InsideJapan News Network

An 80-year-old Japanese comedian has spoken out for the first time about his experience of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in 1945.

Koishi Kimi was enlisted into the former Imperial Army and was on the second floor of his army barracks near Hiroshima Castle eating breakfast when the bomb dropped.

"I saw a flash of light. And I remember running downstairs," he told the Mainichi Daily News.

Mr Kimi had previously refused to speak about what happened that day.

He told the newspaper: "I don't like to talk about the bomb. I feel guilty towards the people who died. It seems inexcusable that I'm still alive."

Following news of the attack, Mr Kimi's family had a Buddhist memorial tablet made, thinking he was dead.

Around 140,000 people, out of a total population of 350,000, are believed to have perished when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, according to the BBC.