On July 30th 2019 Mr Toyoichi Ihara passed away at the age of 83. He was the driving force behind establishing the Fukuoka-2 memorial on Koyagi in the Nagasaki bay.
We are all very grateful for his efforts and remember him as a noble and very friendly man with passion and a clear message for peace and reconciliation. We will dearly miss but not forget him! May he rest in peace! He is the person who really deserves this!
This memorial remembers all Fukuoka-2 prisonors of war of which a number perished during World War II. The memorial pays respect to all POW’s and is of great importance to all who have suffered during and after the war.
Last month we released our lesson booklet in Japanese. The lesson booklet tells the story of a Fukuoka-2 POW, about victims of war and about reconciliation. Mr. Ihara showed a great interest in the booklet and made a great effort in having the booklet accepted by the educational board in Nagasaki and distributed among Nagasaki-schools. He also arranged for a press conference and a news item on NHK-Nagasaki on the booklet.