the attack is dwindling.

The Urakami Cathedral is seen in Nagasaki, southern Japan, Nov. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)The Urakami Cathedral is seen in Nagasaki, southern Japan, Nov. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Fumi Takeshita, 83, was just a child, but can still recall her experience.“I saw an extremely strong light coming in from the window. It was white, or shall I say yellow? So strong that I couldn’t keep my eyes open,” she said.“It was the day after the bomb dropped. (My father) walked through the hypocenter, the Urakami area, and heard many people calling for help. There were heaps of bodies, too. Buildings were crashed to the ground and there was nothing left, apparently. I heard that from my grandmother. She said, “Fumi-chan, remember the light you saw the other day? Because of that there is nothing left in Urakami, and many people died.’”

She now collects items related to the bombing, many of which she has dug from the ground with bare hands. Takeshita believes it’s important to preserve the physical evidence of the Nagasaki bombing, known as “Hibaku remains.”“Nagasaki hardly has any remains left. I have been raising my voice to be heard in order to protect them, but most of them have been taken down,” she said.

Currently, 55 sites have been approved as “Hibaku remains,” including bridges and trees, in the city’s annual list. But officials say they also have to consider the city’s needs and strike a balance between preservation and development.

“I have lung cancer and was told I might not be able to see the cherry blossoms this year,” Takeshita said.A bird flies by as Pope Leo XIV on his popemobile tours St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican prior to the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

A bird flies by as Pope Leo XIV on his popemobile tours St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican prior to the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)An Indian army soldier keeps a vigil from one of the forward posts along the line of control between India and Pakistan during a media tour somewhere in north of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An Indian army soldier keeps a vigil from one of the forward posts along the line of control between India and Pakistan during a media tour somewhere in north of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)Traffic crosses a bridge at Woodhead Reservoir in Derbyshire as England experiences a significant drought, with reservoir levels at 84% of capacity, lower than the 90% seen in 2022, in Woodhead, England, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)