Asahi Shimbun 10/31/2018
Kibo no hikari ni naru eiga. Korekara mo. Film to become the ray of hope.
Dome no Tabibito – Traveler to the Dome
Edited by Tetsuaki Otaki
I came to Hiroshima for the screening of my first documentary feature film, Sands of Silence at the Hiroshima City University. I have been researching sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Asia and America for over 15 years. This film shows light on that topic and also reveals the sexual abuse I and some members of my family suffered.
I became a journalist in Japan. I came to Japan in 1990 as a scholarship student of European Economic Community, and became a Tokyo correspondent for El Mundo, Spanish daily newspaper. In October 1994, I covered the demonstration of the first Korean Comfort Women in front of the Japanese Diet in Tokyo. Their story impacted me and inspired me to keep writing on sexual violence and social justice. In 2008, I started to film this documentary film.
I visited the Peace Memorial Park on October 11th. Standing along the Motoyasu river and looking at the A-Bomb Dome, I remembered my father-in-law. He was a physicist who had been involved in the Manhattan Project. He was always reluctant to talk about it. He was suffering. As I am here in Hiroshima, I do feel we shall never repeat such tragedy.
In a world where nuclear weapons exist, there are two important things in order to pursue peace. First, we have to realize that peace lies within our heart. We need to realize the meaning of life and the purpose of life. Second, all the countries should unite and strongly demand denuclearization.
War is caused by those who have lost touch with their heart. So are perpetrators of sexual violence and human trafficking. About 300 students came to see the film in Hiroshima. One of them said, “Your film gives me a ray of hope.” I would like to continue to make such films from now on.
