Vietnam Dioxin Day 2025 held in Japan
The event is a tribute to victims and a call to address the lasting consequences of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
THE HANOI TIMES — The Japan–Vietnam Friendship Association this week hosted “Vietnam Dioxin Day 2025” in Tokyo to support Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin.
The annual event, held since 2011, commemorates Vietnam’s Day for Victims of Agent Orange and Dioxin on August 10.
Journalist Nakamura Goro delivers a lecture on the consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam. Photo: VNA
Under the theme "Fifty years after the Vietnam War, the legacy of Agent Orange persists", this year's program screened the documentary Nguyen Duc - Love Connecting Mount Fuji and Cherry Blossoms by director Kohei Kawabata, depicting the life of Nguyen Duc, the younger of the Viet–Duc conjoined twins and a victim of Agent Orange sprayed by US forces during the war.
It also included a lecture by Japanese journalist Nakamura Goro, who has spent decades documenting the lasting impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Nakamura has photographed the aftermath of Agent Orange in Vietnam since 1976, capturing tens of thousands of images. He has staged exhibitions in Japan, the United States, and South Korea to raise global awareness.
Realizing that many Americans knew little about the tragedy, he brought the exhibition to California and New York.
At the event, he displayed his photographs and recounted stories of the ongoing loss and suffering.
Yoshiro Suzuki, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Dioxin Day Executive Committee in Japan, emphasized that Vietnam has rebuilt its war-torn nation with remarkable strength, yet Agent Orange continues to cause serious harm.
He noted that Japan employs 2.3 million foreign workers, including 570,000 Vietnamese, most of whom young people, and urged more exchanges and support for this community.
Japanese friends closed the event with warm applause, showing solidarity with Nguyen Duc and the victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Suzuki pledged to hold Vietnam Dioxin Day in Japan every year to keep raising awareness and sharing compassion.
Vietnamese authorities have estimated that approximately four million people were exposed to Agent Orange, including three million who suffer from related illnesses, with multiple generations affected, and around one million people living with dissabilities or health problems due to the chemical contamination.
