Akita woman recounts one of the last air raids of WWII
Tsukiko Ito, 84, was 4 years old when Akita's Tsuchizaki district was battered by around 130 bombers from the United States and its allies for some four hours from around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, 1945. The raid, in which more than 12,000 bombs were dropped, targeted Nippon Oil's Akita refinery, one of the largest such facilities on mainland Japan, killing at least an estimated 250 people.
She got out of her home when the bombings began, and saw the refinery in flames and the night sky lit up orange. Her family escaped to a bomb shelter near her home.
But her grandmother urged the family to flee elsewhere, saying that they would die if they stayed in the shelter. So they evacuated to higher ground instead, which proved crucial for their survival. Amid the smell of burning oil and the roar of bombers overhead, they hid behind houses and trees as they ran for their lives.
The following morning, Ito returned to her home only to find it smashed to pieces by two bombs. The bomb shelter was buried in the rubble, while a couple who lived next door was found dead in a shelter adjacent to their house.
The attack on the Tsuchizaki district is known as one of the last air raids on Japan during World War II. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, the day after the airstrike.
Ito went on to work at a financial institution, got married and started a family. She began to confront her past in earnest after retirement, such as by attending memorial ceremonies for the airstrike.
Ito also joined a civic group for passing on the tragic memories of the air raid and started sharing her story, thinking that she could not stay silent given that many people in her neighborhood died in the attack.
"If the war had ended a day earlier, the couple next door would have survived," Ito says. "I want to tell children that many lives were lost, from babies to elderly people."
Her activities began at elementary schools in Akita and later expanded elsewhere. University students also visit Ito to listen to her story.
Lately, she feels a sense of crisis because there are fewer opportunities for children to learn about the air raid amid a decrease in the number of teachers familiar with the incident.
"With various wars taking place around the world, it's (more and more) important to learn about the air raid," she says.
Ito emphasizes the importance of the memories of the airstrike being told by those who experienced it firsthand. When she tells her story, she lets elementary school students touch fragments of a bomb that was actually dropped during the raid.
Her efforts to engage children also include having a brass band perform as she reads a picture book created based on the testimonies of survivors of the bombings.
"I can still do a little more," Ito says. "I want to continue as long as my health allows."
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