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Japanese Schoolchildren Learn About War

A veteran of the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service talks to elementary school students about what it’s like to go to war (aired on August 15):

After about the scariness of war, the children were given a chance to eat a thin vegetable soup that was regularly eaten in Japan during the 1940′s. One girl says that it has almost no flavor. The other kids say that the special lesson helped them learn the importance of peace.

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24 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - August 17, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Categories: General Japan Tags:

Anonymous

War! What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!

Simon

Say it again!

http://hanlonsrzr.blogspot.com Mr.S.

Huh!

NhaTrang

At least nhk shows something that is newsworthy sometimes. young people should learn the true lessons of war and the Pacific War in particular. No american kid will ever hear the story of war from a vet from the losing side… any way the things that pass for headline news in the usa include things like people getting accidentally killed a niagra falls…oops.

MF_Duler

“No american kid will ever hear the story of war from a vet from the losing side”

What in the world are you basing that on?

Simon

Vietnam vets don’t talk to school groups in the U.S.?

Erik

My World History teacher in highschool was a Vietnam Vet and he talked about it all the time.

Hraesvelgr

No american kid will ever hear the story of war from a vet from the losing side

Vietnam?

http://hanlonsrzr.blogspot.com Mr.S.

“Vietnam” is funny in its way, and you could add ‘Iraq II’, and Afghanistan, except though the US may have lost these wars in a strategic sense, it is the residents of those places who did more dying and suffering.

Jupiter

“…it is the residents of those places who did more dying and suffering.”

That part could be expanded to every war we’ve ever fought (win or lose), since none have taken place on home soil.

Anonymous

You do realize that some Vietnam veterans went on to become school teachers and administrators right? On occasion they did in fact have a thing or two to say about that war.

This is a great opportunity for the kids involved. I wish more schools had programs like this.
greeeeeen

On the contrary, American students are encouraged to learn about the history of wars, etc. from people who experienced them. I remember several times being assigned to go out and find veterans in my community to interview about their experiences, listening to survivors of the Holocaust and Pol Pot’s killing fields, as well as reading literature and eyewitness testimony from both sides of various conflicts. It is in Japan where listening to eyewitnesses has not been much of a part of history education, as it was considered less accurate and reliable, among other reasons. It’s good that students are starting to have these opportunities now, as most war veterans are very elderly and won’t be around to share their stories much longer.

http://www.facebook.com/rallegretti Rob Allegretti

When I saw the headline I thought for sure it was going to be a piece with cartoon Zeros and carriers, with little stick-figure soldiers screened for some school children. This is actually quite an enlightening lesson for them.
Craig Scanlan

War is tough, you have to eat bad soup

http://www.talktotheclouds.com/ Lillian

I suppose from your comment you think that the soup lesson is pointless. I think that the soup is probably a much more comprehensible way to show children the privations of war. It’s easy for kids to understand “THIS is all you had to eat, if you were lucky?” It’s hard for kids to understand ration tickets, the idea of killing someone, etc. I think it’s a great lesson, and really memorable. Kudos to the people who came up with it and gave their time, energy, cooking supplies, etc.

But hey, snarking on the internet is also a great way to contribute!

http://www.talktotheclouds.com/ Lillian

(I also think the veteran’s talk was a good idea, of course; I think the two things go well together.)

http://twitter.com/gimirzz Zoey Z

Why does Japan always make it seem like they were the ones that suffered in WWII?
And if they really want children to learn the effects of war…. they should let people who were actually transgressed speak freely too. ie hear both the military and civilian side of the story

Rip

Why shouldn’t Japan acknowledge that they suffered? I guess getting nuked is no big deal.

MF_Duler

“I guess getting nuked is no big deal”

It is a big deal, but there would have been no Hiroshima or Dresden if Japan and Germany hadn’t started the war. If they suffered it was their own fault. I don’t care how many Japanophiles want to dispute that.

Tony D

Because the citizens of Japan DID suffer. You blame them all for their government’s choices? Funny, that’s the justification behind things like the world trade centre attacks and other terrorist actions, too…

Jupiter

I would actually argue that the civilian population of Japan were as much victims of the Imperial Japanese military regime as the civilian populations of China and Korea. The dictatorship exported atrocities like Nanking and Unit 531, and imported the nightmares of incendiary devices and nuclear bombs upon their own people.

Day-Bee-Toe

The dictatorship exported atrocities like Nanking and Unit 531, and
imported the nightmares of incendiary devices and nuclear bombs upon
their own people.

There were neither “dictatorship” nor “Unit 531″ in Japan of 1930-40s. Political leaders such as Tanaka, Konoe, Tojo were so powerless that they failed to prevent/end the war and you would’ve found in a minute it was “Unit 731” if you googled it.

Anyway, you are right. Similarly, many people in the world would say “the Americans exported atrocities like Lebanon and Palestine, and
imported the nightmares of the terrorism and the 9/11 attack upon
your own people”. You shouldn’t be angry with it, because it’s just what you have said.

Anonymous

The government essentially oppressed their own people to go to war in Japan. It was something that was happening gradually and Asians being fairly used to buckling down and relinquishing freedoms just went along with it without really knowing the consequences. Then in the end the entire country was bombed to hell, pretty much every city but Kyoto was rebuilt from the ground up.

War is something you can blame on the country, you get no dispute from me. However, blaming war on the general public is callous and short-sighted.

Whether you believe in the war against terror is your own business, but it doesn’t take a policy maker to know that the general public in the US is fairly split on the idea. Rest assured that the Japanese people weren’t ape shit happy to go to war in the Pacific Rim either.
Day-Bee-Toe

It is a big deal, but there would have been no Hiroshima or Dresden

There had been and will be Hiroshima and Dresden for centuries. Go back to elementary school and review the world history.

Japanese Schoolchildren Learn About War

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