just how deep and complete the evil of nuclear weapons is, and if we are the make sure that no one ever again experiences what they did, we must hear them. PART 2 #hiroshima #hibakusha #nuclearweapons #nucleardisarmament #nuclearabolition #nuclearbombing #g7hiroshima #g7summithiroshima ♬ original sound - Emma

The blast, she says, looked like “a million lights,” saying that “everything went white” when the bombs went off.

There are too many details across Toshiko’s videos to be adequately summarized in one post, but needless to say, the details she shares are incredibly bleak. She describes numerous lost friends, relatives and a complete devastation that clearly continues to linger with her to this day.

@emmaakiko Toshiko Tanaka san put in enormous effort to share her experience in English, so that I could share it with tou. Please listen until the very end, as for me that is the most beautiful part. It is essential that we hwar and feel the experienfes of the hibakusha, ir survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are the ones who have seen hell on earth. They are the ones who know just how deep and complete the evil of nuclear weapons is, and if we are to make sure that no one ever again experiences what they did, we must hear them. PART 3 #hiroshima #hibakusha #nuclearweapons #nuclearbombing #toshikotanaka #nucleardisarmament #nucleardisarmamenttiktok #nuclearabolition #nuclearabolitiontiktok ♬ original sound - Emma

Again, the videos are very difficult to watch, but a necessary coda to the Oppenheimer mania of our current moment.