SADAKO BACKSTORY REAL IN JAPAN

the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, there is a Statute of the A-Bomb Children. The statue is modeled on the young girl Sadako Sasaki (1943 - 1955). When she was two years old, Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bomb. She developed leukemia 10 years later and died at the age of 12. Before dying, she folded paper cranes, praying for recovery from her illness. Her story was conveyed in the form of children's books and is well known in Japan. In one overseas country, an author inspired by media reporting about Hiroshima published Sadako's story in the form of a children's book, which was translated in many countries in response to the growing antinuclear and peace movement, becoming widely known throughout the world.

The Sadako Story was introduced to overseas countries not through the translation and publication of a book written by a Japanese author, but through the publication of the books about Sadako and the paper cranes she folded written by foreign authors inspired by the true story of Sadako Sasaki. These works were also translated into Japanese for publication in Japan. The books that served to spread Sadako's story across the globe are: