Atomic People: Memories of the Hibakusha on Screen

Date
Monday 4 August 2025

Time
6.45pm

Venue
The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH
[Map]

Booking Details
Free- Booking essential

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The activities of The Japan Society are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

To mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, The Japan Society is delighted to host filmmaker Megumi Inman as part of our lecture series. Megumi is the co-director and producer of the acclaimed documentary Atomic People (2024), which brings to the screen the voices of hibakusha – survivors of the atomic bomb – through personal testimonies and archival footage.

Atomic People documents the powerful memories and lived experiences of some of the last remaining hibakusha, detailing the struggles they faced in the aftermath of the bombings and their long-standing efforts to campaign against nuclear weapons.

Megumi Inman will be in conversation with Jenny White FRSA, Honorary Co-Editor at The Japan Society, discussing the process of capturing survivors’ vivid accounts, the ethical and creative considerations behind the film, and the continuing relevance of these memories in today’s world.

Atomic People was awarded Best Specialist Factual at the 2025 British Academy Television Awards and is currently available to stream (until 30 July 2025) for free on BBC Two here.

Megumi Inman is a documentary director whose work spans feature films, major broadcasters, and streaming platforms. Known for her ability to unravel rich, complex narratives with emotional depth and visually alluring storytelling, she brings a sharp, investigative lens with a sensitive approach to stories that matter. Her work includes the award-winning Atomic People (BBC, 2024, co-director and producer), The Contestant (Hulu, 2024, producer), Predator: Secret Scandal of Jpop (BBC, 2023, director) and the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated Black Box Diaries (2024, associate producer). Her fearless storytelling and commitment to truth earned her the Freedom of Press Japan Award from the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in 2023.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

The Atomic Bombings of Japan: External Resource List

For further information on the atomic bombings and the hibakusha, including links to The Nobel Peace Conference—held in honour of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyō for its advocacy of a nuclear-weapon-free world—and other external resources designed to inform young people about the bombings and their lasting impact, please visit our education page here.

Supported by the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)

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  If you are not a member of The Japan Society (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5.