Sakura & Pearls: Healing from World War II
Sakura and Pearls: Healing from World War II
Special | 56m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Japanese Survivors of the Atomic Bomb meet American Survivors of Pearl Harbor.
Japanese Survivors of the Atomic Bomb meet American Survivors of Pearl Harbor. This exchange between former enemies is meant to spark dialogue among about how we can resolve conflict without repeating the painful experiences of our ancestors.
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Sakura & Pearls: Healing from World War II is a local public television program presented by NMPBS
Sakura & Pearls: Healing from World War II
Sakura and Pearls: Healing from World War II
Special | 56m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Japanese Survivors of the Atomic Bomb meet American Survivors of Pearl Harbor. This exchange between former enemies is meant to spark dialogue among about how we can resolve conflict without repeating the painful experiences of our ancestors.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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(BELL TOLLING) >>Narrator: A peace bell rings in the distance in Hiroshima, it can be rung by anyone, at any time, as a wish for world peace.
Somehow the atomic dome survived the devastating blast of the first atomic bomb used in World War II.
It's a reminder that this modern city was once a landscape of ash and rubble.
As the cherry blossoms bloom, the city of Hiroshima appears to be reborn.
Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossoms.
The Sakura have become a symbol of that rebirth.
(BELLS TOLLING) In 2016, Premier Abe-san of Japan and U.S. President Obama, clasped hands in friendship in Hiroshima.
Both sitting leaders paid their respects to those who perished from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
>>Narrator: They would meet again at Pearl Harbor to honor the fallen Americans.
But it wasn't this photo of Premier Abe-san shaking President Obama's hand that made the front page of international newspapers.
It was this moment of President Obama hugging a crying atomic bomb survivor that graced the cover of nearly every major newspaper worldwide.
>>Obama: A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself.
>>Narrator: Mori-san's interview inspired the seminal question: "Can Americans and the Japanese forgive each other for the attacks of World War II?"
>>Narrator: To answer this question, survivors of both the Atomic Bombs and the Pearl Harbor Attack must share their stories.
A second memorial service took place later in 2016, this time, at the U.S.S.
Arizona Memorial.
>>Male newscaster: From enemies to allies, President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent the world a strong message today with their historic visit to Pearl Harbor, 75 years after the Japanese bombing.
>>Female newscaster: 75 years after the surprise attack, Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the USS Arizona Memorial.
With the President by his side, the men place wreaths in front of the names of those whose lives were lost.
They then took a boat to shore where an audience of dignitaries, military service members, and World War II survivors waited.
Abe spoke first, vowing never to repeat the horror of wars again.
>>Shinzo Abe: This is the solemn vow, we, the people of Japan have taken.
>>Female newscaster: To which Obama responded.
>>Obama: Prime Minister Abe, I welcome you here in the spirit of friendship as the people of Japan have always welcomed me.
I hope that together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war.
>>Alfred Rodriguez: It was a reconciliation thing.
It was very nice.
It was very appropriate.
>>Sterling Cale: Today is a good day.
We get rid of all these things, maybe a lot of the hate we've had for 75 years.
>>Female newscaster: Veteran Kenji Ego was part of the 442nd regimental combat team that the President said was one of the most decorated military units in U.S. history.
>>Kenji Ego: I think this will be remembered for a long, long time, for generations to come.
>>Narrator: Maya Soetoro-Ng witnessed Premier Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor.
>>Maya Soetoro-Ng: I had a very powerful experience of sitting behind a lot of soldiers, as well as some Hibakusha, who had suffered through the war and who had struggled to find personal peace.
After the war, they were visibly moved and were listening to Abe's words, not simply as a message to them, but also, they understood, I believe, the import, of having Prime Minister Abe come here after Obama's visit to Japan.
Seeing that, this exchange, and these words of commitment might uphold a higher standard when it comes to building shared responsibility and communicating to the next generation our deep desires for peace.
>>Jacqueline Gilmore Utkin: I'm Jacqueline Gilmore Utkin, and I was drawn back to Hawaii to honor my father and his story and his life.
So, he was a patriot.
I'm a patriot, but I'm a patriot with a heart because I know, I know that there will always be from every race and culture, there will be the good, the bad, and the ugly.
This was the day before Pearl Harbor was bombed.
He was upstairs.
He was like shaving, getting ready for a date.
He had a girlfriend in Kahuku.
