Wartime Memories

Author: Glenn Scoggins

  • Danielle Davison

    E03U, Danielle Davison ‘94, Misako Barbu, Teacher, 1934, Yokohama: Naka-ku Mrs Barbu has been my teacher since elementary school. In November 1992, I asked her about the years immediately following Japan’s surrender to the U.S. and the other Allied nations. Danielle (= D): How old were you during the U.S. Occupation of Japan? Misako (=…

  • Richard Davidson

    E02U, Richard Davidson ‘94, Hiroko Suzuki, Grandmother, 1926, Ibaraki I talked to my maternal grandmother in November 1992, to find out more about her experiences during World War II. Q: How old were you during the last year of World War II?A: I was just a little older than you—I was 19 years old. Q:…

  • Yue Chien

    E01C, Yue Chien ‘94, “Kī-chan”, Grandmother, Yokohama: Kōhoku-ku, Aichi In November 1992, I asked my grandmother, whom I call “Kī-chan,” to tell me about World War II. Yue (Y): Where did you live during the war? Grandmother (G): I lived in Myōrenji [a residential area in Kōhoku-ku, northern Yokohama] with my husband and my daughter…

  • Yūko Yamada

    D07, Yūko Yamada ‘91, Yasuo Yamada, Father, 1929, Yokohama: Naka-ku In November 1989, I interviewed my father, Yasuo Yamada, who is 60 years old. We sat down together in the kitchen after dinner. Q: How old were you when World War II started? A: I was 12 years old. Q: What was the position of…

  • Yukari Wada

    D06, Yukari Wada ‘91, Grandmother, 1923, Yokohama: Naka-ku Q: Good afternoon, Grandma. It’s been almost a month since I last saw you. I’m here today to ask you some questions about World War II. A: Oh, my! I can’t remember very much. I just remember that it ended on August 15, 1945. That’s when Emperor…

  • Shinobu Suzuki

    D05, Shinobu Suzuki ‘91, Tokiko Suzuki, Grandmother, 1925, Tōkyō In November 1989, I interviewed my paternal grandmother, Tokiko Suzuki, 64 years old, in my living room. Q: Which specific period of time do you remember most clearly? A: The year before Japan surrendered, 1944 and 1945. During that time, the hardest experience was the Great…

  • Eriko Shinozaki

    D04, Eriko Shinozaki ‘91, Grandmother, 1920, Karafuto, Hokkaidō, Tōkyō Q: Hello, Grandma, can I interview you about your life during World War II for my homework assignment? A: Sure, but I was not in Japan during the war. Q: Were you in Karafuto [the southern half of Sakhalin island, under Japanese rule from 1905 to…

  • Eika Ōtake

    D03, Eika Ōtake ‘91, Nirō Ōtake, Grandfather, 1931, Tōkyō In November 1989, I interviewed my paternal grandfather about World War II. He was born in 1931 and is now 58 years old. Q: How old were you when the war broke out? A: I was about ten years old then, I think. Q: Where did…

  • Aileen Jo

    D02C, Aileen Jo ‘91, “Anyan,” Grandmother, c 1924, Hyōgo, Nagano, China, Yokohama: Naka-ku In November 1989, I asked my grandmother (whom I call “Anyan”) about her wartime memories. She was a teenager and young adult during the worst years of the war.  Q: Anyan, I’d like to ask you some questions about your experiences during…

  • Sayaka Haishi

    H06, Sayaka Haishi ‘00, Grandfather, 1925, Grandmother, 1928, China, Hokkaidō, Tōkyō Before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States on December 8, 1941, Japan had already invaded China and Vietnam. The Japanese Army then attacked the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia and kept moving southward to enlarge the area under Japanese…