The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about "war trauma," which the Japanese government began investigating in fiscal 2024.

Question: I've heard that the national government is investigating former Imperial Japanese military personnel who suffered from mental disorders due to war. What kind of illness is it?

Answer: That is "war trauma." Similar symptoms have been noted since World War I and were referred to in Japan as "war neurosis." The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been collecting and analyzing medical records from former army and navy hospitals since fiscal 2024, and the findings will be displayed at Shokei-kan, a national museum in Tokyo that exhibits historical materials about wounded and sick veterans.

Q: Why do soldiers develop war trauma?

A: According to Konan University professor emeritus Shigeyuki Mori, who specializes in clinical psychology, soldiers exposed to extreme pain and shock on harsh battlefields exhibit defensive reactions such as numbing their senses. This can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, with typical symptoms including alcohol dependency, domestic violence and apathy. Acts of aggression in war zones can also be a cause, and these symptoms persist long after returning to civilian life.

Q: Why is the government investigating now?

A: During the war, Kohnodai Army Hospital in Chiba Prefecture specialized in treating personnel with mental disorders. Although about 10,000 people were hospitalized, the military denied its existence, and for a long time postwar, the stigma of such illnesses as "shame" persisted among the individuals and families involved, discouraging them from talking much about their conditions. While many veterans have passed away, their children's generation established a family association in 2018 and persistently urged the government to conduct a fact-finding investigation, prompting the state to finally address this long-neglected issue.

Q: The investigation by the government is significant, isn't it?

A: The government has limited the investigation to only individuals recognized as having been wounded or sickened in war. Experts cooperating with the inquiry suggest that the scope should be expanded to include bereaved families who think their loved ones may fall within its purview, as there are believed to be many cases where individuals and their families were unaware of the psychological trauma before passing away.

(Japanese original by Naohiro Koenuma, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)