Japan was unchanging. But the world was changed beyond recognition.
It was around 23:40 on March 9, Reiwa Year X. A massive communications failure struck Japan, cutting off all communication with the rest of the world. While everyone was plunged int...
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I have prepared a map of Saipan Island at the time of the landing operation. I hope you will find it useful.
- Kujaku Aoi
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Kyoto: Uji University
Make historical psychology useful for the nation. Associate Professor Hashimoto, who was given such a mission, was suddenly thrown a supernumerary challenge. She was told that the Marines of this era stationed on Saipan had made a mess and doomed the establishment of communication. As soon as she heard the general circumstances, she felt a shock like a blow to the head with a blunt instrument. She was quickly asked to present her views on the United States during World War II, even if she had to put off dealing with the soldiers and Japanese overseas who were doomed to face the annihilation of the homeland they had come to know.
"In conclusion, we may have been very naïve in our perception of the American people during this period."
In an extraordinary videoconference with the National Security Bureau, Hashimoto stated.
"In my opinion only, the American society of this period was in a kind of lunacy. It was a state of mind so alien to modern people that it was ignored by them, although they were aware of it as knowledge. I believe this is what led to this tragedy."
"Thank you, Associate Professor Hashimoto."
On the other end of the videoconference, the small and seemingly mild-mannered chairperson thanked her. He is a man named Ohashi, the director of the National Security Bureau.
"I would like to ask you more about the kind of lunacy you have pointed out. For example, would it be correct to compare the public reaction to the mistaken bombing of civilians in the course of the Iraq War with that of the strategic bombing during the Second World War?"
"Yes, that is correct," Hashimoto nodded.
The other person is quite quick to understand. Hashimoto then continued her explanation, using the example of the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a young girl fleeing from a napalm attack in the Vietnam War. The same scene could have been found anywhere in Tokyo or Osaka, but no one paid attention to it. And just a little over a week ago, the exact same air raid was repeated in Tokyo.
"I would also like to point out that from time to time, families of former Marines return the remains of Japanese soldiers to us. It would seem that it goes saying why these remains were in their houses."
"Hmm..."
Yamashina, the first person to contact her, groaned.
"In other words, because it was a past they wanted to forget, they really had forgotten about that era?"
"No, I think they didn't even remember it properly from the beginning."
