The clue is in this family photo Miraculous "reunion" for the first time in 80 yearsSeptember 9 6:18
My father lost his life in the war 80 years ago.
My sons, who don't even remember the remnants of it, returned this summer in an unexpected way.
Son hugging "father" with tears in his eyes.
The impetus for the reunion was one family photo that I have always cherished.
(Good morning Japan Reporter Hiromi Honda)
Father I Don't Remember
Toshihiro Rikuda lives in Gifu Prefecture. He is 83 years old.
He showed me a photograph that he had taken in front of his home about 80 years ago.
The "first and last" family photo taken by his father, Shigeyoshi, before he was called up to the army.
At this time, Toshihiro was only 2 years old. I don't even remember taking a picture.
The only thing I remember about my father was when my family went to visit him when he was going to the battlefield. We took the railroad and spent a few hours to get to where the troops were.
But there was no figure of my father anymore.
Mr
. Toshihiro Rikuda: "When I wanted to meet with him, the person over there (the unit) said, 'I have just left the war,' and my mother was disappointed.
The following year, the family received a notice announcing my father's death.
I didn't even know where or under what circumstances I had died, and later I was informed by the survivors that I was in Saipan, the site of the fierce battle.
After the war, his mother, Masae, raised Toshihiro and his three siblings alone.
Until his death in 3 at the age of 1, she held hands in front of her husband every day.
Toshihiro Rikuda
: "It would be nice if there were any leftovers (such as remains or relics), but I was very disappointed that there was no such thing. I came alone. He treated us children with a smile without showing us any signs of hardship. Behind the scenes, I imagine crying with sadness."
Sudden news from the United States
April 5, five years have passed since my mother passed away.
Unexpected news came from the United States. Someone saw the "Sun Flag" that my father apparently had at a museum in Texas.
During the war, soldiers who were going to war were given their names written on their names by their relatives and friends.
Soldiers kept their skin and brought them with them to the battlefield, but it is said that American soldiers often brought them home as "spoils of war".
Toshihiro Rikuda
: "At first, I received a picture of [the Japanese flag], and I heard that it might be an otaku, and when I saw it, I was surprised because it said Shigeyoshi Rikuda, and I wondered if there was such a thing."
Just one family photo...
In the image of the Japanese flag sent to me, there was a name that appeared to be my father, Shigeyoshi.
We decided to ask the museum that owns the flag to return it, and negotiate through an American NPO. However, my mother has already passed away, and none of my siblings have any memories of the Japanese flag.
At that time, I remembered that family photo that my father took before he was called up.
I picked up the photo with a feeling of reluctance.
There was a slight image of what appeared to be a Japanese flag.
I was able to confirm two letters. If you compare it with the Japanese flag that was displayed in an American museum...
The handwriting matched. In addition, Rikuda's surname on the Japanese flag was written as "Mutsuda". It was the same until the error of the kanji of the surname.
The first testimony of my father's life
The museum discussed the response and announced in July 2023 that the flag would be returned to the bereaved families.
"In every country, families send their loved ones to war and the grief of losing them is the same, and when I heard that the families of Japan wanted to return them, I was convinced that this flag was not ours and should be returned to the family where it should be."
Then, the director of the museum came to Japan.
I met with Toshihiro and three siblings in Tokyo and handed them the Japanese flag of my father, Shigeyoshi.
"Father" returned for the first time in 80 years.
Toshihiro received the flag with both hands and gently placed it on his palm to look at it. My sister and brother were also clasping their faces and quietly enjoying the joy of being reunited with my father.
Toshihiro Rikuda:
"It's like holding my father, and I think it's really a miracle that this kind of thing can really happen, but I'm happy or filled with that feeling."
And the person who "brought back" the Japanese flag was my mother, who was waiting for my father's return more than anyone else.
Mr
. Toshihiro Rikuda: "I unfolded the Japanese flag in front of the altar and first said to my mother, 'Your father's Japanese flag has returned.' I felt the weight again. It was amazing to meet my father for the first time. I didn't expect this to happen, and thanks to my mother, my three siblings were able to live a long life, and I was grateful for this opportunity."
High barriers to return
In fact, the reason behind the return of the Japanese flag this time was various coincidences and the hardships of many people who crossed the border.
Initially, the flag was displayed in an American museum as a flag that the commandos wrote before the sortie.
An American who happened to see it took a picture and sent it to an acquaintance who was familiar with the special attack, thinking that he might be able to understand the detailed background, and the acquaintance realized that it was apparently a gift to one soldier, not a letter written by a special attack crew, and contacted a Japan acquaintance to find his family.
As consultations were passed down one after another, it was discovered that part of the flag had been stamped with the red seal of a shrine in Gifu Prefecture, and in the end, seven people from Japan and the United States connected the susuki to reach Toshihiro and his bereaved family.
The next thing that awaited was the difficulty of negotiating the return.
Toshihiro and his family, who were struggling to know how to negotiate with an American museum, learned on the Internet that there is an NPO in Oregon in the United States that is working to return the remains of the war dead to the bereaved families.
So I sent him an email asking for help, and he took on the role of negotiator.
This NPO "OBON SOCIETY" has been supporting the return of the flag to Japan free of charge in response to requests from the bereaved families of former American soldiers who usually owned the flag to the Japan bereaved family Japan. It was the first time in 14 years of activity that he received the request.
Therefore, I repeatedly explained to the museum staff and director how precious the flag is to the bereaved family and how much Toshihiro and his family are eagerly awaiting the return of the Father's Japanese flag, and it took about three months to realize the return.
Keiko Zeke, co-founder of the NPO OBON Society,
said, "Each of the war dead had a family, and the return of the Japanese flag, which is a living testimony of the war dead, has the same meaning and value for the bereaved families who did not return their remains, belongings, or anything. On the other hand, there is a shortage of funds and staff for us to carry out our activities, and the "wall of personal information protection" is the biggest hurdle. I sincerely hope that there will be support from the government, and I believe that the government should intensively implement the return of the Japanese flag as its responsibility."
According to the NPO, the families of former U.S. soldiers have entrusted them with more than 2000,10 Japanese flags to be returned to Japan. It is estimated that there are <>,<> Japanese flags in existence in the world, and we also accept consultations on the return of the flags on our website.
Take action as soon as possible
This time, I witnessed the scene where the Japanese flag returned to the family for the first time in 80 years.
I was moved to see Toshihiro and the others with tears in their eyes, and I was heartbroken, thinking, "How happy I would have been if the Japanese flag had been returned while my mother, Masae, was alive."
There is no more time left for the bereaved family. That is why I feel that it is necessary to take concrete measures to reunite with my family who are waiting for their return as soon as possible.
Good morning Japan Reporter
Hiromi
Honda joined the bureau in 2009 After working in the Okayama Bureau and Social Affairs Department, he continues to cover war-related matters, such as collecting the remains of the war dead to which he currently belongs
.