「人間の尊厳を全部奪っちゃう」 俳優・北村総一朗氏が被爆80年の長崎で語る“戦争の記憶”

Nagasaki marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing on the 9th. Today, we welcome our guest in the studio: actor Soichiro Kitamura (89). Kitamura is well known for his role as Police Chief Kanda in the TV drama "Bayside Shakedown." Read on to find out why he came all the way to Nagasaki today. He visited the Pit Subaru Theater in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward in May of this year. "I don't want the sense of tension to fade away," Kitamura said in his stage play "Ordinary Life, Nagasaki Edition" (May to June 2, 2019 in Tokyo). Kitamura directed the play, which depicts the days leading up to the atomic bombing, set in a hospital in Nagasaki City. The play features four beds. It vividly depicts the everyday lives of ordinary Nagasaki residents during wartime, believing in a brighter tomorrow, joking, arguing, and experiencing romantic feelings. It conveys the horror of the atomic bomb, an indiscriminate mass murder. The play ran in Tokyo until June, generating a huge response. Q. Mr. Kitamura, how did you approach a play based on the atomic bomb? When I first read the book, "Ordinary Life in Nagasaki" by playwright Atsuhiko Nakajima, I thought, "First of all, I wanted to come to Nagasaki, the city where the victims were lost, and offer my sincere condolences." So I came to Nagasaki, saw the lives of the people, and even rode the tram. I listened to the local dialect. I saw everyone's smiling faces, and at the same time, I visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Urakami Cathedral, Peace Park, and the hypocenter. Through these experiences, I was deeply moved by the realization that Nagasaki people have lived, and indeed continue to live, despite the terrible tragedy. So, what really struck me at the time was when I visited the Atomic Bomb Museum and saw the horrific scenes of hell. I got a glimpse of the atomic bomb—a glimpse of its true nature—and I felt like maybe war had already faded from my mind. I knew this couldn't be the case. If those who experienced war were fading like this, it was only natural that young people who had no experience of war would. That's why I felt a renewed sense of determination to perform this kind of play now. Q. Mr. Kitamura, you're from Kochi, and you were nine years old when World War II ended. Kochi was repeatedly bombed by the U.S. military, and in 1945, 180,000 incendiary bombs were dropped in a massive, hour-long air raid. Do you have any memories of that time? Yes, I do. It was truly incredible. My house was spared, but looking out from there, the sky over the city was completely red. The entire area was reduced to ashes. The sound of an incendiary bomb—a single ball splits into thousands of balls as it falls. They make a whoosh, like raindrops, as they fall. Bombs make a whoosh. That's how I was able to identify and hear them. But what scared me most was the Grumman fighter plane. They flew very low. The cockpit was made of acrylic so you could see it. They flew low and fired machine gun fire. They made this "da-da-da-da" sound. Just hearing that sound makes me cover my ears in the bomb shelter, thinking, "Oh no, people are dying. People are being killed." So, I believe war is an absolute evil and should never be waged. As someone who experienced war, I believe Mr. Kitamura has strong feelings about what he thinks now, 80 years after the atomic bombing. NBC will be broadcasting a special program commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, featuring Soichiro Kitamura, on the 9th at 9:30 AM. Q. The world is currently experiencing deepening conflict and division, and the threat of nuclear weapons being used is said to be an increasingly real possibility. On the 9th, we will mark the 80th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. What is the most important message you would like to convey to future generations, to our children? As I said earlier, I believe that war, whether conventional or nuclear, should never be waged. In other words, war denies humans the right to live as humans, and denies humans the right to die as humans. It robs us of all human dignity. That's what war is all about. So we must not do such things. During the war, how many young people died in vain, or rather, were killed, for the sake of their country? And so we were carpet-bombed, and the people back home suffered immense hardship. That must never happen again. I want to tell young people that I truly want to eliminate war from the world. If that's an ideal, I want them to work toward it, and even if it takes a little time, I want them to truly discuss and debate it and cultivate it. NBC will be broadcasting a special program commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, "NO MORE...," on the 9th. Starting at 9:30 AM on the 9th, we'll also be broadcasting live coverage of the Peace Memorial Ceremony and from Urakami Cathedral, where the bell lost in the atomic bombing will be restored. Thank you, Kitamura-san. For more details, check out NEWS DIG! ↓ https://newsdig.tbs.co.j...