Japan on Wednesday marks 80 years since the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima during the last days of World War II, killing close to 80,000 people in the initial blast.

The memorial ceremonies taking place in Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki three days later will attract thousands of people from across the world. There will, however, be fewer survivors — known as the "hibakusha" — than last year.

A government report released in March confirmed that there were now just 99,130 hibakusha alive — 7,695 fewer than last year as age inevitably takes its toll on their numbers. The average age of the survivors today is 86.13.

As first-person accounts of the only wartime use of nuclear weapons are being lost, museums, organizations and individuals are stepping forward to keep their stories alive.

One of the Hiroshima "successors" is Shun Sasaki, who helps convey the horror of the attack on his hometown and its aftermath. Since August 2021, the 12-year-old has been talking with

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