Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 81 Years of a Lasting Legacy
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In August 2026, the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki mark 81 years. Eighty-one years later, we still face the possibility that nuclear weapons could be used again. Eighty-one years later, survivors continue to live with the physical and psychological consequences of radiation exposure. Eighty-one years later, existing nuclear arsenals are far more powerful and destructive than the bombs dropped in 1945, and the humanitarian consequences of any future nuclear detonation would be catastrophic. In this article, we present the historical context of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what happened on 6 and 9 August 1945, and the humanitarian impacts that continue to be felt to this day.
Historical Context
In 1945, the United States had already been at war with Japan for three and a half years following the surprise Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in late 1941. The attack led Washington to declare war on Japan and enter the Second World War. The United States began developing its nuclear programme during the Second World War through the Manhattan Project (1942–1945), a secret research initiative aimed at building the world's first atomic bomb. In July 1945, the country conducted the first test of a nuclear weapon in the state of New Mexico, known as the Trinity Test. Also in July 1945, then U.S. President Harry Truman issued an ultimatum demanding Japan's unconditional surrender; otherwise, the country would face "prompt and utter destruction" (Serrano, 2025, translated by the author).
The Attacks
On 6 August 1945, the United States dropped a uranium-235 bomb, codenamed Little Boy, on the city of Hiroshima. It detonated approximately 600 metres above the ground and had an explosive yield equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. Toshiko Tanaka recalls: "At 8:15 a.m., I was on my way to school when someone shouted, 'Enemy bomber!' I looked up at the sky and saw an enormous flash — it was like a million lights. Everything turned white." (Serrano, 2025, translated by the author).
Three days later, on 9 August, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki. The bomb, codenamed Fat Man, used plutonium-239 and had an explosive yield equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT. The cities were selected by U.S. military and scientific authorities because they met criteria such as high population density, favourable topography for observing the effects of radiation, and military or strategic importance to Japan (Oliveira, 2025). It is estimated that more than 210,000 people died as a result of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the end of 1945, including both those who were killed immediately and those who later died from injuries and radiation-related illnesses (Serrano, 2025).
Humanitarian Impacts
The atomic bombings caused an immense humanitarian catastrophe. Their immediate effects included a powerful blast wave, extreme heat, and widespread fires, destroying entire neighbourhoods within seconds. Those closest to the hypocentres of the explosions were instantly vaporised, while the survivors of the bombings, known as hibakusha (a Japanese word that literally means "people affected by the bomb"), suffered the devastating effects of intense heat and radiation. Many sustained severe burns that tore the skin from their bodies. Charred corpses, people with exposed organs, and voices crying out for help became part of the landscape of the Japanese cities. Beyond the direct impacts of the explosions, radiation became a silent killer.
Even survivors who were several kilometres from the hypocentres received high doses of radiation. Many were affected by Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), which occurs when a person is exposed to a very high dose of penetrating ionising radiation over a short period of time. Its symptoms include nausea, vomiting, haemorrhaging, and hair loss. Many people who initially appeared unharmed became seriously ill days or weeks after the attacks. Some recovered from the acute stage of the illness but died years, or even decades, later from cancers and other diseases caused by the delayed effects of radiation. Over time, some survivors developed cataracts and malignant tumours. During the five years following the bombings, the long-term effects became increasingly evident, with a sharp rise in cases of leukaemia among the populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Around ten years after the attacks, many survivors developed thyroid, breast, and lung cancer, with incidence rates significantly higher than expected.
The psychological impact was also profound. Many hibakusha lived their entire lives with trauma resulting from the horrors they had witnessed, with guilt for feeling they could have done more to help family members and friends, and with the constant fear of developing radiation-related illnesses. In addition, many experienced discrimination because of their physical appearance and the widespread misconception that they carried contagious diseases. Radiation exposure affected not only the survivors themselves but also their families, raising concerns about its long-term consequences, as some survivors developed chromosomal abnormalities and other forms of genetic damage that may be passed on to future generations.
Groups Disproportionately Affected
People are not affected by nuclear weapons in the same way. When discussing these weapons, factors such as gender, class, race, and age must be an essential part of the debate in order to better understand the humanitarian impacts resulting from the development, testing, and use of these weapons. Accordingly, this section examines the disproportionate impacts of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings on women and children who experienced them.
