For almost 30 years, testimony footage of 330 war survivors in Tokyo has been left lying in the vaults. Now, to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the March 1945 firebombing, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released parts of the collection in an effort to remember the destruction of war and the importance of peace as conflicts continue around the world.
“I left my house (in Chuo district) and looked East — all of Sumida district and Koto district was engulfed in red,” says Yoshio Matsumoto, who was 15 at the time, in a video showcased at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater, describing the night of March 9, 1945.
“(The next morning) My eyelashes were all burnt — I couldn't open my eyes.”