In oral history, "dialogue" with the informant or narrator is the beginning and also the foundation. Those of us planning the symposium shared our interest in oral history, but at the same time we shared the experiences of grief with the dead and the reconciliation. Therefore, we reconsidered our research practice from the perspective of the keyword reconciliation. In short, we wished to develop the practical discussion about the voices, the narratives, the dialogues and the reconciliation through oral history that we should be asking ourselves reflectively in our research practice. In order to realize this aim, each reporter had to talk not only about their research thesis, but also how their oral dialogues and the challenge for reconciliation related to their research practice. Three reporters have replied to these difficult questions earnestly. The audience have got a chance for introspection about the relationship between their own research practice and the reconciliation of each reporter.

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How should the researchers respond, interpret and represent the changing narratives of the victims of the massive political violence? In cases of devastating long-term internal armed conflict such as in Guatemala during the 1970s and 80s, it is not unusual when the victims turn into killers, switching their positions with each other within the same village or even in the same family. As a result, the narratives of the same person are transformed in the contents from those of being the victims to those of being the perpetrators and vice versa according to the changing course of the war. There have been various positions, selected consciously or not, among researchers correspondingly, from those who stand in with the "victims" to those who seek to reveal the "hidden aspects" of the same narratives. The publication of the voluminous reports of the so called "Truth Commissions" may not settle the competing accounts surrounding the political violence. The perpetrators do not accept their responsibilities and try to legitimize their actions with all necessary measures. There will be little space toward reconciliation through the compilation and common acceptance of the "official history." There would alwaysl be competing narratives and at the same time, researchers claiming and competing with each one's truth in parallel or simply ignoring each other.

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We looked at "consent" between speakers (informants) and listeners in terms of historical events, such as the issues of "Japanese Settlers in Manchuria" and "Japanese left-behind in China," and the speaker's confrontation with the issue, ill feeling, consent, and reconciliation in this area. At the same time, relationship between practice of Oral History and "reconciliation with history" was considered, referring to practice of Oral History among Japanese women and families left-behind in China and "hardships and trials for Japanese orphans left-behind in China." In other words, from the perspective of <reconciliation>, we examined how special feelings for the unique experiences of parties, who got involved with the historical events, and the recognition of the historical event within the family, community, and society. Any confrontation and gap of historical recognition that they had experienced were changed through the practice of Oral History. This report mentioned how confrontation and gap of historical recognition for the issues of "Japanese Settlers in Manchuria and Japanese left-behind in China" changed through the practice of Oral History at the level of family, community and society. In this practice of Oral History, which is carried out by "Manmou Kaitaku wo Kataritsugukai (Association for Handing Down the Voice of Those Involved in the Development of Manchuria)" at Shimoina and Iida city, in Nagano, Japan, we found "consent/agreement/understanding" between informants and researchers, and the shift from confrontation and ill feeling to consent and reconciliation in terms of the historical events. At the same time, this report discussed the relations between the practice of Oral History and reconciliation with the history, referring to the oral history practice among families left-behind in China and hardships and trials of the Japanese orphans left-behind in China.

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We talk about the various problems of discrimination in everyday life. But we seldom reflect on our own prejudices and discriminations. Therefore, the minority liberation movements need to use better communication tactics that force us to narrate, recognize, and de-construct the discriminations we have done. This is the core theme for civil enlightenment to tell us how important it is to reflect on our own discriminations. In this article, I examine about the possibility of "reconciling" ourselves with our own discriminations and assert the importance of narrating and facing them in the "here-and-now". We should not deny them instantly, but recognize them and narrate why and how we had done such discriminatory acts. In doing so, we are able to reflect on ourselves and re-construct ourselves, who discriminate.

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For the 3 panelists reporting this time, we expected very fulfilling discussions from their abundant experiences of being Oral History practitioners based on their long-standing work in this field, and we were impressed at their profound reports from their own personal experiences. The report from each one was indeed so deep that my comments as the moderator were not adequate, but I would like to explain the background and the key word of why… "Reconciliation" now, a theme with Professor Arisue that was decided, along with a simple comment for each of the 3 panelists.

