戦後80年企画　米軍B29が愛知県豊田市に墜落　「人間は人間として扱う」アメリカ兵が生き残った理由 (2025年8月13日)

Eighty years ago, a B29 crashed in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. We interviewed two citizens who continue to investigate the crash. At the Toyota City Museum, an exhibition displaying war-related materials was held. In one corner of the exhibit was a section of the fuselage of an American B29 bomber that crashed in Toyota City during the war. On January 3, 1945, the B29 "The Leading Lady," which had arrived to conduct an air raid on the Nagoya Port area, was rammed by a Japanese fighter plane and crashed into a mountain forest in what is now Sakagami-cho, Toyota City. All 11 crew members lost their lives. However, one crew member miraculously survived: Sergeant Harold Hedges. "Why did he survive?" An 86-year-old continues his investigation. Why did Sergeant Hedges survive? Kunio Okada (86) continues to investigate this mystery. Okada, who experienced the Great Tokyo Air Raid at the age of six, moved to Toyota City upon getting a job and has since continued to research the connection between this area and the B-29. According to Okada's research, Sergeant Hedges was likely thrown from the plane just before it crashed and parachuted into a neighboring village. "He was hiding in a charcoal burner's hut, where local residents discovered him and took him prisoner." Kunio Okada: "The Americans were puzzled as to how he managed to return alive. They naturally assumed he would be killed, but the Japanese commander decided that they had only bombed a munitions factory, not an indiscriminate attack, and therefore were not considered war criminals. That's why he escaped beheading." In an effort to share his research results with as many people as possible, Okada launched a website about the B-29 25 years ago. Hoping to make his research known to people overseas, he also launched an English version. He then began receiving emails from the families of the B29 crew members, and in 2012, even received a message from Sergeant Hedges' grandson. The emails described Sergeant Hedges's life after the war and his death from cancer at the age of 56. Okada continues to exchange emails with the families and posts these exchanges on his website. Okada: "If you read this, you'll understand how Americans feel. They, too, regret the war and say, 'We never want to do it again.'" Villagers who offered rice cakes to enemy soldiers Okada isn't the only one researching Sergeant Hedges. Katsumi Matsubara (84), a former high school teacher, has also been conducting local historical research since retirement. While collecting testimonies from local residents about the time of the B29 crash, Matsubara heard the following story: Sergeant Hedges, who was hiding in a charcoal hut, was given rice cakes by local people. "There is a story that he said, 'Japanese bread is delicious,' and ate it. At the time, it was common for American soldiers to be treated harshly, so in a way, Sergeant Hedges was lucky," says Matsubara. Matsubara guided us to the crash site, where we found a stone monument bearing the inscription "B29 Friendship Monument." It was erected in 2010 as a prayer for peace. Matsubara spoke about what this friendship monument teaches us: "Treat people as people. Even if they become enemies, we should treat them the same once they are gone. This friendship monument is the result of the value that goes into treating people the same once they are gone. I believe that by seeing this monument, each and every one of us is asked to take responsibility and think about peace." ▼Subscribe to our channel here↓↓Please support us!    / @aichi-news   ▼Aichi News Website https://news.tv-aichi.co.jp/ ▼Official News Social Media ◇Twitter (Information provided here) 　　  / news_tva   ◇TikTok 　　  / tva_news   [Major News Programs] ▼5-ji-sta Monday-Friday 5:00 PM - 5:25 PM We bring you the latest news from a perspective that closely relates to everyday life. https://tv-aichi.co.jp/5sta/ ▼TXN News Saturday-Sunday 5:20 PM - 5:30 PM We bring you the latest news from Japan and around the world in a concise format. ▼Video provided here https://tv-aichi.co.jp/newspost/