When did WWII end? 1 in 4 Japanese can't say, survey shows
The survey by the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) found that 25.8% of respondents did not know the war ended on Aug. 15, 1945, while 21.7% and 27%, respectively, did not know the date the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima (Aug. 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9, 1945).
The online study, conducted in June, had 1,200 participants ranging from ages 10 and over. Marking the 80th anniversary since the end of WWII, this was the first time the JRCS conducted a study on the public's awareness and behavior regarding peace.
With the wartime generation aging, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to pass on their stories to the younger generation.
Nearly 90% of respondents answered that they thought continuing to tell stories about the war to future generations was important, but only half said that they have heard firsthand accounts of the war.
Among those who have heard such stories, around 47% said they heard it from their grandparents, while 38% said they heard it from oral storytellers who work to preserve memories of the conflict.
'In Japan, which fortunately has not become a battlefield for the past 80 years, it may be to some extent inevitable that memories of war are fading,' said Hiroto Oyama of JRCS. 'However, even in the current situation, where many feel an impending crisis about achieving peace, I would like to highlight the fact that the vast majority of people still value learning from past experiences.'
When asked about current affairs, over half of the respondents said they thought Japan was peaceful, while only around 20% thought there was peace in the world.
Many were pessimistic about achieving world peace in the future, with only 18.4% believing a war-free world was possible. Meanwhile, 68.6% said they did not think world peace was attainable.
Asked about Japan's possible involvement in war in the future, 12.9% strongly believed it was possible while 40.3% thought such a scenario was moderately possible.
On nuclear weapons, 51.8% of respondents said such weapons should not be used or possessed, while 28.3% felt they should not be used but that having them may be necessary for self defense.
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Japan Today
31 minutes ago
- Japan Today
80 years on, former WWII pilot recalls waiting for kamikaze call that never came
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He rushed back to Japan for his studies, where he found poverty and signs of a faltering war effort. With personnel shortages on the frontlines, what should have been two years of basic training at the Tachiarai school was condensed into about six months. "All of us were shocked by the speed of it," he said. He took further training in Seoul in Japanese controlled Korea, learning in Yokosuka-K5Y training planes known as "Red Dragonfly" due to their burned orange coloring. As Ueno learned to navigate the skies, Japan's position in the war grew increasingly desperate. By 1944, military leadership was debating using kamikaze, or "divine wind" suicide attacks in which young men plunged planes, midget submarines and other craft laden with explosives into enemy targets. After the war, the practice of sending young men to their deaths was criticized by former pilots as a form of collective coercion that unjustifiably ended many young lives. 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31 minutes ago
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