Attack on Pearl Harbor 80 years 101 years old Former mechanic "Dialogue is important to prevent war"

It has been 80 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, which started the Pacific War, in 8 days.

A 101-year-old man from Fukuoka City, who participated in the attack as a maintenance soldier for an aircraft carrier, told NHK about the situation at that time and said, "Dialogue is the most important thing to prevent war."

Eighty years ago, on December 8, the former Japanese army attacked US warships and air bases moored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Pacific War, which lasted nearly four years, began.

Moto Naganuma, 101, who lives in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, was on board the aircraft carrier Kaga as a mechanic and participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Mr. Naganuma says he was suddenly told by the captain on a ship sailing over the Pacific Ocean that he would "attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 8. We are planning to declare war on the United States and Britain."

Mr. Naganuma said, "I was really surprised at first because I didn't expect the war to start." "It was a militaristic trend, so I wanted to make Japan safe for the country," he said. I explained.

Half a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Naganuma suffered a severe burn on his leg during the Battle of Midway and was exempted from military service.

After the war, Mr. Naganuma began to feel that the war that Japan had caused was reckless. I've been doing things like that.

Mr. Naganuma said, "I wonder why the world is not yet peaceful. To prevent war, it is most important to think about the other person and have a dialogue."