World War II Database

Mr. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was on a business trip to Hiroshima, Japan when the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb. Suffering burns to his upper body, he returned to his home town of Nagasaki, Japan on the next day by train to recuperate, only to witness a second atomic detonation three days after the Hiroshima bombing.

Yamaguchi, now 93, had previously been certified a survivor (hibakusha) of the bombing of his home town; the certification provides him monthly allowances, free medical check ups, and will cover funeral costs when the time comes. It is only on 24 Mar 2009 that his trip to Hiroshima had been proven, making him the first and only person to be a certified atomic bombing survivor twice over.

"My double radiation exposure is now an official government record," Yamaguchi said in an interview. "It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die."

For more information:
WW2DB: Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
New York Times: Survivor of Both A-Bombs Is Certified