As Japan marks the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese city has hosted the family of seven-year-old Makan Nasiri, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Iran’s Minab. Makan was reportedly the only victim of the attack whose body has not been recovered. During their visit, Makan’s parents met Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and briefed him on the attack and its impact on children and civilians.
Makan’s mother said she and her husband had left their other two children in Minab to travel to Japan and ensure that the voices of their son and other children affected by war were heard internationally. Rejecting claims by US President Donald Trump questioning images from the attack site, she insisted that the images were authentic and called for accountability. She said families and the international community must ensure that such tragedies are not forgotten or repeated.
The family also drew parallels between the suffering of children in Minab and Hiroshima’s experience of war. The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed three days later by another strike on Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands of people. The attacks remain the only wartime use of nuclear weapons. The account of Makan’s family and their visit to Hiroshima received widespread attention from Japanese media outlets, including NHK, Asahi and TBS.
