ネットラジオでリスニング力をつけましょう

Three years after 9/11, I and my colleague were talking about the event in Tokyo. She was about 25 years old at the time and I was about 35 years old. We are both Japanese and we both went university in the USA. We were both somewhat closer to the event than most Japanese. My colleague was working in the NYC and I in Seattle at the time.

My colleague said she wasn't able to believe that a rational man could crash into the building deliberately and killed himself and others. She went on to say that what a stupid thing to do for a grown man, the man was surely crazy, etc. I had no quarrel with her on her points but I was very surprised. Finally, I said, "Don't you know that Japanese were famous for suicide missions in the WWII?" "Kamikaze and Tokko-tai?"

She had no reply - I suppose she didn't think of the WWII. This incident made me REALLY think hard about the Japan's recent history. When did we, the Japanese, lose all the memories of the WWII? Is it collective amnesia - maybe the Japanese media helped to create this void? How about the school education? Do kids learn anything about the WWII in school?

The strange thing is that the memory of atomic bombing thrives on supported by the victims and families of the victims. It is as if they have innate rights to speak up, as if they possess power to convert the event to the human tragedy all of us have to share albeit our nationalities, creeds and politics. Is the atomic bombing a totalitarian symbol for anti-war and anti-humanity? anti-love and anti-peace? Maybe.

But. . . is it fair if all else would be forgotten about the WWII?