He had a motorcycle; he was going to go see her and I'll never forget he told me they were playing "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire".
And he started hearing firing and bombing, and he thought it was the Marines practicing, but it wasn't.
The Zeros (Japanese airplanes) started flying in and bombing that close, close enough that you could see their faces.
They were wearing the aviator caps and they had headbands with the rising sun.
You know, he realized they were being attacked.
And he, and his best friend from Montgomery, Alabama ran to the armory with some guys and they had a hatchet and they broke in and everybody got firearms and they just had pea shooters, but they were shooting.
I mean, they were trying to defend, but it was mass chaos.
Until you go and see the bullet holes, you have no idea.
They saw so much gunfire.
They saw so much horror firsthand, that it, it totally, totally changed them.
They hated the Japanese.
They hated with every fiber of their being.
And he was tortured by this, his entire life.
The year he died, he still had shrapnel coming out of his body.
>>Narrator: Every human being has fear.
We all can hate.
But once we realize that hate, holding onto it becomes a choice.
When we harbor hate it occupies the peaceful space inside of us.
If we never talk to the people connected to our pain, then fear, hate, and grief become our burdens.
How do we release those burdens?
How do we forgive?
On April 28th, 2019, 2 Pearl Harbor Survivors met 2 Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center in Hawaii.
>>G.K. Hunter: I'm so glad that we have our guests here.
Masahiro Sasaki-san is from Hiroshima originally.
He now lives in Fukuoka.
We also have Koko Kondo-san who is originally from Hiroshima as well.
She now lives by Kobe.
We also have Everett Highland who has been a volunteer here at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center for the past 25 years.
And we have Jimmy Lee, who is a child witness of the Pearl Harbor attack.
So the pua kenikeni lei is used a lot for celebration.
And this is a meeting worth celebrating because it takes a lot of courage to come here and sit with each other.
I want you to share what you feel like the future generations need to know, because you guys have certain experiences that we don't have.
The future generations are They need your advice.
>>Narrator: Masahiro Sasaki-san is the older brother to Sadako Sasaki.
Sadako's story is taught to many school children in Japan.
>>Hiromi Peterson: I'm Hiromi Peterson originally, from Hiroshima.
And I taught, at Punahou School for 30 years.
All my family members were in Hiroshima at that time, except So, they are hibakusha that's a bomb survivors.
My oldest sister died at the same hospital as Sadako died with the leukemia.
is a representative of all the children who were living in Hiroshima at that moment.
Sadako's story may happen at any time at any place, right now, because so many countries have so many nuclear weapons.
My mother always told me that I just cannot forget about the scene she saw at that time.
You know, so many people lost their skin.
And also, the eyeballs, hanging eyeballs falling from the socket because of the, you know, the heat.
>>Narrator: Sasaki-San made it his mission to bring Sadako's peace crane to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
Back at the meeting, Jimmy Lee tells us about the day he survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.
>>Jimmy Lee: Well, I was born and raised on a farm you know out near Pearl City area.
And my job, even though as an 11-year-old kid at that time was to feed the animals, to feed the pigs.
And mind you on that Sunday morning, I was feeding the pigs.
And suddenly overhead wow, right at tree top level, and the planes came down, I could see, I could hear the machine gun fire, the gunfire, the explosion, and the roar of the plane.
Looking up, wow, the red circle.
And I could even see the pilot.
Where I sat on the other side of the Island, I didn't know what ships they were but here come the dive bombers, then the explosions and fire.
I picture myself going out on the Pearl Harbor tour boat.
And you know, right by this bridge over here, there was a battleship.
Of course, I didn't know what it was.
That was the USS Nevada, I found out a lot later.
It was being bombarded, burning and smoking, been bombarded right out in front of me, about half a mile from my home.
But at that time there were a lot of ships out there, but I see the names.
The harbor is empty now, but I can picture the ships still burning and smoking in my mind.
Hey, we come to the Missouri.
I look at the Missouri, Hey, that's a battleship.
You know, if you take a look at a battleship, you know that's what it looks like.
But I never saw battleship like that.
I saw battleship upside down, bottoms up, not too many people see them like that.
I didn't know at that time, but that was the USS Oklahoma, you know, out there, overturned.
But that's when I first saw a battleship.
And when I looked at the USS Missouri, I said, that's exactly where the USS Oklahoma used to be.
