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Tokyo Air Raid Exhibition Sees Record 6,000+ Visitors Amid Growing 'Proximity to War'
Record Attendance at Tokyo Air Raid Exhibition
An exhibition held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in March, commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Tokyo Air Raid, drew 6,105 visitors, marking the highest attendance for a spring exhibition in its current format. This surge in visitors is attributed to a growing sense that war feels 'closer' due to ongoing international conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. For the first time, a previously unreleased testimony video by Katsumoto Saotome, the inaugural director of the Tokyo Air Raid and War Damage Resource Center, was screened. The scale of gatherings to read out victims' names also expanded, drawing attention to new forms of experience inheritance.
Katsumoto Saotome's Vivid Testimony Unveiled
The exhibition featured the first public screening of a testimony video (approx. 9 minutes) by author Katsumoto Saotome, who was 12 years old during the Tokyo Air Raid on March 10, 1945. He vividly recounted his memories of fleeing with his family from their home in Mukojima-ku (now Sumida-ku) with a handcart. In the video, Saotome described the horrific moment when B29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs, hitting telegraph poles and setting a man running ahead on fire. In total, 203 war testimonies were screened at five locations across Tokyo, with 46 testimonies shown at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre in Ikebukuro.
*Source: 東京新聞デジタル (2026-03-29)*
