HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0379.011 2024-2026From: Tanya Anne
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 11:09 AM � C-)
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To: Council Testimony C_
Subject: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 235-25�
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Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 235-25 zr'
Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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"I envision a Hawaii that leads the world not in military strategy, but in moral clarity. A place where
remembering Hiroshima moves us toward de -militarization, demilitarized education, and healing -centered
leadership. Where we say never again —not just in words, but in action, policy, and investment in peace.
Please join me in holding this vision."
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian
Aloha Chair and Members of the Hawaii County Council,
I submit this testimony in strong support of Resolution 235-25, recognizing the 80th anniversary of the
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
My great-grandfather came to Hawaii via Hiroshima prefecture, and this remembrance is not abstract for me. It
is woven into my bloodline, my cultural memory and DNA, and it is my heart's deepest wound. This
knowingness within me continues its whispers of loss, which today manifests in personal and familial
resilience, and an effort to help others awaken to the long-term effects of war, seen and unseen.
Hiroshima City was bombed in the southwest region of Honshu. The bomb detonated approximately 2,000ft
above the city center, close to its intended target, devastating nearly everything within a 1-mile radius, with
fires and radiation extending much farther. Over 70,000 people died instantly, with tens of thousands dying
before the year's end due to radiation exposure and other injuries.
The trauma of Hiroshima did not end in 1945. It was passed down, silently and usually invisibly, through
generations —shaping how families mourn, rebuild, and carry themselves. I carry this wound myself, in the
tenderness with which I care for life, and in the caution I personally hold around power —and violence. This is
not just about what happened in Japan —it is about what continues to happen in our bodies, our lands, and our
policies.
As we mark this 80th anniversary, we must also uplift the need for education that tells the full story of the
Pacific —one that includes the toll of war, occupation, and militarism on Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders,
and Asian communities alike. Let this resolution be a doorway into deeper reflection, community dialogue, and
public education efforts that amplify thousands of stories like mine, and those of thousands more whose
ancestors were affected.
The atomic bombings were not the end of nuclear violence —they were the beginning of a nuclear legacy that
devastated the Marshall Islands, impacted Micronesians and Native Hawaiian lands, and created zones of
sacrifice that still threaten life today. If we are to honor the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must also
name how that same logic of "necessary sacrifice" continues to play out in Hawaii and the greater Pacific.
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Ref. raw;ao&L 2 2 2025
We stand today at a critical crossroads. The Pacific has too often been a testing ground for military
experiments, and the people of Hawaii know this firsthand. As we honor the victims of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, let us also reflect on how militarization continues to threaten the health of our islands, from live -fire
training at Pohakuloa to the contamination of waters at Red Hill.
This resolution is more than a historical commemoration —it is a reminder of the sacred responsibility we carry
to ensure that nuclear war, cultural and environmental desecration are never repeated. Peace is never truly "on
the table" as policy unless we embody it ourselves and ensure it is our guiding light that informs our choices.
In honoring those lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, may we renew our commitment to building a world of true
security —one based on peace, connection to the land and each other, sustainable living,.and embodied aloha
for future generations.
Let us not simply remember what was lost —but also recognize what we must gain: the courage to choose
peace, the humility to learn from history, and the strength to live in alignment with aloha, justice, and truth.
Mahalo nui loa,
Tama,
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian
Hilo
Japanese descendant, Hiroshima prefecture
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian
Freedom lies in being bold. Robert Frost