Koko Kondo, an 81-year-old survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, has spent much of her life navigating the profound personal and social challenges that followed the 1945 attack, evolving into a prominent peace advocate in later years. Born in Hiroshima, Kondo’s early experiences as a hibakusha—an atomic bomb survivor—were marked by discrimination and hardship, including social stigma that made it difficult to find employment, housing, and marriage partners.

Kondo’s childhood was shaped by annual medical examinations for radiation sickness, during which she endured trauma and humiliation, including a particularly painful incident in her early teens when she was singled out to disrobe before an audience of foreign men in medical checkups. This experience compelled her to distance herself from her identity as a victim for decades.

She left Japan for the United States to pursue higher education, earning a degree in psychology and sociology from American University in Washington, D.C. While there, Kondo became engaged to a Chinese-American student, but the engagement was broken off after his family was advised by a radiation sickness specialist that Kondo’s condition would likely prevent her from bearing healthy children. Returning to Japan in 1969, Kondo met Yasuo Kondo, a documentary filmmaker who later became a Christian minister, which marked a renewal of her own faith.

Kondo and Yasuo experienced the loss of a pregnancy and, due to radiation-related health concerns, chose not to have biological children. Instead, they adopted two newborns, now in their 40s. After Yasuo retired in 2025, the couple moved back to Hiroshima.

For many years, Kondo worked outside the public eye, only beginning to engage actively with her father’s legacy and Hiroshima’s history around the age of 40. Her father, Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Methodist minister, was a controversial but influential figure in peace activism who garnered international attention after the bombing. Tanimoto’s efforts included advocating for the atomic bomb survivors and promoting peace, though some critics accused him of exploiting hibakusha for political purposes and questioned his management of funds. Nevertheless, he helped save many lives and worked toward reconciliation between Japan and the United States.

Koko Kondo herself has become a respected peace campaigner, engaging with global leaders such as former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, and participating in international dialogues including a recent peace conference in Rome hosted by Pope Leo XIV. She emphasizes the importance of confronting Japan’s wartime aggression alongside the call for nuclear disarmament.

A significant development in recent years has been the discovery and publication of Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s long-lost memoir, a detailed account of his experiences beginning on August 6, 1945. The manuscript was found among the papers of John Hersey, the journalist famously known for his 1946 work "Hiroshima." The existence of the 230-page diary had been unknown to both families until uncovered through collaborative research between Japanese filmmaker Taku Nishimae and Hersey’s grandson, Cannon Hersey. While the reasons the manuscript was not published sooner remain unclear, both researchers agree that it represents an important historical document offering a personal perspective on the aftermath of the bombing.

Kondo regards the release of her father’s memoir as a vital step in educating the world about the enduring impacts of nuclear warfare. She expresses concern about the continued existence of nuclear weapons far more powerful than those used during World War II. Through sharing personal artifacts, such as the pink dress she wore on the day of the bombing, Kondo remains committed to conveying a message of hope born from her experience of profound loss and survival.

Her dedication centers on ensuring that the horrors witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are never repeated. She advocates for a world free from war and nuclear devastation, emphasizing the fragility and beauty of the Earth, a message she has carried forward from her father’s legacy into her own lifelong peace efforts.