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In recent years, in the fields of cultural anthropology and sociology, many theories are being discussed on the problems concerning the memories of the War. The 4th Workshop set the theme of "The Possibility of Handing Down 'The Memories of the War and Oral History' and had 3 members of JOHA discuss as panelists based on their reports. Rieko Kadono spoke from the perspective of Life Story based on her research and actual Experience participating in peace activities herself in Okinawa from her report. "To Relay and Hand Down the Experience That Cannot be Narrated". Tatsuto Uehara gave a unique report based on his observation of "Relaying and Handing Down War Experiences" from an addiction approach, since he is currently living in Tokyo and works as a social welfare practitioner, though he was born in Naha city of Okinawa prefecture. Makoto Takayama reported about the possibility of handing down the memories of the atomic bombing from his interview investigation of "kataribe or oral hearing" of survivors of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki. At the end of the theme session, discussions were expanded with the 3 panelists, a commentator, and the floor. Yoshihiro Yagi as commentator asked each panelist, "How do you envision what is the ideal way to hand down?" From the floor, the following was pointed out: generally the standpoints of the "victims" and "aggressors" had to be categorized among those who would be orally speaking, especially when the problem of handing down had to be considered and very essential question of how do we consider "history" based on the written documentation when we consider oral history methodology. Very enthusiastic and heated discussions continued.

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The common denominator of the interviews with three peace activists in Okinawa is "relaying and handing down of the experience of an untold story." Not one of them has been told the story about the experience of the Battle in Okinawa and the struggle over land from their parents directly. They also have hardly any experience of participating in the movement. However, they were beside their parents and understood their fragmented behaviors and words spoken by them. All of them have been "bystanders" until their thirties. The opportunity, in which they became concerned and took part in the peace activity, stands for the turning point and the crisis. When they understand that the absensce of an experience and telling was a significant "lack" in oneself, they take action by reconstructing their memory to aim at generating oneself as a subjective activist. "Incompleteness" is inevitable in the Word to relay the experience. The "incomplete" word is open, so therefore the experience will be handed down to the future generations through it.

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In this article, the author focuses on the oral history of one aged senior citizen, who experienced the Battle of Okinawa during his childhood in World War II and examines how his experience is being handed down to the next generation. After the invasion of the U.S. military, he escaped with only his neck from Shuri, his hometown, and was detained on the hill of Mabuni by the U.S. Forces. Although he believed that the U.S.-British soldiers were devils, which were propagandized by the Imperial education to the masses, he realized that this was a false belief after the War. Simultaneously he learned that the U.S. Forces had been also doing "acts of cruelty that can be called insanity" through the various information collected after the War. Through such experience, his present view of the Battle of Okinawa has the following two special features. One is that all wars have the universal perspective of being "wars of insanity." The other is that "Ryukyu People (Ryukyuan)" had been alienated from receiving the propagandized Imperial education to the masses so they did not become Japanese citizens but maintained "normalcy" even during the abnormal state of war. In other words, the ethnic identity of "Ryukyu People (Ryukyuan)" when evaluated based on the historical consciousness is from the specific perspective that comes from this region. In this way, his experiential narration is rearranged so that it is easier to be handed down to the next generation.

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In this paper, I inquire how a person comes to take an action for "peace" as the main theme. I consider the case of F, a woman who is engaged in a peace movement activity, in particular, the campaign against the U.S. bases in Okinawa, and, looking back at her history, consider how she as the wife of a clergyman came to participate in the peace activity. Her experience of accidental involvement in the Hanshin/Awaji Earthquake is narrated as an episode of her peace activity. However, F told that in her past self, she was the wife of a policeman, who excluded the homeless, and continued to reflect on it inside oneself. The self does not transfer to the new self, but rather transforms itself. The past self always keeps the current self in check. To "wear the peace activist hat" means taking action, standing alongside the "oppressed people" while at the same time confronting this other self inside oneself.

