World Press Photo 2016: People Stories winner

"My mother said that it was a typically quiet day, warm and windy. She and my father opened the window and they felt completely safe on the day of the explosion, the 26th of April 1986."
"My mother said that it was a typically quiet day, warm and windy. She and my father opened the window and they felt completely safe on the day of the explosion, the 26th of April 1986."PHOTO: KAZUMA OBARA
"I was born just 5 months after the day of the explosion. I was a very sickly child and I remember feeling like something was wrong, not growing like a normal child. When I was born I was quickly admitted into the intensive care unit. I had cramps an
"I was born just 5 months after the day of the explosion. I was a very sickly child and I remember feeling like something was wrong, not growing like a normal child. When I was born I was quickly admitted into the intensive care unit. I had cramps and I was very weak. Half of my childhood, I spent in hospital without receiving a diagnosis. I was treated for bronchitis, then pneumonia, and then neuroses."PHOTO: KAZUMA OBARA
"My grandmother became disabled in a very early stage of life. It had nothing to do with the accident, but it was also an autoimmune processes. Then my aunt became disabled. And for me, the word disabled is really terrible, full of stigma. Thats what
"My grandmother became disabled in a very early stage of life. It had nothing to do with the accident, but it was also an autoimmune processes. Then my aunt became disabled. And for me, the word disabled is really terrible, full of stigma. Thats what I faced every day, and my family saw it. It's still, for me, a great discomfort, very frightening. Its significant that the word is placed next to my name. It really bothers me, and caused me to reject having a disabled certificate for a time. I thought, if the word was written next to my name, then I could go no further. I know it's weird, but I had a sort of feeling that the word would bury me."PHOTO: KAZUMA OBARA
"Recently, I just realised that I was not guilty. This is nobody's fault. I'm working on it, and everything is much better. I understand that all the worst is over, and now I'm trying to reestablish contact with my parents. They thought that I grew u
"Recently, I just realised that I was not guilty. This is nobody's fault. I'm working on it, and everything is much better. I understand that all the worst is over, and now I'm trying to reestablish contact with my parents. They thought that I grew up very strong and independent. But it is not so. Now its like I just came back to life and I'm a child again. Its interesting for me to touch, feel, play, go on a picnic. I just learned how to ride a bike this year."PHOTO: KAZUMA OBARA
Published
Feb 8, 2017, 4:59 am SGT
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