This page is an English summary. The full record of our activities, with many videos, is on the Japanese page.
I’m Arasen (荒井隆一), an elementary school principal in Hyogo, Japan. Besides teaching, I work with a citizens’ group called SUNPEACE to pass on the memory of a small, almost forgotten air raid on my hometown, Sanda – so that children today can think about peace in their own neighborhood.
What Happened on July 19, 1945
Less than a month before the end of World War II, two US fighter planes swept over the area around today’s Sanda Station and opened fire with machine guns. Four children and one woman were killed, and four houses burned down.
Compared with the great air raids on Tokyo or Osaka, it was a small attack, and it was almost forgotten. At least one of the children who died had come to Sanda as an evacuee – to be safe from the bombing of the cities.
How I Came to Know
I didn’t know about the Sanda air raid until 2012. That year, I heard survivors talk about it: an older schoolmate who died right beside them; a child who had come to Sanda to escape the bombing, and was killed here. I promised myself: this sorrow must be passed on.
In 2012, my sixth-grade students – 100 children – learned about war and peace on their school trip to Hiroshima, and then held their own peace event for the people of our town, the PEACE FORUM. Their message to adults was simple: “Please stop war now.” This work received the top prize of the 63rd Yomiuri Education Award.
SUNPEACE: Turning Memories into Records
In spring 2018, together with a fellow teacher who had devoted himself to peace education, I started SUNPEACE. Teachers, students, musicians and local volunteers joined us. On the first day, we decided on two things:
- Hold events where people can learn about the Sanda air raid.
- Record video interviews with survivors, before it is too late.
Peace events
- PEACE RALLY (2018) – four monthly events leading up to a final show on December 30, 2018, at Sanda’s main concert hall. 352 people filled the hall for a play, “Never Forget the Sanda Air Raid,” a survivor’s talk and live music.
- 80 years after the war (2025) – survivors’ talks for the public, a walking tour of the raid sites on July 19 – exactly 80 years later – a live stream on August 15, and a new Peace Rally in December with about 300 people, where a high school drama club performed the play.
- 2026 – “The Truth of the Sanda Air Raid,” with five survivors sharing their memories, and an exhibition of records and panels.
Survivors’ voices on video
Since 2018, we have filmed survivors – who were children at local schools in 1945 – telling their stories, often while walking with us through the very streets where the planes attacked. The videos are in Japanese. Here is one of them: a survivor walks us through the day of the raid.
In 2025, our work was introduced on NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. We are also helping to add a page about the raid to the supplementary social studies reader used by Sanda’s elementary schools.
Passing the Baton to Young People
Every year, there are fewer people who remember the war. My wish is that young people will think, “Now it’s our turn to pass this on.” Knowing the history of your own town is one of the best ways to begin thinking about peace.
High school students now help us run our events, record our programs and perform our play. One participant said after the walking tour: “It was scary to learn that an air raid happened in a place so close to me. As fewer people remember the war, I think it is important that we learn about it ourselves.”
A Message from Sanda
“Nothing is more tragic than war. Nothing is more precious than peace.”
I wrote these words in calligraphy for a joint exhibition in New York in 2023, under the title Citizens of the Earth. Beyond differences of race, nationality, history, culture and religion, I hope for a world where every person is respected as a human being.
How You Can Help
- Share this page, so that more people know about the Sanda air raid.
- If you are a teacher, tell your students about a small town in Japan where children work to keep the memory of war alive.
- Look for the “forgotten” history of war in your own town, and talk about it with your family and friends.
→ Read the full record in Japanese（三田空襲の歴史を忘れない〜SUNPEACEの軌跡〜）