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In this paper I address the question how Okinawan people have talked about the war dead from the Battle of Okinawa in the post war era. I consider this problem by focusing on narratives by Okinawan Shaman, Yuta. Japanese and U.S. military forces waged a ground war at the end stage of World War II in Okinawa, and many people perished in the war. After the battle, the Okinawans bereaved when they could not hear of their family member's news and frequently called on Yuta to ask about where or how their families died. Yuta taught them imaginary details of the death of their war dead. Through these cases, I would like to examine ways and means to narrate a war and to present alternative war narratives but one as historical facts.

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The "Japanese war orphans left in China" consist primarily of children left behind as orphans by Japanese families repatriating to Japan in the aftermath of World War II, who were adopted and raised by Chinese foster parents. Until now, many of these Japanese orphans, accompanied by their Chinese spouses and children, have returned and settled in Japan. As of April 2008, 2,524 orphans had settled in Japan. If their spouses and children are included, the number will be 9,257. In this paper, we interview the children of the Japanese orphans, who came to Japan almost in their teens or twenties. The Life-Story methodology was used during the investigation. The purpose of the interviews was to understand their life histories in detail and their reactions to their new cultural setting. Moreover, their identities were also examined.

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This article discusses the U.S. nuclear testing issues in the Marshall Islands, focusing on the Ailuk people who are "overlooked victims," developing the idea not only with the testimonies of 48 Ailuk people but also using the U.S. official documents. It is clear that the effects of the U.S. nuclear test have also extended to the Ailuk atoll located 525km away from the hypocenter, though the U.S. government has not officially admitted the fact yet. The finding suggests that the U.S. has underestimated the nuclear test effects on the local people in the Marshall Islands. This article is also unique in terms of the oral history methodology, in which a pile of the declassified U.S. official documents are compared with the testimonies of survivors that were exhaustively gathered through fieldworks.

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Regarding the relationships between Japan and America, one of the focal points in history would be the atomic bombing over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In effect, the very event and the subsequent Japanese surrender framed the two nations into the contrastive pair of "victorious nation and defeated nation". As this may cast a shadow on intercultural communication, especially, people's perception of war, the Japanese female researcher interviewed three male Americans in 2006. This paper analyzes their narratives, focusing on the linguistic forms including deixis, and scrutinizes how the Japanese interviewer and the American interviewees, conversing on war, interact and negotiate their identities.

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This study examines the formation of the narrative of 'Hatta Yoichi' in the post WWII period. Hatta Yoichi, a Japanese engineer who undertook the development project of Kanantaishu and built the biggest dam in Asia during the Japanese Colonial period of Taiwan, has been introduced as "Japanese who loved Taiwan" and as a symbol of Japan-Taiwan friendship. In this study I analyze the transcripts of the interviews I conducted with the Chia-Nan Irrigation Association, Hatta Gishi Fusai wo Shitai-Taiwan to Yuko no Kai (the Association of honoring Mr. and Mrs Hatta and having friendship with Taiwan) and presidents of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jiu, Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui from 2007 to 2009. I reveal that the discourse of 'Hatta Yoichi' has been formed and transformed under the impact of the politics of Japan-Taiwan relationship.

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The existence of rural women under their own names from Okinawa, the last prefecture to be converted back to postwar Japan, in the history of Japan, started to be observed in the modern age. According to the Conscription Ordinance, women existed as cotton-mill workers in comparison to a large number of rural men, who appeared as soldiers in the history of Japan. However, due to the overwhelming lack of materials, as well as the prevailing view of factory women being the center of tragic stories, the true stories have not been revealed until now. An attempt was made in this paper to narrate an oral history of the life story of a former female factory worker from Okinawa. Her narrative comprises the period when she started working as a cotton-mill girl at the age of 15 around 1919, until her marriage in 1925, when she was forced to resign.

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