Fighting for Peace After War: Japanese War Veterans recall the war and their peace activism after repatriation

Three aging veterans of Japan's Imperial Army discuss their postwar commitment to peace activism in Japan and their current efforts to find young people willing to carry on their work as they confront their gradual decline and inevitable deaths. One veteran was incarcerated in a Chinese "re-education" camp for his war crimes against Chinese civilians, much like the veterans featured in the documentary film, Japanese Devils. Although neither of the other two veterans committed war crimes, each put himself through a soulsearching reevaluation of his loyalty to the Emperor and conviction that he had fought for a righteous cause. The three veterans share a deep commitment to speaking about the actual horrors of war and to preserving the testimony of other veterans who are slowly dying. -Many veterans helped to establish the peace movement after World War II as an act of contrition for their participation in a wrongful war. Please tell us about your activities, which hold a unique place among post-war peace movements in Japan.