And then, when that boat turns around, I look up in the sky over on the Hickman Field side.
And I see torpedo planes, all coming in, dropping their You know, some of them hitting their targets and everything As we move back up towards the USS Arizona.
And, I look at the USS Arizona, and I said, wow, I heard the explosion.
I saw all the flames.
But when I look today, I don't see the monument (USS Arizona).
You know what I see?
I see small boats going round and round.
I thought they were picking up debris.
But what were they doing, plucking up dead bodies and survivors from the burning oil.
Man, that's an awful site to see.
I don't see the monument.
I see what I remember.
And then finally, it was over and when we came back home and there was nothing but smoke and fire.
>>Narrator: By 9:45 AM, the attack on Pearl Harbor was over.
The attack lasted one hour and 50 minutes before the Japanese retreated.
The lives of many American and Japanese children would be impacted by the momentous attacks of World War II.
Back in Hiroshima an infant and her mother climbed out of the rubble after the first atomic bomb was dropped.
Somehow, Koko Kondo-san lived to tell her story.
>>Koko Kondo-san: I was only an eight months old baby when the bomb was dropped.
I was able to live through it, but I never asked my parents how I survived.
Because if I asked, they have to recall the most difficult day of their lives.
And as a child, I don't want them to be sad.
When I was 40, finally, my mother told me.
And, then suddenly the whole house crashed.
My mother was unconscious.
And that consciousness goes in and out.
But according to her, she thought she heard a baby's "Oh, somebody's baby crying", she thought.
Then by the second or third time that her consciousness had come back, she realized that she was holding a baby.
And she was so weak because my mother was on top of Koko when the house crashed.
Of course, she's a minister's wife.
First, she asked God, "God, please help us.
But I don't care about my life, but please, please, God help this baby, my baby."
Then after the prayer, she started asking for help.
"Somebody Please help us.
Koko Tanimoto is here."
No one came.
Then she knew she had to do something.
Otherwise, Koko was going to die and there was small light coming through the, you know, the rubble.
She knew she had to, you know, make a little hole.
So, she was holding me in one hand and she made a little hole.
She put me out first.
Then she got out from there.
She saw that the environment was completely different.
Already, the fire was already coming to the house.
So, we are lucky, the two of us were able to get out.
So little Koko thought someday when I am grown up; I am going to find the person who owned the B-29 Enola Gay.
As a child.
I thought they're the bad ones, I'm the good one.
So someday I'll grow up and I'm going to find out who they were and I'm going to get revenge.
I'm going to give them a punch, a bite or a kick.
That's what I wanted to do, but I don't want my parents to find out what I was thinking.
If they have found out, probably they will bring the Bible.
And they're going to say, Koko, look at that.
You know, that's not good thinking.
They're going to go through the whole thing and I don't want that.
So, I said, "Oh, I don't want them to know.
I'm going to put my feelings deep inside."
>>Narrator: If baby Koko hadn't been in her mother's arms when the atomic bomb exploded, she could have been buried in her crib.
Seaman, Everett Hyland, was another unlikely survivor during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
>>Everett Hyland: On 7, December, 1941, I was a seaman onboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania, which was flagship of the fleet.
I had been with the military over a year and I was then 18 years old.
I am one of 710 Navy personnel listed as wounded on 7, December.
I was hospitalized for nine months and then returned to sea.
And then we had general quarters, which means battle stations, sound over the PA system.
So, we got into line with the group that was running ammo to a three inch 50, which is a small anti-aircraft gun.
There were five, five high altitudes (planes), and we were firing at those.
They released all at the same time, all five, released their bomb.
The one that hit us, it killed the fellows with me, Harold Comstock, Clarence Hoss, Joe Mahofski, Jim Owens, Joe Pace - all got killed.
Some officer spotted me.
I could hear him say, "Get that man to sick bay."
Twice I've had physicians come up to me when they had heard me speak in the Pearl Harbor theater.
And they told me they were doctors and they were curious about what kind of injuries I had to put me in the hospital for nine months.
I tell them I had my right ankle ripped open.
I had a piece of bone out of the right leg.
I had a bullet through the right thigh.
My right hand was ripped open.
I had five pieces of shrapnel on the left leg and a large piece taken out of my left thigh.
I lost part of my left elbow and part of my left bicep.
And both of them said, "You should be dead."
Well, almost.
