Michio Hakariya had been trying to share his experiences of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki with foreign audiences for some years, after he began to feel that his inability to speak directly to them was blunting his message.
Despite his advanced years, the response of the retired high school science teacher, now 83, was to study English.
"That's how you get your emotions across," said Hakariya on why he now no longer uses an interpreter. "Since it's my own experience, I thought it's important to talk about it myself ... even if I don't speak good English, it's always better that I directly communicate with the audience."