Remembering Southeast Asians in Hiroshima

In 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

An Indonesian myself, I was surprised to learn that among the victims of the bombing were students from Southeast Asia.

Why were they in Hiroshima, and what did they experience?

With all the crises going on around the world right now, I strongly wish for people to hear their stories.

My name is Aji Rokhadi.

I'm an Indonesian language reporter for NHK WORLD-JAPAN.

In this museum, I've learned that there were students from Southeast Asia, including from Indonesia like myself, who fell victim to the atomic bombings in 1945.

The Southeast Asian youths who were in Hiroshima were called the "Special Foreign Students from Southeast Asia."

They were students appointed by the imperial Japanese government during World War II.

They were called in from the territories under Japanese occupation to train as future leaders in their respective regions.

A training center was set up in Manila
for the youths who will come to Japan.

After studying Japanese and other subjects in their homelands, 205 participants came to Japan in 1943 and the following year.

Nine of them were studying in Hiroshima in 1945.

They were from what are now Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Malaysian-born Nurhaizal Azam Arif is an associate professor at a university in Hiroshima.

For the past three years, he's been searching for information about those Southeast Asian students.

Azam, who himself first came to Japan as a student, was particularly moved by their stories.

He searches for their family members, even going as far as visiting some of them in Malaysia, to share the students' experience.

Even though more than seven decades
separate us, I feel close to them.

Their stories mustn't go untold.
I have to do something.

Signs of their time spent in Hiroshima still remain in the city.

This was the location of a dormitory where they stayed.

It's now the site of a monument in their memory.

- This was about the place, where these "Nanpou Tokubetsu Ryugakusei" stayed during that time.
- A dormitory.

You know everyone is wearing their traditional costume.

- Yeah, their best costume.
- Yeah. Their best costume, I see.

Okay, but one thing in common: they are wearing this cap called songkok.

Oh. Indonesians call it peci.

- Peci, OK.
- But it's the same.

The Malaysian and Indonesian Muslim students wore similar traditional hats.

From Malaysia, they purposely brought them here, which means they still keep themselves attached to their own culture.

- They never lost their identity.
- Yeah, they never lost... they kept their identity.

On August 6th, the bomb fell.

About a kilometer from ground zero, the dormitory was destroyed.

As the surrounding area was engulfed in flames, some of the students fled into the river, a scene which was captured in an illustration by a citizen of Hiroshima.

However, one student who wasn't with the others lost his life.

Nik Yusof from Malaya, now Malaysia.

The death of his fellow countryman came as a shock to Azam.

One of the firemen brought his bones here.

Nik Yusof was among the many survivors of the bombing who came to seek refuge in this area, only to die soon after.

Though he was Muslim, memorial ceremonies are still regularly held for him here at this Buddhist temple.

I think this is for me, you know, the feelings, it's really mixed feelings, you know.

I'm sad and I feel thankful.

We spoke with a monk at the temple that's watched over Nik Yusof's grave ever since.

Regardless of his religion, we honor him.
He came from far away and died here.

We want people to understand that
something like that should never happen.

I think this is honoring Nik Yusuf, he himself, and also I think this...

this is a symbol of peace, because, you know, well, I can share these activities, share these actions to the people there in Malaysia.

On August 15th, Japan declared its surrender.

The Southeast Asian students headed to Tokyo in hope to return to their homelands.

However...

One of them didn't make it to the capital.

Syed Omar, also from Malaya.

I visited Kyoto, where his grave is located.

- My name is Aji, pleased to meet you.
- I'm Hayakawa. Nice to meet you.

Hayakawa Yukio is a former elementary school teacher.

Thirty years ago, he heard about Syed Omar.

He leads efforts to tell Syed Omar's story.

He shows us an illustrated tale his students created.

It all started when I asked
my 160 students to think about...

what part of Syed Omar's story
they felt was most important to tell.

The children depicted Syed Omar helping the injured during the days after the bomb fell.

He then left Hiroshima to head to Tokyo, from where he intended to go back to Malaya.

However, he fell ill and was hospitalized in Kyoto.

On September 3rd, four weeks after the bombing, he passed away.

He was nineteen years old.

Over the years, Syed Omar's story brought Hayakawa to reflect upon the impact of war.

We're all affected.

No matter how far away it may seem,
war affects us in some way or another.

This is Syed Omar's grave.

Even now, 77 years later, an annual memorial service is held on the anniversary of his passing.

Thank you for coming
in spite of the hot weather.

I worried it'd rain,
but luckily, it's a fine day.

Perhaps it's thanks to Syed Omar.

Including some from Hiroshima, a total of 30 people gathered to offer a prayer of peace in Syed Omar's honor.

I've taught students from Iran,
South Korea, Malaysia, Ukraine and Russia.

I took all of them
on field trips to Hiroshima.

Now, some of those countries are at war.

I'm glad to be here with all of you
to pray for the future...

of children around the world.

Through speaking with Hayakawa and Azam, I was reminded of how each of the victims has a story to tell.

I realize that, by remembering those stories and sharing them with others, each and every one of us can contribute to world peace.