"Last Alumni Reunion" Youth and Okinawa Battle Reported More Than 60 Years Former Female Students Are Now November 11 30:11

The Battle of Okinawa 4 years ago saw one in four Okinawans lose their lives.

At a girls' school in Naha City, which was closed as a result, some of the students were mobilized for the war as students and sacrificed.

The alumni association, which has been sharing memories of youth and commemorating alumni who died on the battlefield, has recently brought the curtain down on more than 1 years of activities.

Former female students in their 78s who gathered at the last reunion were growing anxious about the constant conflict in the world.
(Okinawa Broadcasting Station reporter Mutsumi Nishimei)

An alumni reunion where all members are in their 90s

The Second Prefectural High School for Girls was closed during the Battle of Okinawa 78 years ago.

Before the war, it was called "Nikojo".

Some of the students were mobilized to care for wounded soldiers as the "Shiraume Student Corps" during the Battle of Okinawa, and 22 lost their lives.

After the war, he formed the "White Plum Alumni Association", which took its name from the white plum on the school emblem.

Alumni have continued to interact with each other, and former students have told stories of their own harsh experiences and fellow students who have been victimized.

On November 11, the alumni association closed the curtain on 12 years of activity.

At the hotel in Naha City, where the
last reunion was held, 90 alumni in their 20s, including former students, their seniors and juniors, and their families, all sang the school song of "Nikojo".

In the meantime, the alumni had a carefree look on their faces, reminiscent of teenagers singing about school life.

Lost Alma Mater, Stolen Youth

Yutaka Takemura (94),
a former student, said, "There are girls' schools here and there, but Nitaka Girls' School is located in the middle of Naha City, and it is very elegant, and music is always playing from the auditorium when you pass by it.

On October 19, 1944, during the Pacific War, more than 10,10 people were killed or injured in various parts of Okinawa Prefecture by the American army, and 1400% of the city of Naha was scorched earth.

In the "9/10 Air Raid", the school building of "Nikojo", which the students were proud of for its modern structure with white walls, was burned down.

The last reunion was attended by Ms. Yoshika Isozaki, who is working to pass on the thoughts of female students who were deprived of their school life by the air raids.

Ms. Isozaki works as an art teacher at a junior high school in the prefecture and works as a picture book writer, turning the war experiences of "Niko Girls" into picture books.

Ms. Isozaki, who has heard stories from female students at the site of the former school building, says that the sadness of losing a place to learn was more than she could have imagined.

Mr. Yoshiyoshi Isozaki
: "When I listen to the stories, I think the sense of loss was tremendous, as if they were all erased in the 10/10 Air Raid. The people of 'Nikojo' feel that the war started on October 10th."

After the 10/10 Air Raid, the female students were evacuated to the northern part of the main island of Okinawa and mobilized for the Battle of Okinawa as the "Shiraume Student Corps".

And the war took not only a place to learn, but also the lives of our comrades.

Passing the baton of memory while you are still alive

The first alumni reunion was held in Showa 1 (35).

And the last reunion was held for the first time in four years after the Corona disaster.

The person who called out was the oldest, 1960-year-old Kimiko Oshiro.

They seemed to be overflowing with the desire to pass the baton of memories of the "two high girls" directly to the next generation while they were still healthy.

Kimiko Oshiro (97)
said, "There may be many people who have lost their physical freedom, but I am really happy and thrilled that you were able to attend here despite all difficulties. It was an honor to attend the first and end of the reunion. Even after the meeting is over, the bond between the two high women will continue forever."

The meetings of the Shiraume Alumni Association have lasted for 63 years until this day, and it is said that there were more than 100 participants at the time.

With the number of participants decreasing due to the aging of the population, Kiku Nakayama, who served as the alumni president for many years, passed away in January at the age of 1.

Mr. Nakayama was a symbol of storytellers who had energetically passed on the harsh experiences of being mobilized as a member of the "Shiraume Student Corps" both inside and outside the prefecture.

Mr. Nakayama was a lecturer until a few months before his death.

After he started using a cane, he said, "I have three legs."

Some alumni are in wheelchairs, canes, and have difficulty moving around without a family member.

"I'm half happy, half lonely,"

one of the participants said of the last class reunion.

Heart-wrenching war survivors

Before his death, the storyteller Nakayama said, "My youth was a war."

We asked the alumni who have been tossed around by the war how the current situation in Israel and Palestine and Russia's invasion of Ukraine are reflected.

Experience the Battle of Okinawa Kazuko Yamada (95)
"At first, I was not afraid of the roar of naval gunfire because I was instilled with the idea that the war was for the sake of the country, but as the American attack continued, I was surprised to see American ships and tanks and felt that Japan was not an opponent that could compete with them. Japan is no longer good. If you look at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it looks like self-interest. I am happiest when there is no war."

Kazuko Inada (94),
evacuated to Kumamoto Prefecture, said, "It is painful to see children running away or crying in the arms of their parents on TV. War is absolutely unacceptable."

Yuriko Okuma (94), who experienced the Battle of Okinawa,
said, "I feel that the world is getting worse as we move away from peace. Why can't we solve it through discussion?"

Yutaka Takemura (94), the only former student among the alumni, has worked with Nakayama to tell children in and outside the prefecture about the tragedy and cruelty of the ground war.

Knowing the magnitude of what was lost in the war, Mr. Takemura was deeply saddened by the world situation in which children were being deprived of their peaceful lives.

Yutaka Takemura (94),
a former student, said, "I have a scar on my left knee from the Battle of Okinawa. Through this experience, I feel that war is useless and that it will not benefit anything. Looking at the current situation, it's already scary. I hope my children grow up well."

Responsible for the inheritance of memories

The alumni association was also a valuable opportunity to connect alumni with the younger generation.

On this day, the children and grandchildren of the alumni, as well as members of the Wakaumekai, who have been passing on the war experiences of the "Niko Girls," were in attendance.

The members of the Wakaume Association usually have their own jobs and live busy lives, but they also go to schools to tell the stories of the "Shiraume Student Corps" and to clean and repair the memorial tower.

The members are trying to find ways to organize and archive the memoirs and diaries of former students so that they can be seen by many people.

As the environment in which memories are passed down becomes more and more severe, I feel that there is a growing sense of pride and determination that we are the last generation to be able to hear firsthand about our war experiences.

Feelings of peace that I felt firsthand

The last reunion was attended by 90 people in their 20s, accompanied by their families.

I feel that the driving force behind this is the strong bond with my friends who have shared the hardships and joys with me, and my strong desire to make them aware of the meaninglessness of war that I have experienced firsthand.

For more than 60 years, alumni have been appealing for the Battle of Okinawa and peace through the alumni association.

I've only been covering half of that time, but the current situation has made me feel uneasy.

This time, I interviewed former female students in their 90s, and I was able to renew my determination that there is still something that can be done and must be done.
(Broadcast on "News 11" on November 12)

Okinawa Broadcasting Station Reporter
Mutsumi Nishimei (from Naha City)Joined
the station in 1992 and continues to cover Okinawa such as the Battle of Okinawa and the
base issue