Women face a significantly higher risk of developing cancer following exposure to ionising radiation than men. Studies conducted with survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have shown that the risk of developing and dying from solid cancers resulting from exposure to ionising radiation was nearly twice as high among women as among men (Borrie, 2016). There was also a sharp increase in the number of miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women who survived the initial explosions, giving rise to fears about potential genetic mutations that could be passed on to future generations.
In addition to these severe biological effects, women also experienced disproportionate social, cultural, and psychological consequences. These included social stigma, reflected in difficulties reintegrating into the labour market and barriers to marriage due to prejudice associated with the effects of the nuclear attack. Furthermore, it should be noted that many women resorted to prostitution as a means of survival after the atomic bombings, and many were subjected to degrading medical examinations conducted by male healthcare professionals. Koko Tanimoto Kondo, a hibakusha from Hiroshima, recounts that throughout her life, the frequent medical examinations intended to monitor the effects of radiation caused her profound discomfort and anxiety. She recalls that, as a teenager, she was required to undergo these examinations without clothing in a room full of male doctors, making her feel like a mere object of study rather than a human being (Hersey, 2002).
Regarding the impact of a nuclear attack on children, they are more likely to: die from burns because their skin is thinner and more sensitive; die from injuries sustained in the explosion because of their smaller and more fragile bodies; die from Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS); become trapped under debris and be unable to free themselves; develop cancers in the long term; and suffer psychological trauma. It is estimated that 38,000 children died as a result of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, a figure that does not include those who died years later from other complications, such as cancer. As Tim Wright (2024) explains in a report published by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, scientists found that the risk of developing thyroid cancer among children who were under the age of ten at the time of the attack was higher than among adults.
Furthermore, many individuals exposed in utero either died or were born with congenital abnormalities, which impaired their intellectual and social development. Finally, it is estimated that 6,500 hibakusha children lost their parents or guardians during or shortly after the attacks, and according to municipal authorities, "while some [A-bomb orphans] succeeded in their life situations, not a few succumbed to delinquency, sickness and even suicide." (Wright, 2024, p. 44).
“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, indiscriminate and inhumane weapons ever made.” (Wright, 2026, p. 3) and more than 200,000 people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a result of the nuclear attacks carried out by the United States in 1945. Intergenerational and irreversible, the consequences continue to be experienced by the hibakusha, their children, and their grandchildren to this day, 81 years after the atomic bombings, exposing the inherent cruelty of these weapons and reinforcing the urgent need for their complete abolition.
Written by: Júlia Marcon
Reviewed by: Fernando Fiala
07/08/2026 BRT
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the institutional position of Dhesarme.
References
BORRIE, John et al. Gender, Development and Nuclear Weapons. Geneva: UNIDIR, 2016. Available at: https://unidir.org/files/publication/pdfs/gender-development-and-nuclear-weapons-en-659.pdf. Accessed: 19 Feb. 2026.
HERSEY, John. Hiroshima. Translated by Hildegard Feist. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002.
OLIVEIRA, Isabella. Por que Hiroshima e Nagasaki foram escolhidas como alvos das bombas atômicas? CBN Mundo, 6 Aug. 2025. Available at: https://cbn.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2025/08/06/por-que-hiroshima-e-nagasaki-foram-escolhidas-como-alvos-das-bombas-atomicas.ghtml. Accessed: 4 Aug. 2026.
SERRANO, Carlos. Hiroshima e Nagasaki: como foi o 'inferno' em que milhares morreram por causa das bombas atômicas. BBC News Brasil, 6 Aug. 2025. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/resources/idt-897d70df-056b-413c-ac44-cdacae33bc8c. Accessed: 4 Aug. 2026.
WRIGHT, Tim. The Impacts of Nuclear Weapons on Children. ICAN, Aug. 2024. Available at: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ican/pages/4076/attachments/original/1722507148/Impact-Nuclear-Weapons-Children-web.pdf?1722507148. Accessed: 30 Jul. 2026.
WRIGHT, Tim. Say No to Nuclear Weapons. ICAN, 2026. Available at: https://www.icanw.org/ican_launches_new_educational_materials_in_17_languages. Accessed: 4 Aug. 2026.
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