Editorial: Japan gov’t focus on war trauma welcome, but greater efforts needed

War destroys people’s souls. We’d like to see opportunities to confront these deep wounds which have been neglected until now.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is launching a survey of war trauma, or war-linked post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among former Imperial Japanese military servicemen in conflicts such as the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific Theater of World War II. This will be the first independent collection and analysis of such resources.

Curators at the Shokei-kan museum in Tokyo, which holds archives of sick and wounded servicemen, will collect medical records from former army and navy hospitals and organize examples from previous studies. The exhibit is scheduled to open next year, marking 80 years since the end of WWII.

On battlefields, servicemen wallow in extreme conditions where they face fear and despair. It was known since around the time of World War I that this leads to the development of PTSD-like symptoms. In the United States, cases of suicide and substance abuse by returned servicemen of the Vietnam War became a major social issue.

Data indicates that just between 1942 and 1945, around 660,000 military personnel in Japan developed mental illnesses. This was called “war neurosis” among other things, and there were even specialized treatment facilities run by the Imperial Japanese Army.

However, around WWII’s end, treatment records and other things were systematically destroyed or covered up. Few people were recognized as war wounded. It was additionally considered shameful to admit to symptoms, so many of those affected felt they could not raise their voices, and an investigation into the facts was not progressed.

What began to shine light on the issue was the generation that were raised by WWII conscripts, who began to speak out about their fathers’ mental states as the latter have aged and perished. Six years ago, a group of such families was formed. Their testimony has painted a picture of how the wounds of war manifested in ways such as domestic violence and helplessness, altering the lives of those around them.

Based on interviews conducted by psychiatrists in the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa, “delayed onset PTSD” among those who experienced war at a young age is now becoming known. It involves the occurrence of flashbacks of painful memories decades after the fact.

It may have taken many years, but it is very meaningful that the national government has turned its attention to the issue of war trauma. However, merely studying records from the time has its limits. A closer look at the spread of the damage and the impact it has had on society is needed through support for private initiatives, interviews with family members and other means.

The ruthlessness of war transcends generations, eroding families and societies. Each and every citizen bearing this in mind will become a force to prevent war.