>>Narrator: Each time Everett shared about his survival on the USS Pennsylvania.
He always mentioned the five men who didn't survive the torpedo blast.
He wanted to be sure that they were remembered.
Even at 96 years old, he was still telling his story.
This is how he ensured that the names of the fallen would be >>Jimmy Lee: I', with the education committee and team here, I go to all these schools and we'd talk to school kids.
And every single one of them, I tell them these stories.
And you know, these kids from Hiroshima, first thing they come by and say, "Why do you want to talk about war?
You know, why don't you talk peace?"
I said, "I'm just telling you a little bit of history, what actually happened.
It's just that you are here to visit.
I'm telling you actually what happened, what I saw.
Whether it's right, wrong or indifferent, this is what I saw.
And that's what I'm trying to show you or tell you, you know?"
And so, but you know, "We don't like war."
I said, "I know."
And then they start coming out with, "Do you think the atomic bomb was right?"
You know, "You think it's wrong that you used it?"
You know, that kind of stuff.
I say, "Oh, I'm shocked."
You know, it kind of hit me by surprise, but I got to give my answers.
You know, I went to the area where they loaded the bomb, you know, the bomb pit.
Although there was no bomb, I could see the bomb, in my mind, you know, "Fat Man" (Hiroshima Atomic Bomb), then "Little Boy."
(Nagasaki Atomic Bomb) You know, seeing that, laying there and going over to Hiroshima to see what it is like.
And Nagasaki, those are very touching, you know, but it happened.
And in a way, again I said, "It happened, but it ended the war."
>>Narrator: Many of the Pearl Harbor survivors were saying the same thing.
The atomic bombs ended World War II.
When they shared this belief, it seemed to stop empathy for their former enemies.
But did this belief tell the whole story of how World War II ended?
>>Brian Hallet: I teach in the Matsunaga Institute for Peace here at the University of Hawaii.
And for the past 18 years, I've been going every summer to Hiroshima City University and lecturing on the atomic bomb myth for the students in the program.
In August of 1945 the war in Europe was over.
The Americans and the British were gearing up for the invasion of Japan.
The New York Times in August of 1945 reads as follows, "Soviet declares war on Japan; Attacks Manchuria, Tokyo says atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
And then there's a very nice graphic of the globe, which shows that Japan is now completely encircled by the allied forces.
The importance of this headline is the Soviet declaration of war and attack on Manchuria was the more important of the two events.
The atomic bombing of Nagasaki is also important, but it's actually tertiary importance.
It's the third line on the headline.
The black areas on the globe are the areas that Japan had conquered since 1941.
It shows that the Americans and the British had been moving up through the Pacific, through the Philippine islands, had taken Okinawa.
And we're now about to invade Japan proper.
During the second World War, Japan was at peace with the Soviet Union.
There was a Friendship Treaty.
The Friendship Treaty was due for renegotiation in 1945, 1946.
But on August 8th with the declaration of war from Stalin, Japan was now surrounded 360 degrees by the largest armies in the history of the world.
By the most technologically advanced armies, as of 1945.
There was no hope for the Japanese on 8 August, after the Soviets declared war.
Lieutenant General Arisue was the G2 in the army.
He was the intelligence officer.
He was the highest-level Japanese official who actually went to Hiroshima and saw Hiroshima.
He led the delegation that went down to confirm that the bomb was an atomic bomb.
He said "it was a bigger blow to me that Russia joined the war than the atomic bombing.
However, when it comes to shock, the atomic bomb created such a disastrous scene."
I believe he's saying that of the two, the greater blow, the more important, was the Soviet entry into the war.
>>Narrator: In Hiroshima, atomic bomb survivors were also asked about their beliefs that hindered forgiveness after the Atomic Bomb attacks.
Kana Miyoshi is an exchange student from Hiroshima City University, who also studied at University of Hawaii.
For a school project, Kana interviewed her grandmother, Yoshie, who survived the atomic bomb while living on the shores of Hiroshima.
>>Narrator: Kana spoke about the Cenotaph, which is the monument in the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park that honors all who perished from the atomic bomb, including members of her family.
>>Kana Miyoshi: So the Cenotaph said, [Japanese] And the meaning in English is let all the souls rest in peace for, we shall not repeat this evil.
This is very controversial, because some people think "we" only should mean the Americans who dropped the bomb and why do the Japanese people have to be included in the subject "we".
