Memories of World War II in Japan

Erika Worley, Lauren Steinke, & Noriko Sugimori

➢ Dr. Sugimori’s language interview project

➢ A trend amongst the Japanese-speaking interviewees

➢ The new interview project

➢ Getting students involved

An Introduction

Dr. Noriko Sugimori

➢ The interviews focus on the war in Japan, although participants are sometimes from outside Japan

➢ Each interview is filmed, then translated for English-speaking audiences

The Interview Project

An interviewee posing with research assistant Erika Worley in Kalamazoo, MI

➢ Dr. Midori Yoshii,professor of International Studies at Albion College

➢ “An International History of Modern Japan”

➢ Adding history to the project

Outside Connections

Dr. Midori Yoshii with both classes, including research assistants Erika Worley and Lauren Steinke

➢ Online communication

➢ Sakura Sushi & Grill,Battle Creek, MI

➢ What everyone learned about the research process and WWII

Student Discussion

Iba Haruko

➢ Training to be a nurse

➢ Dormitory life during the war

➢ Starving and stealing food

Kasuyo Hideo

➢ Japan’s colonies, part of Japan

➢ Japanese workers

➢ Postwar consequences

Interviewees

➢ An increasingly globalized world

➢ A small remaining window of opportunity

➢ A necessary perspective as WWII fades into the past

➢ Precious human experiences

➢ The young history recorders of today will become the history makers of tomorrow

Why is it important?

Thank you all for coming!