Tomiko Morimoto West was born in Hiroshima in 1932 and was just thirteen years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on her hometown on August 6, 1945. At the time, she was working at a military factory located about two miles from the epicenter. She recalls seeing a blinding white flash, no sound at first, before being thrown to the floor. A wall shielded her from the full impact, but the building collapsed around her.

In the days that followed, she searched the devastated city for her family. She eventually found her grandfather’s body and cremated him herself using wood she gathered, an act of determination to preserve dignity amid destruction. Her parents and younger siblings survived, but she witnessed the full horrors of the bombing’s aftermath. Her testimony, delivered with calm clarity, offers a deeply personal account of unimaginable loss and endurance.

In the years after the war, Tomiko emigrated to the United States and eventually settled in New York. Though she remained private for much of her life, she gradually began to share her story as a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor), believing it was essential to speak out so that the tragedy she lived through would never be repeated.

Since the early 2000s, Tomiko has been a central figure in New York’s annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial events, serving as a regular keynote speaker. These events are organized by the Hiroshima Kenjin-kai, Nagasaki Battenkai, and the Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation Foundation of New York. They gather communities across generations and faiths to honor memory and promote peace. Tomiko’s calm and direct testimony has become a deeply respected part of these commemorations.

In 2022, her story was featured in The Silent Witness, an 18-minute documentary produced by the Kunhardt Film Foundation and directed by George and Teddy Kunhardt as part of the Life Stories. The film follows her reflections on the bombing, survival, and her return to Hiroshima decades later. It is part of the Life Stories series and continues to be used in educational and community settings across the United States.

A separate recording of her message, delivered at a Hiroshima memorial in New York, is also available on Jun Suenaga’s YouTube channel. It captures her role in local remembrance efforts.
Watch the message on YouTube

Now in her nineties, Tomiko continues to live in New York, supported by her nephew. She chose to share her experience publicly out of a deep desire to prevent future generations from experiencing the same horror. Her voice remains a quiet but powerful call for empathy, remembrance, and peace.

Credits:
Courtesy of the Life Stories
Film: The Silent Witness: A Survivor’s Story of Hiroshima.
More information: https://www.lifestories.org/films-series/the-silent-witness