In the Dawn Center's 2nd floor Information Library, there are over 3000 memoirs that were written by women in their mid sixties. These women were about 15 years old during the Pacific War (1941-1945).

Readings of the memoirs,"Women's Pacific War," are given by a group of volunteer speakers called "Ohanashi Kujira (Talking Whales)." The original documents are also available to the public.

The memoirs illustrate how young girls perceived the war during the deadly battles between Japan and the Allies, which centered around the U.S. and Britain, how they faced extreme life and death situations, and, after half a century, how much they hope for a war-free society through sharing their experiences.

Most of the memoirs were handwritten with pencils or brushes --- some were written on manuscript paper or on the back of small fliers, another was written on a one-meter sheet of Japanese paper articulating her overflowing emotions in ink.

"I heard an air attack siren, planes appeared in the sky, and bombs and incendiary shells hailed down on us. Our house burned down. My sister was killed while holding my hand." "None of the air defense training helped." "I was living in north-east China. Right before the war ended, the Soviet Union tank division soldiers rushed in. They assaulted my family. I
couldn't do anything but hide and shake in the attic." "We were taught that our divine country would never lose the war, and I had never doubted that for even a moment. I was ready to fight the American soldiers even to the death with my bamboo spear." "Each battle line had a group of young women called "comfort women." When the enemy soldiers came after we lost the war, some of those women stood between the soldiers and us sacrificing themselves."

Compiling and organizing the memoirs was the idea of a woman who worked at Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Osaka. 1991 marked 50 years since the Japanese military recklessly plunged into the Pacific War. The idea was to create something that people who hope for peace could share on its 50th anniversary.

Asahi Shimbun (newspaper, Osaka edition) printed a column called the "Katariau Page (a conversation page). "The memoirs were introduced in the "Katariau Page."

Asahi Broadcast began readings of the memoirs on the radio using a technique called "media mix." Ms. Yoko Asano, the representative of "Ohanashi Kujira," who still does readings in many parts of the country, was part of the reading staff of the radio program.

Many TV documentaries were made. A two-hour drama was created by the famous play write Ms. Sugako Hashida and was based on the radio episodes.

The Asahi Broadcasting producer Ms. Yuko Fujimoto gave the 3000 plus memoirs to then director of the Dawn Center Ms. Akiko Tsumura to hold at the Dawn Center and share them with the people who pass down their war experiences from generation to generation. At the Information Library, Ms. Yoko Amakawa, Ms. Miyuki Kinoshita, and other staff numbered and filed each memoir so that it would be easier for people to find and read.

They didn't decide what to do --- they were told what to do. The library has over 3000 memoirs that were written by women through the sensibility and viewpoint of 15- year-olds. It is rare in the world that a center holds this type of treasure. As one of the editors of the "Katariau Page," I participated in the "Women's Pacific War" project, read through the memoirs, and made friends. It is definitely one of the things that I will be proud of for the rest of my life.