Posted By: Angie Stokes
Posted On: August 3, 2019
This book is a first-person account written by one of the survivors of Lucky Dragon #5, a Japanese tuna boat that in 1954 was caught in a shower of radioactive fallout from the United States’ nuclear testing in the Pacific. While the story of the boat was initially reported in a March 1954 LIFE magazine article by Dwight Martin and more recently shared by director Keith Reimink in his documentary film, "Day of the Western Sunrise," this autobiographical English translation personalizes the story even more as author Oishi Matashichi candidly tells his own tale.
"The Day the Sun Rose in the West" testifies to the pain and prejudice that Matashichi and his fellow crew members faced as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (even though they were miles outside of the testing zone.) In addition to the details of the events of March 1954, the following months of hospital quarantine and years of medical testing, the book also includes a number of photographs, articles, declassified government letters, messages from supporters, and stories of the fishermen as they attempted to return to “normal” lives. Oishi Matashichi also discusses the ways in which the governments of the United States and Japan “dealt” with the issues of accountability and compensation for the incident and the consequences of being "hibakusha" (an atomic explosion survivor).
Overcoming numerous physical and emotional obstacles, the author has tirelessly worked as part of the anti-nuclear movement to educate people of all ages about the dangers of nuclear weapons. In addition to writing this book, he also speaks to numerous school groups as a volunteer at the "Daigo Fukuryū Maru" (Lucky Dragon #5) Exhibition Hall in Tokyo and has inspired many students to be brave in facing their own challenges and fears. With a conversational style of writing where he occasionally ventures off into other side-stories, this book’s effectiveness lies in the fact that Oishi Matashichi comes across as a real man with an honest mission to prevent any nuclear accident (or intentional use) from ever happening again. There are so many lessons to be learned from his story--resilience, determination, and persistence to name just a few. This book could be used in a variety of ways in the language arts, history, government, or science classroom, from helping students find a voice to write their own stories (Matashichi's own educated was quite limited) to exploring the potential dangers of nuclear technologies and the accountability of governments. Oishi Matashichi’s story is an inspirational tale written in just over 150 pages that would be well worth any middle school or high school student reading and taking to heart.