Museum opens on anniversary of 1945 Tokyo firebomb raid

A new museum dedicated to the largest World War II firebomb raid on Tokyo
opened in Koto Ward on Saturday, the eve of the 57th anniversary of the
massive U.S. attack, which razed extensive parts of the city and killed an
estimated 100,000 people.
The three-story Sensai Shiryo (war damage archive) Center houses a
collection of photographs, documents and other artifacts detailing the most
extensive damage inflicted on Tokyo during the war.

Organizers said the center was built to provide a historical account of the
raid and display documents, personal effects and other items relating to
the attack. Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and other officials attended the
opening ceremony.

The U.S. military launched the air raid before dawn on March 10, 1945,
carpet bombing with 300 B-29 bombers and triggering a massive firestorm
that consumed most of Koto and Sumida wards. The inferno burned down about
40 percent of the Tokyo area.

The Sensai Shiryo Center, built through private fundraising, is run by
Katsumoto Saotome, a 69-year-old novelist known for his writing about the
air raid, which he survived as a child.

Saotome undertook the task of raising money for the museum in 2000 after
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, citing budget constraints, froze funding
for a peace memorial center to commemorate the air raid. About 3,800 people
from across the country contributed some 100 million yen for the
construction of the center, according to Saotome.

"Those of us who suffered from the Tokyo air raid are old now and have
little time left to live. We owe it to the younger generation to tell them
what happened," the novelist said.

Admission fees are 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for high school students and
free for children. The telephone number for inquiries is 03-5857-5631.

Today, a citizens' movement that operates primarily through the Internet,
will hold peace rallies in Tokyo's Shibuya and Harajuku districts.

In Shinjuku Ward's Kabukicho district, a group that includes film producer
Ai Saotome and sociologist Shinji Miyadai will discuss the Tokyo and
Afghanistan raids in relation to the national emergency legislation. The
event will be held at Loft plus One in Kabukicho 1-chome.

The Japan Times: March 10, 2002

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