3 days ago
'War trauma' transformed caring father into a complete stranger
Eighty years after the end of World War II, the psychological scars borne by former Imperial Japanese servicemen are drawing renewed attention.
Many veterans, haunted by horrific battlefield experiences, developed post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions that continue to affect their lives and families.
Such war-induced conditions, often referred to as "war trauma," can profoundly alter a person's behavior and emotional state.
In one case, a father who was once devoted and loving became distant, described by a family member as being merely an "empty shell" of his former self.
A growing number of family members of former Japanese servicemen are coming forward to share their experiences, prompting the government to launch its first-ever survey on the realities faced by these families. The results are expected to be released within the current fiscal year ending March.
Akio Kuroi, 76, from Musashimurayama, Tokyo, recalls the enduring impact military service had on his father, Keijiro, a former soldier who passed away in 1990 at the age of 77.
"He was lethargic, and I couldn't even tell if he was really there. He was like an empty shell," Kuroi says.
Kuroi's father was conscripted at the age of 20 and served as a leader of subordinates in areas such as former Manchuria, now northeastern China. After returning to Japan, he struggled to adjust to civilian life and never held a regular job, leaving his family in financial difficulty.
Even at home, he remained distant. He would not respond when his grandchildren called out to him.
"I thought to myself, 'I will never become a man like my father,'" Kuroi says.
A quarter of a century after his father's death, Kuroi happened to watch footage of a former U.S. Marine struggling with the trauma of the Vietnam War. The video made him realize the depth of the emotional scars his own father had carried.
"The pained face of the Marine overlapped with the image of my father," he recounts.
Motivated by the understanding that war had transformed his father, Kuroi founded an organization in 2018 to support the families of former servicemen. The group has collected testimonies from family members, including accounts such as former servicemen getting drunk and becoming violent toward family members and those shouting loudly in the middle of the night.
Yasuko Kurokawa, a 74-year-old Tokyo resident, regularly attends testimonial meetings organized by Kuroi. Reflecting on her late father, Yuzo Sato, she says, "He seemed to have no interest in others, including his own family."
Sato passed away in 1993 at the age of 76. Drafted into the military just before Japan's defeat in World War II, Sato was later interned in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he was devastated to learn that his eldest son had died of illness at the age of 3 and that his 1-year-old daughter had starved to death during his absence. The trauma and grief weighed heavily on him, and he never spoke of his wartime experiences.
Kurokawa's mother had described Sato as a devoted father who would carry his children on his back to the fields and bathe them with care.
However, Kurokawa herself never saw that side of him.
"Perhaps his experiences on the battlefield, combined with the sorrow of losing his children, broke his heart," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "If only he had talked to me, I could have understood him better."
In response to ongoing efforts to collect testimonies, the welfare ministry launched a survey in fiscal 2024 to better understand the experiences of former servicemen suffering from PTSD and other conditions, as well as the impact on their families.
After analyzing patients' medical records, the ministry aims to present its findings in a permanent exhibition at Shokei-kan, a Tokyo museum dedicated to sharing the stories of sick and wounded former servicemen, starting around February 2026.
Ahead of the permanent display, the ministry is also organizing a panel exhibition on the history of former servicemen who suffered emotional wounds, which has been on view since July.
"We hope the exhibition will provide many people with an opportunity to learn about the challenges faced by former servicemen with mental illnesses and their families," a ministry official said.