But one day my grandma told me that, she think "we" in this context is everyone on this earth.
Well, I was surprised because I somehow saw her as a victim.
It is surprising that she say so, because she, she, she lost her father and brother.
But I think is a very powerful message.
>>Koko Kondo-san: 1955, I was 10 years old.
My father brought 25 Hiroshima Maidens to the United States.
Because the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, they wanted to give them, those girls, plastic surgery.
My father left with the girls.
Next day, my mother received a phone call from the States, the TV program called, "This Is Your Life."
(HORNS BELLOW) >>Announcer: This Is Your Life.
Now.
Mr.
This Is Your Life himself, Ralph Edwards.
(APPLAUSE) >>Ralph Edwards: Sitting here with me is a gentleman whose life was changed as the hands of the clock reached the hour of 8:15 one summer morning.
Good evening, sir.
>>Kiyoshi Tanimoto: Good evening.
>>Ralph Edwards: Would you tell us your name please?
>>Kiyoshi Tanimoto: Kiyoshi Tanimoto.
>>Ralph Edwards: Tanimoto?
>>Kiyoshi Tanimoto: Yes.
>>Ralph Edwards: And your occupation, Mr. Tanimoto?
>>Kiyoshi Tanimoto: Minister, Christian minister.
>>Koko Kondo-san: So, my mother and my siblings, we came to the United States.
Before starting the show, I was able to see three persons on the other side of the stage.
One man was my father's best friend from the grad school at Emory University.
Another one, the lady was a missionary, who worked in Japan for many years.
But the third person, I never saw his pictures or, I never met him.
Curious Koko, you know, 10 years old.
I have to know everything.
So, I asked my mother who is that guy over there?
She didn't tell me right away.
>>Robert Lewis: At 0600 on the morning of August the 6th 1945, I was in a B-29, flying over the Pacific, destination Hiroshima.
>>Koko Kondo-san: But she decided Koko is 10 years old, she should know what's going on in this world.
She said, "Koko, the person over there.
His name is Captain Robert Lewis, who was the co-pilot of that Enola Gay".
I was so shocked because in my plan, I wanted to meet the people, the crew on the B-29 Enola Gay.
But it was too early, I'm only 10 years old.
So, on the stage, I couldn't do anything.
I'm not stupid to go run in the middle of the stage and give him a punch, or a kick, or, you know, a bite.
>>Ralph Edwards: Reverend Tanimoto, now you've never met him, have never seen him.
But he's here tonight to clasp your hand in friendship.
Captain Robert Lewis, United States Air Force, who, along with Paul Tibbets piloted the plane from which the first atomic power was dropped over Hiroshima.
(APPLAUSE) >>Koko Kondo-san: Looking at him, my feeling was, "I wished you never, ever dropped the bomb."
>>Ralph Edwards: Captain Lewis, come in here close and would you tell us, sir, of your experience on August 6, 1945?
>>Robert Lewis: On August the sixth, 1945, my destination was Japan.
About an hour before we had hit the coastline of Japan, we were notified that Hiroshima was clear.
Therefore, Hiroshima became my target.
Just before 8:15 AM, Tokyo time, Tom Ferebee, a very able bombardier, carefully aimed at his target, which was the second Imperial Japanese army headquarters.
8:15 promptly, the bomb was dropped.
(EXPLOSION) (LOUDER EXPLOSION) We turned fast to get out of the way of the deadly radiation and bomb effects and then the two concussion waves hit the ship.
Shortly after, we turned back to see what had happened.
And there in front of our eyes, the city of Hiroshima disappeared.
>>Ralph Edwards: Now you entered something in your log at that time.
>>Robert Lewis: As I said before, Mr. Edwards, I wrote down later, "My God, what have we done?"
>>Koko Kondo-san: Captain Lewis said, "I wrote it on this log.
'My God, what have we done?"
As I told you I was looking at his eyes staring at him, I felt I'm the good person.
You are the bad one.
But after he said that, I saw all the tears come down his Little Koko, 10 years old, I saw that.
I said, "My God, he's not the monster.
He's a human being."
I feel so sorry, because I didn't know anything about him, but I hated, and I hated, and hated.
I said, "God, please forgive me and Captain Lewis.
I'm sorry, it was my mistake that, you know, that I hated for a long time."
In that moment I learned, if I hate, I should hate war itself, not this person.
