Tour Guide: 日本へようこそ。Welcome to Japan. I hope you enjoyed your flight and that the meals were delectable! My name is Akiko and I will be your tour guide for your Japan History Timeshare Tour. We will now board the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped. Getting there will take about 4 hours, so while we are waiting, let me give you a brief historical background of the country you have just arrived in. In the early 18^th century, Japan was still an isolated country and had barely any connection to the outside world. The ruler was the Tokugawa Shogun, the governor of the Shogunate, a military government. In 1853, this system changed and the Shogunate had collapsed making the emperor the ruler of Japan. Who knows what happened that made this change? 

Jodie: Commodore Perry and his black ships arrived in Japan. They came to try to force open the barriers of Edo bay.  This was one of the factors that initiated change in the Japanese society.  After many years, feudalism was abolished and the Meiji Emperor took over the government. 

Tour Guide: Correct! Couldn’t have explained it any better myself. Then, in 1889, the first Japanese Constitution was created. This constitution included superiority of the Emperor; he had the most power in the Empire and all matters were to be discussed and decided by him. Also, because of this constitution, Japan’s military involvement had increased giving Japan the freedom to enter any war. This constitution was kept all the way until the Showa Emperor’s time, which was during WWII. Japan took advantage of their constitution when making their decision to go to war.  Of course, all of you know about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, but does anyone know why the U.S. army decided to target it at those two places?

Daniel: Hiroshima and Nagasaki were major military bases and most of their weapons were made there. Also there were a lot of factories around that area and obviously, if you were trying to get the opponent country’s weak point, you’d aim for the big cities.

Tour Guide: That’s correct. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so powerful that Japan had to surrender. Do any of you know what kind of bombs they were?

George: They were atom bombs! They were the first nuclear weapons EVER made and Japan was kind-of like the tester for it. I know that the one dropped on Hiroshima was called Little Boy, but the bomb itself was larger than a grown man! It’s good that nobody’s used it after that.

Tour Guide: Yes it is. Now, after Japan surrendered, General Douglas McArthur came to Japan, along with 24 other westerners led by Charles Lois, to review the constitution at a "constitutional assembly". It took only five days for the reforming to be complete. The new version of the constitution was created based on these three main points: 1) sovereignty of the people, 2) respect for the fundamental human rights, 3) pacifism. Because of these new changes and editing of the constitution, four major effects occurred. Can anybody guess?

Ashley: I’m guessing one of them is that the people now had the privilege to make decisions. Another is that emperor lost most of his power because now, the citizens were given more choices, power and rights. Choices meaning events like elections where the people were allowed to decide.

Tour Guide: Yes, you have some of them down. You are right about the majority of power now lying with the citizens. Before this new constitution was created, the emperor made all the decisions and he was the leader of the country. Now, the power was given to the citizens and choices were to be made as a group. You were also correct about the emperor losing all effective governmental powers. The third was that the three powers: legislature, executive and judiciary were divided. The last was that, now, initiating war or acts of aggression was strictly prohibited. Article 9 in the new constitution strongly stated this, and it surprised many Japanese people. The article stated, "Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. In order to establish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized." This was the one important constitution, which built a border between Japan and military forces (war). With this article, Japan was no longer allowed to be physically involved in a war, although supporting another country by sending soldiers was acceptable.

Amy: So the new constitution is a lot better than the old one peace-wise. I mean, if there’s less military involvement and they’re preventing war as much as possible, it’s really helping the country to keep things peaceful. Also if you think about it, it’s also really democratic because now, the majority of the power goes to the people. If the majority of the citizens are noble and nonviolent, it could even lead to peace throughout the country.

Tour Guide: Exactly. Oh look! We’ve just arrived to Hiroshima. We will continue this once we arrive at our tour sites. Everyone, don’t forget your baggage and please make sure you’ve left nothing behind.

The A-bomb dome in Hiroshima.

George: What happened to that building?

Tour Guide: This is the A- Bomb Dome. This building was formerly the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion building before the bomb was dropped. This was the only building that still stood after the bombing.  

Ashley: But why is it still standing like this? Shouldn’t it have fallen apart like the rest of the city?  

Tour Guide: That’s because the bomb was dropped so close above this building that it received a full blast down-wards, while the other buildings around the bomb were blow away sideways, which is easier to collapse. You see that bridge over there on your left? That bridge is called the T-Bridge because it’s shaped like a T. The bomb was aimed for the T-bridge, but the bomb was dropped ovr a hospital a few hundred meters away on the other side of the A-Bomb Dome. Since this dome was so close the force was practically vertical.

Jodie: Wow, you can hardly believe that this place was ever blown out before. It’s almost as modern as Tokyo!  

