Storytellers sharing the testimony of the hibakusha will get state funding to travel around the nation and overseas starting in April, the government said.
The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by U.S. atomic bombs in the final phase of World War II in 1945. The cities began training hibakusha storytellers in fiscal 2012 and 2014, respectively, and dispatched them throughout Japan, with the host covering their costs.
To ease the financial burden, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has earmarked ¥30 million ($280,000) in the draft fiscal 2018 budget to fund the program. The government will also conduct English lessons for the messengers ahead of overseas trips.