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Katumi Kitazawa Interview 1/26/2006 Nagano Japan, Shinshu University, interviewed by Joshua Lange

Introduction:

Katumi Kitazawa is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at Shinshu University (Nagano), one of Japan�fs largest universities. Mr. Kitazawa experienced the invasion of Allied forces in Tokyo during WWII. Following the war Mr. Kitazawa aided in the transformation of the Japanese education system through positive cross-cultural education. Although he is over eighty years old, Mr. Kitazawa still walks thirty minutes to school every day to teach Japanese language to International graduate and exchange students. This interview was originally recorded on a miniature cassette, dictated onto Microsoft Word, edited for clarity, and reviewed by Mr. Kitazawa preceding submission.

Q: Professor Kitazawa, please tell me about your experiences during World War II.

At that time the Japanese army was the strongest in the World. After the Meiji restoration their (Japanese Government�fs) policy was to make a strong army and a rich country, so they began to spread this attitude about life across Japan, especially in the education field. Japanese education was very militaristic.

Japanese airplanes attacked Pearl Harbor, December 8th, 1941. As a result, President Roosevelt decided to make war against Japan. I was eleven years old when that happened. Then, In April of 1942 I began secondary school in Tokyo. The Japanese army occupied Singapore and made a treaty with the Axis Powers. I was twelve years old.

On June 5th, 1942 (battle of Midway), Japan was completely defeated at sea by the American Navy. The American Navy gradually began to attack the islands of Japan. In 1943, when I was 13, I had to stop school. The government asked the students of my school to go to a factory to make airplane parts. So I went to the factory to make fighting airplanes. You see, I was rather small, so the factory had me inside the engine cylinders, measuring microwave frequencies to check for weaknesses in the metal.

Day after day, the Japanese army was bombarded. So we dug a shelter, but it was just a shallow trench made of bamboo and earth; it was very weak. Almost every day we found ourselves hiding from the bombs in the trench.

One thing I couldn�ft understand is that many important machines to make airplane parts, such as body parts, machines that polish�clathes, were American made. There were many lathes in the factory. To my surprise, the factory decided to protect the US made lathes from US bombardments by piling up sandbags against the walls. It was ironic. The machines made in Japan were not so important, therefore not protected. Maybe the quality of the American machines was much better than the Japanese machines. We (the people) were not protected by piles of sandbags, but only the American machines. It was ironic.

Q: Did you believe, and were you taught to believe that the Emperor was God?

At that time the Emperor was regarded as God. There were two small shrines at the campus. I bowed deeply as I passed, for the first was an impression of the Emperor, the second of Ninomia Kinjiro. Do you know who he (Kinjiro) was? He was a peasant farmer, and made a great contribution to Japan. He helped to make education practical. He emphasized citizenship and participation.

There are three domains of education, first –intelligence, second – moral, and third – physical. Kinjiro, although a peasant, through his diligence and experience gave an important model to Japanese people. By modeling citizenship, Kinjiro gave a great contribution, helping to make Japan rich through cultivating agriculture and education.

I was educated by Japanese nationalism that Japan is the nation of God. All Japanese believed that the Emperor was God. Finally, the real God helped us to realize that this wasn�ft true. America and some western countries proved that by defeating us in WWII. The Americans even attempted to bring their God to us.

Anyway, in 1945 Japan was completely occupied by the Americans; so General Douglas Macarthur came to Japan. He asked about 2,000 American missionaries (Christian) to come to Japan to make an evangelical mission; to share the so called gospel with the Japanese. It is a very ridiculous story, I�fll tell you.

Frankly, most of these missionaries didn�ft have a good education. They knew, they just believed in God, that God was Jesus Christ; in some sense it was good to have faith; but they couldn�ft give any logical explanation why Jesus was God. They couldn�ft explain. And also they were not interested in learning Japanese; they just spoke English. It was too simple-minded. How can you share an idea in a language that your audience doesn�ft understand, and expect them to believe that the idea has merit? They were too simple-minded.

One day, a missionary approached me. He said, �gyou only need to memorize three words; the first is Hallelujah, the second is Amen, the third is Coca-cola�h (laughs) Very typical American. (laughs) At that time I didn�ft know what Coca-Cola was. These American missionaries gave us lots of chocolate and candies and the Bible. Gradually, I came to associate American oriented Christianity with chocolate candy.

Q: Shortly after the war, the American occupation planned to close the teachers college, of which you were a student leader. Can you tell me about your experience and what happened to the teacher�fs college?

1947, at the age of 17, my father died. At that time I was studying at the Teacher�fs College in Tokyo. In the old system (college students) studied just three years. Then the CIO (Civil Information Office) was in charge of Japan�fs newly occupied education system. There were American scholars and doctors giving advice to the administration of Japan. One day I visited the office of my student advisor, and he told me that my school would probably be shut down by the CIO. He suggested that I go to the CIO directly. With my friend, I visited Dr. Eels, who was placed in charge of the colleges of Japan by the American occupation. He had a Japanese interpreter with him. We began to discuss our program. He emphasized that our college, professors, and students were all too poor to continue, and that it would be better to shut down the College and discontinue its programs. I tried to speak to him in English. Dr. Eels impressed me by listening quietly. He attempted to understand my point of view completely, contrary to Japanese professors, who were authoritarians and had no interest in listening to the student body. Maybe he listened to me as a result of the Western idea of individualism.

Westerners believe that individualism is very important. During WWII, and still today, Japanese education is group-oriented. The individual is not regarded as important. Another thing I should say to you is that there was a big segregation among the races. For example, the American government asked Japanese living in America to go to concentration camps. So these people had to leave their home, belongings and so forth. German people living in the United States, however, did not. The American government didn�ft ask them to go to the camps. They could stay at their homes, even while their country was making war with America. What is that? To me, it is segregation.

Q: Back to Dr. Eels, what was the result of your meeting?

It was very good. He listened to me and accepted my proposal. So Dr. Eels permitted the school to continue. At that time there were four important schools, which included the Teacher�fs College. They merged to become one school, which still exists today; in fact, it is the only Teacher�fs College in Tokyo.

Q: What is the name of that school?

(Tokyo Gakunei Daimon) Tokyo University of Liberal Arts, located in Koganei (on the Chou Line).

Q: My last question: how can this generation prevent another World War?

World War Three?

Q: Yes, how can we prevent World War Three?

My answer is that one must decide to make friends with foreign people, especially International students. This is humanity�fs only hope: that we seek to understand one another. On the government level, however, there is no hope. I am sorry. There is no hope.

Thank you for your time, sensei.

note***Do you know Uchimura Kanzo? (tells about Kanzo, the reformed Christianity Kanzo taught, (as recorded on his written testimony) and ends with his view that institutionalized religion is false and that he has found the true God in the Bible, Jesus, and has an personal relationship with him.).

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