According to the Ho Chi Minh City Peace Committee, Onaka Shinichi was a great, loyal friend and a dedicated companion for many years on the path of fostering peace, friendship, and understanding between the people of Viet Nam and Japan.

A lifetime dedicated to peace from Hiroshima

The awarding ceremony of the “For peace and friendship among nations” medal by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations to Onaka Shinichi, March 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi My Tien).

Onaka Shinichi's life and work were deeply intertwined with Hiroshima, a city that carries the painful memory of the atomic bomb disaster.

As a second-generation victim of the atomic bomb, Onaka Shinichi's Hiroshima is not just a geographical location or a history page, but a memory and experience of his own life.

From those losses, he deeply understood the value of peace and life. Earlier in life, he joined the movement against atomic and hydrogen bombs (A and H) in Hiroshima, and devoted much of his energy to the fight against nuclear weapons, protecting peace, and building friendship among nations.

It is the reason he understood war through his own memories and the value of peace through his entire life.

Building a bridge between Hiroshima and Viet Nam

Onaka Shinichi (bottom row, fifth from the right) participated in the GENSUIKYO delegation's opening of the photo exhibition on atomic bomb and AOV victims at the War Remnants Museum on November 22, 2019 (Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi My Tien).

Driven by deep affection and empathy for those who suffered the consequences of war, Onaka Shinichi developed a special fondness for Viet Nam.

For many years, he was involved in organizing, connecting with, and accompanying numerous delegations from Hiroshima who visited Viet Nam, including Ho Chi Minh City.

He helped bring delegations from Hiroshima closer to Viet Nam, enabling them to directly understand the consequences of the war, meet victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, underprivileged children, and those working to heal the wounds of war.

The delegations he helped connect with visited SOS Children's Village, Peace Village, the War Remnants Museum, and many other social welfare facilities in Ho Chi Minh City.

These trips were not just friendly exchanges. They were encounters between people who carried the memories of war and who shared a common vision of a peaceful future.

As someone who had been affected by the Hiroshima atomic bomb, he met Vietnamese people who were bearing the scars of war and together they shared empathy created special, sincere, and lasting relationships.

A devoted friend of countless Vietnamese delegations in Japan

Onaka Shinichi (far left) with Vietnamese delegates at the 2015 World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Japan (Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi My Tien).

From the 2000s to recent years, whenever Vietnamese delegations traveled to Japan to attend the World Conference on the Anti-Atomic and Anti-Hydro-Atomic Bombs, Onaka Shinichi was always a dedicated friend and supporter. He spared much effort in assisting the Vietnamese delegations, connecting them with Japanese friends, and facilitating delegates' participation in peace activities in Hiroshima and other locations. He consistently showed concern and support for Vietnamese students, donating books to universities and showing great affection for Vietnamese people studying and living in Japan.

For him, friendship is not an abstract concept. Friendship must be expressed through concrete actions, through sharing and through companionship between people.

With love for Viet Nam, from Hiroshima

Each time he visits Viet Nam, Onaka Shinichi pays special attention to those affected by the war. Joining the people at Peace Village, or the victims of Agent Orange/dioxin; or people at SOS Children's Village, no matter if they are underprivileged children; or friends whom he met at the War Remnants Museum, which preserves the painful memories of the war in Viet Nam, he sees not only the story of Viet Nam. Perhaps he sees there a part of his own Hiroshima memories.

He understood that war does not end when the guns fall silent. War leaves wounds on bodies, in memories, and in the lives of many generations. Therefore, for him, fighting for peace also meant caring for those who are living with the consequences of war.

Recognition for a great friend

Onaka Shinichi's enduring contributions to peace and friendship have been deeply appreciated by Viet Nam's side. The “For peace and friendship among nations” commemorative medal awarded to him by Viet Nam is a recognition of a life dedicated to peace, justice, friendship, and solidarity among nations.

But for those who met him, what remains most profoundly is not a title or award, but the image of a kind, sincere, simple, and dedicated man, always willing to help his Vietnamese friends.

He carried the memory of Hiroshima throughout his life, and did not that memory turn into hatred but into action for peace. He turned war memories into friendship. Those friendships turned into bridges connecting people to one another.

Onaka Shinichi has passed away, but his legacy will live on forever.

These included trips between Hiroshima and Viet Nam; meetings between friends from both countries; Vietnamese delegations who received assistance in Japan; the children and war victims he visited; and above all, the genuine affection he had for Viet Nam.

From Hiroshima to Ho Chi Minh City, the bridges he helped build will continue to be extended. The message he dedicated his life to conveying remains as relevant as ever:

No war.

No nuclear weapons.

Let's not let Hiroshima happen again.

And above all, it is the aspiration for a world where every child lives in peace, free from the scars of war.

Farewell, Onaka Shinichi - a great friend of Viet Nam and a tireless advocate for peace and friendship among peoples.

The bridges between Hiroshima and Viet Nam that he helped build will continue to endure and be carried forward.

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