The recognition of nuclear trauma in Sagashite imasu (I am searching)

Authors

Helen Kilpatrick, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

100342

Publication Details

Kilpatrick, H. (2015). The recognition of nuclear trauma in Sagashite imasu (I am searching). Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 13 (6(8)), 1-7.

Link to publisher version (URL)

The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus

Abstract

The award-winning picture book Sagashite imasu (2012) was published in response to 3/11. It combines dynamic poetics with poignant photographs of relics from the Hiroshima Peace Museum to evoke emotions about extended suffering from radioactive fallout. I argue that the work plays an activist role in prompting an empathetic response which raises an ethical consciousness, and that this kind of response in turn generates a broader “recognition” of the dangers of using nuclear power in (and beyond) Japan after the Fukushima disaster.