On August 11, in Tokyo, the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association hosted “Vietnam Dioxin Day 2025” to mark Vietnam’s Day for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (August 10).

This annual event, initiated in 2011, has been held almost every year except for 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted activities.

Themed “Fifty years after the Vietnam War ended, the consequences of Agent Orange still linger,” the 14th Vietnam Dioxin Day in Japan featured two segments. The first was a Japanese-produced documentary about Nguyen Duc, the Vietnamese boy famous for being separated from his conjoined twin, Viet, in a landmark 1988 surgery. The second was a presentation by Japanese journalist Nakamura Goro on Vietnam.

The documentary, “Nguyen Duc - Love connecting Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms,” directed by Kohei Kawabata, depicts Nguyen Duc’s life as a victim of Agent Orange sprayed by U.S. forces during the war. It shows how he overcame severe pain and illness with resilience, living actively and inspiring others, while also highlighting the ongoing impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Japanese audiences were visibly moved by scenes of Nguyen Duc’s daily life and by images of children with disabilities being cared for in hospitals and special facilities in Vietnam.

The second segment featured journalist Nakamura Goro, known for his exhibitions on the effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Since 1976, he has taken tens of thousands of photographs, exhibiting them in Japan, the U.S., and South Korea to raise global awareness of this tragedy. Nakamura drew parallels between Agent Orange’s devastation in Vietnam and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, noting that the Agent Orange disaster remains largely unknown internationally, even in the U.S.

His decision to exhibit in California and New York stemmed from discovering that many Americans were unaware of the U.S. military’s role in the tragedy. During the event, he presented images of Vietnamese victims, emphasizing the lasting pain and loss.

Yoshiro Suzuki, Secretary-General of Vietnam Dioxin Day in Japan, remarked that while Vietnam has rebuilt and developed significantly over the past five decades, the war’s chemical legacy continues to cause profound harm. He noted that Japan hosts 2.3 million foreign workers, including 570,000 Vietnamese - mostly young people - and stressed the importance of cultural exchange and support for these youths.

The event concluded with applause from Japanese attendees, honoring Nguyen Duc’s courage and showing solidarity with Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. Suzuki affirmed the annual continuation of Vietnam Dioxin Day in Japan to keep raising awareness and offering support.

PV