A 230-page memoir written by a Hiroshima survivor in 1947 has been sitting in a US archive for decades, unseen by the public. Now it will finally be published this summer, and a feature film based on the account is already in pre-production.
The discovery of a long lost manuscript
Kiyoshi Tanimoto wrote his firsthand account of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima just two years after the blast. The manuscript, nearly 80 years old, was recently found in an American archive. Tanimoto witnessed the complete destruction of his city on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare.
From page to screen with a star actor
Japanese actor Takehiro Hira will portray Tanimoto in the upcoming film. Hira is known internationally for his role as the detective in the Netflix series Giri/Haji, a Japanese British drama. Pre-production for the film begins in November, with shooting scheduled to start in February 2027.
Tanimoto’s memoir details the horrors he experienced and observed during and after the bombing. The book is set for release in August, timed to the anniversary of the attack. For local people in Japan, especially survivors and their families, the publication represents a vital piece of living history. Many personal accounts from that day were lost or never written down. Finding a detailed memoir from someone who was there and chose to record his experience so soon after the event gives researchers and readers a rare, unfiltered window into that moment.
The discovery in the US archive and the subsequent film adaptation have drawn attention to Tanimoto’s story both in Japan and abroad. The manuscript had remained unknown for decades, bypassed by historians and publishers until its recent unearthing. Its publication will make Tanimoto’s voice heard for the first time by a global audience.
