Memories that shall not fade

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As Japan marked the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday, war witnesses and experts said the atrocious war should never be forgotten and measures should be taken to prevent the war's tragedies from reoccurring.

 

MEMORIES TO PRESERVE

 

For Nobuo Okimatsu, a 93-year-old World War II veteran, Aug. 15 is a day that he could never forget. Born in 1925, Okimatsu's life largely overlapped with Japan slipping into the abyss of the invasive war and finally declaring unconditional surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.

 

Okimatsu entered middle school in 1937. Though people in his hometown talked little about the Lugou Bridge Incident that year that marked Japan's full invasion of China, Okimatsu could feel that militarist thoughts were prevailing.

 

"People took pride in becoming a soldier at that time. I was also determined to go to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy," he told Xinhua.

 

That same year, the Japanese troops captured Nanjing, the then Chinese capital, on Dec. 13, and in some 40 days following the capture, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in Nanjing were slaughtered and 20,000 women raped.

 

In 1945, then 20-year-old Okimatsu became a Kamikaze pilot in the Japanese army. After three months' training, he along with other soldiers were tasked with a suicidal mission to crash into the Allies' ships.

 

Luckily for Okimatsu, his mission was delayed that day and then stopped by Japanese Emperor Hirohito declaring Japan's unconditional surrender.

 

Okimatsu later called that day his "rebirth" and told of his experience and the sufferings of his family in the war.

 

"Many historical problems in Japan nowadays are rooted in the lack of knowledge and recognition of history," he said. "It's an obligation for us who have experienced the war to pass on our memories and promote Japan's friendship with its neighbors to eliminate the factors that could cause wars," he added.

 

VOICES TO HEAR

 

Kazuya Iwamura, commentator from the Kyodo News who was born after the war, says Aug. 15 is significant for Japan as "it marks the starting point of Japan's postwar pacifist period and economic development."

 

After the war ended, Japan achieved fast economic development, for which the peaceful environment facilitated by the pacifist Constitution was no doubt a precondition.

 

"To prevent these war tragedies from happening again, it's really necessary to reflect on what happened on Aug. 15 and the postwar history," said Iwamura.

 

Okimatsu became a high school teacher after the war. In 1975, haunted by the memories of war, he joined an anti-war organization founded by a group of Japanese veterans who had taken part in the aggression. Later, the organization renamed itself "Aug.15 Japan-China Friendship Association."


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