Free Film + Lantern Ceremony: Hiroshima/Nagasaki 80th Anniversary (AMC Kabuki 8)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Community consortium to present commemorations surrounding 80th anniversary of atomic bombings

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — In an urgent call for peace as we witness turbulent times in the world, a consortium of Japanese American community organizations are presenting events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. These events will culminate with special programming on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 at the AMC Kabuki 8 theater in San Francisco’s Japantown — 80 years to the day that an atomic bomb devastated the Japanese city of Nagasaki, three days after the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima.

Presented by the Eyewitness for Peace Consortium — consisting of the Friends of Hibakusha, Nichi Bei Foundation, Japanese American Religious Federation of San Francisco, National Japanese American Historical Society, GenRyu Arts and Japantown Task Force — there will be a series of events. Several community-based organizations and individuals are helping to sponsor the events, which not only remember the only atomic bombings and its victims, but call for an end to nuclear weaponry.

To begin the community commemoration on August 9, 2025, GenRyu Arts will offer “Generations of Joyful Dance for World Peace,” a time for reflection at 11:02 a.m. to remember the actual time of the bombing in Nagasaki and share in the observance internationally, to be held at Osaka Way (Buchanan Mall) in San Francisco’s Japantown.

At 12 p.m. at the AMC Kabuki 8, there will be a special presentation of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki’s film “White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (2007, 86 min.), which earned a Primetime Emmy Award.

It will be followed by the 80^th Anniversary Commemoration of the Atomic Bombings at 2 p.m. at the AMC Kabuki 8, consisting of:

• An interfaith blessing by the Japanese American Religious Federation of San Francisco
• Short video reflections by three localhibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors.
• A presentation of Cynthia Liu’s short film“A Girl From Hiroshima”(2022, 5:22)
• A keynote presentation by teen twin sisters Manon and Kanon Iwata, founders of the nonprofit Teens 4 Disarmament and Nonproliferation
• A Lanterns of Remembrance Ceremony to remember the victims of the atomic bombings.

The 80^th Anniversary Commemoration of the Atomic Bombings will be emceed by Jana Katsuyama, reporter/anchor at KTVU Fox 2 News.

“The lessons we learn from the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings must never be forgotten,” urged Geri Handa, the president of Friends of Hibakusha. “Their personal stories are compelling as the last witnesses to a horror that must not be repeated. This year on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings we remember and honor those who suffered and perished and pay tribute to those who survived the unthinkable … to pause, reflect and renew our efforts for a more peaceful future.”

“We think that the foundation of peace is through nonproliferation and disarmament,” Kanon Iwata, co-founder of Teens 4 Disarmament and Nonproliferation, told the Nichi Bei News. “We hope that young people can speak up about this global security issue and shape our future for a more peaceful and secure world.”

The Iwata siblings founded the organization in Los Angeles in 2022 when they were just 13 years old and have since launched four other chapters, including three in Japan, as well as a chapter in Ukraine. Before the summer of their freshman year in high school, they learned about the effects of nuclear weapons.

“We started doing a lot of volunteer service at many retirement homes and nursing homes in the greater LA area,” said Manon Iwata, co-founder of Teens 4 Disarmament and Nonproliferation. “During these volunteer times, we met many hibakusha, the atomic bomb survivors, and really got to spend time with them and learn about the horrific experience.”

According to Handa, the events provide “an opportunity to learn about the atomic bomb experience and creating a more peaceful world for the future free from the threat of nuclear devastation (by) engaging in an educational dialogue about nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.”

The cost of the 80^th Anniversary Commemoration is free, but tickets need to be reserved at: www.nichibeifoundation.org/hibakusha

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.