Postwar-Born Storytellers Keep Japan’s Wartime Memories Alive

Tokyo, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–As the number of people with firsthand experience of World War II declines rapidly in Japan, those born after the war are working to preserve memories of that time by taking over the role of storytellers from survivors. A project to foster the next generation of storytellers, commissioned by Japan’s welfare ministry, was launched in 2019 at two national museums in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward–the Historical Materials Hall for the Wounded and Sick Retired Soldiers, etc., or Shokei-kan, and the National Showa Memorial Museum, or Showa-kan. Those who want to become storytellers under the program must undergo roughly three-year training. Currently, 21 people at Shokei-kan and 18 at Showa-kan are serving as storytellers. All of them were born after the Aug. 15, 1945, end of the war. They give lectures to share wartime stories at the museums and schools. Among the storytellers at Shokei-kan is Yuko Nakadaira, 60, who works at a support facility for people with disabilities. She says she learned about the value of peace in her childhood from teachers and her parents and through films and books about the war. Nakadaira, from the city of Sanmu, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, was initially conflicted about whether she was qualified to share the story of a former troop who lost his left leg, as she did not experience the war firsthand. Now, however, she is determined to tell the story, saying, “Storytellers of the postwar generation must create an opportunity for people to think about the paths we should take in the future.” At Showa-kan, Junichi Ueno, a 61-year-old company employee from Tokyo’s Koto Ward, tells the story of how his father, who died at the age of 89 in 2024, fled to the countryside and survived air raids when he was a child. Ueno sometimes uses newspaper clippings before or after his lecture to let attendees know what is happening across the globe. “I want people to think about peace by knowing that wars are taking place even in today’s world,” he said. Hatsue Minagawa, 61, who runs a cram school, shares the story of elementary school students during wartime at Showa-kan. Minagawa, from Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, structured the story, which features a fictional boy as the main character, to make it easy for listeners to understand the differences between school life and meals during the war and those of today. “I hope people will consider war to be something close to them even if only slightly,” she said. Although there are video testimonies from war survivors, Minagawa said that there is value to having storytellers share the memories of war. “Records and footage tend to be just viewed and appreciated. Having someone in front of you directly tell stories, even secondhand, can lead to dialogue.” All three storytellers believe that the present is shaped by the past. “The suffering of the war continued after the end of the war, and our society has been built on it,” Nakadaira said. They express hope that sharing the memories of war will help people understand that wartime experiences lead to current life, 81 years on, and to the future. “Passing down the story is like a relay,” one storyteller said. “I want to pass on the baton that I received.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]