80 Years On: War Trauma Transforms Caring Father into Stranger

   Tokyo, Aug. 8 (Jiji Press)--Eighty years after the end of World War II, the psychological scars borne by former Imperial Japanese servicemen are drawing renewed attention.
   Many veterans, haunted by horrific battlefield experiences, developed post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions that continue to affect their lives and families.
   Such war-induced conditions, often referred to as "war trauma," can profoundly alter a person's behavior and emotional state. In one case, a father who was once devoted and loving become distant, described by a family member as merely an "empty shell" of his former self.
   A growing number of family members of former Japanese servicemen are coming forward to share their experiences, prompting the government to launch its first-ever survey on the realities faced by these families. The results are expected to be released within the current fiscal year to March.
   Akio Kuroi, 76, from Musashimurayama, Tokyo, recalls the enduring impact military service had on his father, Keijiro, a former army soldier who passed away in 1990 at the age of 77. "He was lethargic, and I couldn't even tell if he was really there. He was like an empty shell," Kuroi says.

(2025/08/08-10:30)

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