Tag - wwii

 
 

WWII

A memorial to two Japanese soldiers killed in combat with anti-Japanese forces in Phrae Province, northern Thailand
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2025
80 years on: Thai man wants to return soldiers' remains to Japan
During the war, Japan was an enemy to the Free Thai group, but the soldiers were victims of the war, which was unnecessary, Puchong said.
A three-generation family, Susumu Sato (center), his daughter Akiyo Nishida (left) and his granddaughter Nanako Nishida, is working to pass on to future generations the memory of a massive air raid in the city of Toyama that occurred 80 years ago.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2025
80 years on: Three generations pass on memory of Toyama air raid
In the air raid, which occurred shortly before the end of World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers destroyed 99.5% of Toyama's urban area.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba walks toward the Upper House hall to attend the opening ceremony of a parliamentary session in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2025
Ishiba unlikely to make personal statement on WWII anniversary
A personal statement by Ishiba, who is viewed as relatively dovish, could intensify the calls for his resignation that have emerged inside the LDP.
For the second time in a year, a Japanese national accompanied by a child was attacked and wounded Thursday in the Chinese city of Suzhou, Tokyo's Embassy said Friday.GETTY IMAGES
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 2, 2025
Attacker wounds another Japanese national in China's Suzhou
The incident comes a year after a Japanese mother and child were wounded in a knife attack in the same city. A Chinese woman had died trying to stop the assailant.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki will make a speech on Aug. 9 at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city, in which he will urge world leaders to work toward abolishing nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025
Nagasaki mayor to urge world leaders to abolish nuclear weapons
Mayor Shiro Suzuki will make the call in his speech on Aug. 9 at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of his city.
A screenshot of eBay shows war relics including swords and gas masks being put on sale.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025
Large number of Japanese war relics still offered on auction sites
Items such as swords that belonged to soldiers of the Imperial Japanese military and protective hoods used during air raids can be found on eBay.
A screenshot of a Chinese box office app showing info on the film "731"
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025
Release of Unit 731-themed film delayed in China
"731" had been drawing attention in China even ahead of its planned release.
Shun Sasaki, 12, an elementary school student in Hiroshima, guides foreign visitors in English as a volunteer guide in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima on July 15.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 31, 2025
Hiroshima schoolboy keeps memories of war alive with guided tours​ in English
Shun Sasaki's volunteer work has let to him being selected as one of two local children to speak at this year's ceremony marking 80 years since the A-bomb was dropped.
A pair of Japanese soldiers (Shinichi Tsutsumi, left, and Yuki Yamada, right) stay up a tree rather than standing down after the end of World War II in “Army on the Tree.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2025
'Army on the Tree': World War II film leans into absurdist theater
Among the films that commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, Kazuhiro Taira’s film adapted from a play stands out for its lack of iffy politics.
Kyoko Miura presenting a kamishibai picture story about her escape back to Japan from former Manchuria as a young girl after the end of the war, on June 27 in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025
A girl’s life during wartime, told one picture at a time
Kyoko Miura heads a civic group based in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, that is working on passing down stories of World War II to future generations.
Emperor Naruhito meets with Micronesian President Wesley Simina at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
Emperor meets with Micronesia's president
Emperor Naruhito thanked Micronesian President Wesley Simina for visiting Fukushima Prefecture in March to observe the reconstruction efforts there.
Masayuki Yamauchi teaches junior high school students about the history of Okunoshima, an island in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
80 years on, former teacher conveys history of hidden island in World War II
The tiny island in Hiroshima Prefecture hosted a poison gas plant of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, leading to its removal from maps for confidentiality purposes.
A building in the city of Osaka that served as the Osaka Army Arsenal's chemical analysis laboratory during World War II
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
Researcher seeks to save Osaka Army Arsenal as 'negative legacy'
The military factory manufactured artillery for the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and employed up to around 66,000 people.
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
JAPAN / History
Jul 29, 2025
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
"In their last breaths, no one shouted for the long life of the emperor,” said one veteran about his comrades. "They called out for their mothers, whom they would never see again.”
The Atomic Bomb Dome in the city of Hiroshima. This August marks the 80th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 29, 2025
U.S. public opinion divided over atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A recent survey, released Monday, was conducted on more than 5,000 U.S. adults ahead of the 80th anniversaries of the bombings.
Yukinori Okamura (left), curator at the Maruki Gallery for "The Hiroshima Panels," explains the artworks to visitors on July 4 in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2025
Almost 80 years on, 'Hiroshima Panels' pass on memories of atomic bombing
The late artist couple Iri and Toshi Maruki created the panels and continued to paint pictures of the aftermath for over 30 years based on their experiences and witness accounts.
Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Frydnes holds a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2025
Hibakusha's stories will change the world, Nobel committee chair says
Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Frydnes also stressed the importance of maintaining nuclear taboo, saying a fear of nuclear weapons would not bring about any solutions.
The portal of the Chosei undersea coal mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The remains of workers who died in a 1942 submersion accident were left behind in the mine.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2025
Efforts continue to recover undersea mine workers' remains, decades on
Diving surveys have aimed to find the remains of the 183 workers — 136 from the Korean Peninsula and 47 from Japan.
Hiroe Kawashimo enjoys regular walks in the city of Hiroshima.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 28, 2025
Woman with disabilities from atomic bombing recalls mother's dedication
The daughter of a woman exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima atomic bombing has been frail since childhood and constantly in and out of hospitals.
Former Japan manager Zico, second from right, prays at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jul 28, 2025
Soccer great Zico pays tribute to atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima
Zico, 72, who also served as head coach of Japan's men's national soccer team, laid flowers at the cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past