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"70 Years After the War: Media Initiatives" From preserving precious memories to spreading new prayers (2)
Thoughts on Peace: Now More Than Ever
August 15th marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. Taking this significant milestone as an opportunity, various media outlets have engaged with the war from multiple perspectives, launching special features, projects, campaigns, events, and other initiatives. Leveraging their unique characteristics and strengths, they have devised creative ways to convey the importance of preserving the memory and records of war, as well as prayers for peace. Here are some examples.
TBS Radio
Preserving Grandparents' Experiences for the Future
Against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of the war's end and the dwindling opportunities to hear directly from those who lived through it, TBS Radio launched the "Preserve Grandparents' Experiences ~ 10,000 Voices: War Experience Project" campaign. It solicited audio recordings of personal accounts and testimonies from the general public. The initiative aims to create opportunities for families to share the war experiences of their relatives, which are rarely heard otherwise, as part of their family memory. The audio files are archived for future broadcasts and widely shared for future generations.
On August 15th, the regular program "Saturday Wide Radio TOKYO" aired as a special program commemorating the end of the war. Additionally, from July 5th, over six consecutive Sundays, special programs exploring war from various angles were broadcast, including "Hansen's Disease and War" and "Yu Kobayashi: Sakhalin - 70 Years Homeward."
www.tbs.co.jp/radio/sengo70/
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
Conveying "Precious War Experiences" to Prevent Fading Memories
On August 15, Bunka Broadcasting aired a live special program titled "War's End Day: News Special 'The 70th 8.15' - What Must Be Passed Down." The theme was "Passing on 'Precious War Experiences' That Must Not Fade Away." It featured the thoughts of those who heard the Emperor's radio address, as gathered by poet Arthur Binard, who continues his own war reporting activities; a conversation between writer Seiichi Morimura, who experienced the Great Tokyo Air Raid, and Binard; and the war experiences of writer Kazutoshi Hando.
Regular programs also featured segments to prevent the fading of war memories and pass on the preciousness of peace. On "Kunimaru Japan," five station announcers wrote and read aloud "short-short stories" about war and peace, with writer Masato Tamaru, a grand-disciple of the late Shinichi Hoshi, as guest.
www.joqr.co.jp/sengo70/
Nippon Broadcasting System
Reflecting on 70 Years of Postwar Change Through "Song"
Nippon Broadcasting System implemented three special projects themed around "70 Years After the War," each approaching the 70-year transformation from a different angle. From 5:00 AM on August 15th, they ran a 12-hour one-day project, "70 Years After the War: Songs and Japan." During this time slot, each regular program featured a special segment with the unified theme of "songs" that colored the 70 years since the war. On August 23rd, the special program "Senryu Senryu's Gakon: A Lifetime Story - Songs Reflect the Times" aired a live recording from Asakusa Engei Hall of the 84-year-old rakugo artist's representative work "Gakon," which could be called a history of Showa-era popular songs. Additionally, on the same day, "Yankee Sensei: Hirokazu Yoshiie's Summer Lecture Special - What We Can Do Now" was broadcast.
Regular programs like "Takashima Hidetake's Asa Radio!" and "Tokumitsu Kazuo's Tokumori! Kayō Saturday" also featured content focused on the 70th anniversary of the war's end.
Japan Magazine Publishers Association
Nationwide Fair at 1,300 Bookstores Featuring 31 Magazines from 18 Publishers to Reflect on War
The Japan Magazine Publishers Association is holding its first-ever themed fair, "Let's Think About War," as the first installment of "Magazine Festival 2015-2016." The fair runs from July to September at approximately 1,300 bookstores nationwide. The theme is "70 Years After the War: There Are Things We Want to Convey Now." It aims to provide an opportunity to think about war: what war is, how we should confront it, and what path we should take going forward.
The fair features magazines released on or after July 6th. A total of 31 titles from 18 publishers, including magazines, mooks, and encyclopedic series, approach the topic of war from various perspectives. Each store is creating its own special corner using posters, POP displays, and videos to highlight the unique power of magazines to communicate.
Nagaoka Fireworks Display for Memorial and Peace at Pearl Harbor
On August 15 and 16 (Japan time), sister cities Nagaoka and Honolulu launched Nagaoka fireworks during the "70th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for the End of the Pacific War" and the "Peace and Friendship Commemorative Ceremony" held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. With prayers for the souls of the war dead from both Japan and the United States, gratitude for the pioneers who contributed to postwar reconstruction, and wishes for lasting peace, the all-white "Shirakiku" (White Chrysanthemum) memorial fireworks were "offered" as a tribute in the night sky over Pearl Harbor, Oahu.
TeNY TV Niigata broadcast the ceremony live as a special program. A public viewing was held at Aore Nagaoka, a complex in the city center, where Nagaoka citizens also watched the fireworks launch. Citizens of both cities united in heart to pray for peace.
This event is also part of the "Message of Peace" project, one of Nagaoka City's commemorative peace exchange initiatives. The concept is: "We wish to set off fireworks around the world, praying for peace and thinking of the future." For the project, 47 students from Nagaoka Institute of Design created an oversized illustration imbued with their hopes for peace. Then, 202 elementary school students from Nagaoka used their small bodies to energetically express large, beautiful Nagaoka fireworks on the canvas of that illustration. Details and videos can be viewed on a special website.
Furthermore, in preparation for the Nagaoka Fireworks display at Pearl Harbor, the Niigata Nippo featured this visual in full-page color on August 2nd. On August 15th, the Wednesday Association member newspapers (Kahoku Shimpo, Niigata Nippo, Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, Kyoto Shimbun, Kobe Shimbun, Sanyo Shimbun, Chugoku Shimbun) published it in five-column color.
http://www.city.nagaoka.niigata.jp/dpage/peace-project/message.html
Related Article:
"70 Years After the War: Media Initiatives" - From Passing on Precious Memories to Sending New Prayers (1)
[September 28, 2015]
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