Social work school course on the Battle of Okinawa

Social work school course on the Battle of Okinawa

On June 14 at the Kitanakagusuku Village Central Community Center, Toshie Asato said, "We have to be cautious about what direction our society is headed."


June 17, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

On June 14 at the Kitanakagusuku Village Central Community Center, the College of Social Work of Oba School delivered a lecture on the Battle of Okinawa. Toshie Asato, co-leader of the Okinawa Umanchu Association, Okinawa branch of the Article 9 Association, who delivered the lecture, emphasized how precious peace is as she talked about her own experiences of war.

Asato, who wandered around the battlefield with her family, said, “I saw civilians fleeing in miserable circumstances, but I could do nothing to help them, and so I shut what I was seeing out of my mind. This is what war is like.” Asato talked about how the abject cruelty of war sees the spirit of helping others disappear.
Losing most of her family members, including her two children, Asato said, “I lost everything in the war. We should never repeat war and such killing again.” She went on to say, “We have to be cautious about what direction our society is headed.”

Hatsuko Nakamura, who is engaged in dramatic reading activities, read a picture book entitled Norihide, which is based on Asato’s experiences.
The school annually delivers a lecture for peace education, aiming to make students think about the importance of welfare by learning about “war,” which is at the other extreme of the scale of activities that impact upon people’s happiness.

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey）

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