Never Again

I've made a promise to myself: Say a silent prayer every Aug. 6 at precisely 8:15 a.m., and share the stories—each year, without fail—of the atomic-bomb survivors who shared their stories with me.

The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Aug. 6, 2022.

By Michael Judge

TOKYO — Tomorrow morning, on Aug. 6, just before the clock strikes 8:15, thousands of visitors from around the globe will gather at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in recognition of the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that now bustling and beautiful city of 1.2 million souls. They will reflect on the more than 140,000 men, women and children who died in that horrific, world-changing instant, and in the hours, weeks, months, and years that followed. Above all, they will repeat these two words—half promise, half prayer—“Never again.”

I won’t be in Hiroshima for the anniversary this year, but I’ve visited numerous times over the past 30 years, most recently in 2022 on a life-changing trip with my wife and our young—half-American, half-Japanese—son. Seeing the city through his eyes, feeling him struggle to take it all in, was nothing short of a revelation for this often world-weary journalist. Pa…