Held on July 2, 2016
Lecturer: Naoko Takato (Iraq support volunteer)
In 2004, she was taken hostage by armed groups in Iraq, and after her release, she faced criticism in Japan for her "personal responsibility." However, she has continued to actively volunteer in Iraq, providing humanitarian and medical assistance, and has been advocating in Japan for the importance of knowing what is happening on the ground.
Student impressions
- Mr. Takato repeatedly stated that while the world is currently experiencing conflicts and terrorist attacks in various countries, to the point of being called a Third World War, the Japanese media is not reporting on the developments. Even when a mother and child hospital built by the Japanese government in Iraq was destroyed by the Iraqi government, the Japanese media did not report it. In Japan, a country that is isolated from the world through information and does not have 24-hour news programs, hearing about the importance of obtaining information made me realize just how ignorant I had been.
- Mr. Takato said that a country can only become a democracy by obtaining information. I, too, was shocked when I saw the photos and videos of bodies killed in terrorist attacks. I think few people in Japan have seen these photos. We need to know as much as we can about what is happening around the world. I believe that obtaining information early and taking countermeasures is what Japan needs right now.
- I learned that many people die every month throughout Iraq. Just imagining their daily lives fighting conflict and terrorism sends chills down my spine. Mr. Takato also mentioned that he had lost someone he knew. For the people of Iraq who live every day not knowing when or where their acquaintances, family, and friends might die, I wondered if there was anything we could do to stop the conflict as soon as possible.
- The horrific scenes I saw in the video left a very strong impression on me. Such extreme images are never reported in Japan. I think the decline in viewership is due to our habits, and the only solution is for each of us to become more conscious of the information we receive. I will immediately start using international news apps and gather information from a different perspective than that of Japan.
- Listening to Mr. Takato's story, I realized that his perception of war is completely different from mine, living in Japan. For me, the fear of war, conflict, and terrorism is vague, but the fear of people dying right before my eyes on the ground is something entirely different. Thinking about that, I felt a sense of dread that I was accepting the war happening in Iraq even as I was speaking, without it feeling real at all.
- After listening to the lecture, I learned for the first time that the situation in Iraq is worse now than when it was under a dictatorship, and that the Iraq War is far from over. I also learned that the term "Self-Defense Forces" is not understood there. People in Japan are unaware of these things. I am disappointed in the ratings-driven Japanese television industry.