August 9 2025 was the 80th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing –three days after Hiroshima.
Naoko was invited to give a speech by Pastor Ian Stackhouse at his Guildford Baptist Church on the day.
Naoko talked about the Nagasaki bombing through the eyes of the 17-year-old boy, Kōichi Tagawa (later known as Tōmei Ozaki). Kōichi survived the bombing because he was working in an underground factory making torpedoes. His mother, who was at home, was killed instantly. He became an orphan.
Amazingly, he kept a diary and wrote about the bombing in detail.
He shared his diary with me.
Kōichi Tagawa is one of three protagonists in my latest book ‘The Martyr and the Red Kimono’ .
About 70 people attended the talk.
Afterwards, Ian Stackhouse led a two minute-silence for those killed in the blast.
Kōichi Tagawa Kōichi’s diary on the day of the bombing
