Hajime Sakata, who was 8 years old just after the end of World War II 80 years ago, traveled more than 500 kilometers south across the Korean Peninsula for his return to Japan.
Recalling his experience during the war, 88-year-old Sakata, who now lives in the city of Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, says, "War robs people of their emotions."
Sakata was born in 1937 in what is now Kilju in northeastern North Korea. He was living with his parents and two younger sisters.
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