4 days ago
Wartime diaries from over 100 schools exist in Japan and Taiwan, researchers say
Japanese researchers have found that diaries of more than 100 schools written during the final year of World War Two still exist in Japan and Taiwan.
The diaries, which record details about school events and the lives of students, were written by teachers.
It was believed that most school diaries written in 1945 were lost in air raids or disposed of after the war.
NHK has learned that a research group led by Professor Emeritus Saito Toshihiko at Gakushuin University identified diaries from at least 104 schools written during the 1945 school year. They have been kept in 30 prefectures across Japan and in Taiwan.
The daily logs describe details about the impact of the war including the deaths of children in air attacks and the cancellation of events following air-raid warnings.
The researchers reviewed entries written on August 15 -- the day Japan commemorates the end of the war -- and found that teachers and students at many schools had listened with tears in their eyes as Emperor Showa announced Japan's surrender over the radio.
The researchers say the descriptions indicate that dedication to the emperor and the state were considered to be the top priority at schools.
A diary from a former national school in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, said that the emperor's statement was about restoring peace. The researchers say they believe the entry expressed hope for peace.
The research group says school diaries have, until now, not been made public in principle or examined in detail.
Professor Emeritus Saito says the diaries are valuable primary materials which can show how people and children became caught up in the war.
He says it is necessary to go through the diaries to shed light on what effects the war had.