Tour Guide: A lot of years have passed after the war, and a lot of people have changed, too. Many people think that it’s because of the war that Hiroshima is now such a peaceful place. After people had seen the effect that the atom bomb had left on the lands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they decided that they no longer wanted that weapon to be used in any more wars. Because of this decision, many believed that people were finally understanding the meaning of peace. By discarding all of our dangerous weapons, hopefully, from now on, we will be able to negotiate problems without violence. 

Now let’s head on to the Peace Museum. We’re now going meet one of the survivors who actually experienced the moment of the bombing.

Amy: You mean, there were actually survivors after the bomb was dropped?

Tour Guide: Yes, meet Mrs. Miyoko Matsubara.

Mrs. Matsubara: Hello, everyone. My name is Miyoko Matsubara. I am one of the very few survivors of the Hiroshima bombing. I was 12 years old, the same age as most of you here, when it happened. Even now, I can see the exact scene where everything was deserted… gone…

Tour Guide: Mrs. Matsubara has an unbelievable SURVIVAL STORY. (Click on the hyperlink to go back to 8:15 am, August 6^th, 1945. Please visit this site before continuing with the tour.) She has seen the effects and scars that the atom bomb left on Hiroshima and lived through the prejudices against her. Mrs. Matsubara was kind enough to give up some of her time to answer some of our questions. Who would like to start first?

Daniel: Okay, I will. Are you mad at the U.S. for dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima?

Mrs. Matsubara: What I suffered most was the fact that I couldn't get married or get an occupation because of my disabilities from the radiation from the bomb. Yet, after the war, I was able to meet many wonderful American people who influenced me greatly. I learned that no matter how long I hold a grudge against the Americans, it's not going to change anything and nothing will get better. Yet, the one fact that still irritates me is that nuclear weapons still exist and war is still present. I try my best to contribute to the anti-war movement so that people will no longer need to face the terrors that I faced.

George: Do you think that the bombing of Hiroshima helped peace in any way?

Mrs. Matsubara: I believe that even after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, human beings are still not learning. Presently, there are over 30 thousand nuclear weapons ready to be launched for the impending war. By doing this, humans are leading themselves to their own death. Yet, in the past history, nuclear weapons were not used in the Korean or Vietnam war. We should continue preventing the use of them. During the civil war, citizens of Japan were constantly informed that, "The democracy in Germany and Japan was successful." Yet, so many people had died during this war, that success wasn't the right word to describe it. Really, Japan had already been losing the war, and the citizens were being falsely informed. Even without the bomb having to be dropped on Hiroshima, Japan was already losing. The bomb was just to stop Japan from any further aggression. The horrors of the bombing are still left in my memory, today.

Ashley: Over the years, what kinds of achievements have you made with your lectures and nation-wide talks?

Mrs. Matsubara: Many people sent me letters or videos saying how they would try their best to achieve and maintain peace. Just a few days ago, 5 middle school students came to state their opinions about war. Presently, our world is in a state where war can begin any time. These five students said how, in the minimal amount of time they had as students, they would somehow try their very best to prevent the war from happening. Although this is just one of the many examples, I am certain that all these great efforts will someday lead to success.

Tour Guide: Great questions. Anymore? 

Jodie: Yes, I have one. What do you suggest us, children, to do to support future world peace?

Mrs. Matsubara: I think that the best way is to have more children like you, who fight against war and for peace. Only a percentage of the population are people who agree to war. If you spot people like these around you, remember never to let them take control. If such people appear in an election, do not vote for them.

Daniel: That's amazing. After all you've had to face, you still try your best to bring peace throughout the world! I don't think I could ever be as courageous and indomitable as you. If I had faced rough times during war, I think all I could do is hide the rest of my life.

Amy: Well, maybe it's because she's faced so much that she's so strong now. Of course there was a time in her life when she was full of despair; that's what war does. But now, she's strong because she knows that she's the only one who can change the way things are. She can tell people her stories and move them emotionally, and tell them what to do, and what not to do to bring peace throughout the world.  Just like what she's doing for us right now!

Tour Guide: Look, it's already working. See, this is how peace begins. In the darkness, it starts small, but it grows as the light is being passed down from person to person. Mrs. Matsubara is like the small light, but that light is passed down to others like you and soon, you will be the ones to keep the chain going. Now, I believe it's time for us to catch our train back to the airport. Mrs. Matsubara, we thank you for your time and excellent story. I'm sure that all of us will tell everyone about your story when we get back. It's been wonderful meeting you.

Mrs. Matsubara: And I'd like to thank you for listening to my story. I'm overwhelmed to know that there are so many children willing to bring peace throughout the world. Have a great trip back home. Goodbye.