After the show, I stood next to him, because I just wanted to touch his hand.
I don't know why I did it, but probably age 10 Koko felt so So maybe that was my apology to him.
But when he realized my hand has touched his hand, he held my hand very tightly.
I am so grateful I had a chance to meet him.
Thank you.
>>Ralph Edwards: Mr. Tanimoto, one more joyful surprise for you, your children, Koko, Ken, Yung, and Shen.
(APPLAUSE) All of the way from Hiroshima.
This is your life, Kiyoshi Tanimoto >>Jimmy Lee: Every place I go, I talk about Sadako.
When I first saw Sadako statue it meant nothing to me.
But when I met him two years ago, every school I go to, when I talk to the kids, I talk about Sadako and meeting him, and what it meant to me because that's when I first made my first bird.
I never knew what the bird was for, except for good luck.
>>Naomi Omizo: This, this project started when Masahiro-san and his son decided that they would like to donate one of Sadako's final cranes to significant historical places throughout the world.
They donated one to the 9/11 Museum.
They donated one to the Holocaust Museum and they decided that they also wanted to donate one to Pearl Harbor.
So, this is Sadako Sasaki.
The actual fact is that she exceeded folding a thousand cranes.
She actually folded about 1,300.
However, the message that we would like to relay to all of the people in the world is that because of her suffering and her story, we are able to learn how important it is for us to maintain world peace and how even two countries who can be bitter enemies can eventually become the best of friends.
President Truman's grandson was the one who accepted Sadako's, one of her final cranes, here at Pearl Harbor.
And if you take a look here, you will be able to see one of the final cranes that Sadako had folded.
>>Jimmy Lee: You know, as I mentioned, you know about Sadako for example, and when they showed me her statue, it meant nothing to me.
It was just a statue, a story of a little girl.
It didn't really strike me, but until it happened, when the brother came by and met and came with a little origami, the little golden bird that she folded, and the story behind it.
That was really touching.
You know, that's when you just feel sorry for an innocent little kid, you know, dying because of radiation.
And of course, she didn't want to die because she made all those birds and hoping a miracle would happen.
I'm really sorry it had happened.
>>G.K. Hunter (off camera): Do you forgive Americans for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?
>>Everett Hyland: Who was it?
Tom Brokaw was interviewing me one time.
And he said, "Do you still have any animosity toward the Japanese people?"
I said, "My wife is from Japan."
He says, "I guess that answers that question."
>>Koko Kondo-san: Yes, it does.
That's right.
Yeah, Miyoko-san is from Maebashi, Gunmanken I was here in 1991 for the 50th commemoration of the Pearl Harbor Attack.
And every morning I'd go down through the lobby.
And right in one of the little cubby holes where these tour operators would have their little office, there was this cute little Japanese lady and I speak to her every morning.
And the, the one thing that would turn me off is no matter how pretty they were, if a woman lit up a cigarette, and here was this Japanese lady (MIMICKING SMOKING) and her smoking didn't bother me a bit.
That's, that's how I met my wife.
>>Urosevick: I lived in Japan for several years.
I visted both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
So I was coming out of the museum in Hiroshima.
And I was going up to one of the statues and I was feeling on the I was overwhelmed at what I had just experienced.
Particularly with the kindergartners that were walking throughout the museum with me.
And I had a woman come up to me and she asked me if I was from the United States.
And she actually gave me a big hug.
I got very teary.
So it gave me this immediate opportunity to apologize.
She kept saying in Japanese.
"Please don't worry about it" We talked about forgiveness.
We talked about peace.
I was just so struck at how courageous that was.
What we've done with all the exchange programs bewteen Japan and the United States.
What we've done with shared learning in academia has been very helpful, I think in humanizing the other.
I think it is critical.
It is very easy to dehumanize what the other means and who the other is.
The more we focus on humanizing and finding shared vision.
Shared interest.
Talk about our families.
We find such deeper connection that I think really lends itself at preventing things like this from happening in the future.
>>Narrator: Educator, Jose Barzola had just returned from a visit to Nagasaki Japan.
>>Jose Barzola: The peace education work that they are doing themselves was inspirational to me you know, to see basically teenagers and 20-year-olds, just making sure that people don't forget about what happened there.
And so, in just continuing those dialogues I think is, is to me, is where I find hope for future generations.
>>Narrator: Old enemies had become new friends.
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