Going Off to War and Awarding Diplomas to Students Who Fell in the War
On March 24, 1990, at a degree conferment ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan, then President Moji Ari handed diplomas to the bereaved families of ten students who had served in the military during the Pacific War and perished in the war.
The mobilization of students began in October 1943, as the Pacific War intensified, and on October 21, the Ministry of Education held a send-off ceremony for the mobilized students at Jingu Gaien, with 70,000 students from the Kanto region gathered. Each university held its own pep rally around this time, and Hosei University was no exception.
Hosei University's post-ceremony procession (October 15, 1943). The awarding of diplomas to students who had died in the war was covered by the mass media and became a hot topic (reprinted from the Tokyo Shimbun).
From 1943 to 1945, approximately 870 students from Hosei University were mobilized, of which only 24 were reported killed in action. Later, at the suggestion of President Ari, who had himself been mobilized, a follow-up investigation was conducted and 35 of the 146 students who did not return to school after the war were found to have been killed in action.
In 1993, the 50th anniversary of the departure of the students, the presidents and presidents of 270 private universities in Japan issued a joint statement, "We feel deep pain that we had no choice but to leave these talented young men and women to a harsh fate," and reflected on the fact that universities had sent the students off to war with shouts of encouragement in the past. The statement was issued to reflect on the fact that the university had once sent off its students to war with cheers.
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A certificate of graduation in the name of President Koyama in 1941. The name of Shumei Okawa is also written as the head of the Continental Department. The diploma, which has not yet been received, is kept at the University.
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Preparatory school building in Kizuki, Kawasaki, completed in 1936 (present-day clock tower building of Hosei No. 2 Junior and Senior High School).
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In April 1939, when military training became compulsory for students starting in their first year, the Continental Department was established within the College of Professional Studies to prepare for the wartime system. The photo shows the send-off ceremony for the students of the Continental Department (January 1944, in front of the former Ichigaya Daiichi School Building) and the Nissho flag (both donated by Mr. Muko Kawahara, a graduate of the Continental Department in September 1945).
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