"The Air Raids Were Terrifying": The Reflections of a Man Who Collects the Remains of War Dead in Guam on Behalf of His Late Uncle, Who Passed Away Young

Heitaro Matsumoto, the founder of the hair salon chain "Heitaro Matsumoto Hair Salon," which operates in areas such as Ginza and Kichijoji, also serves as the chairman of the NPO Peace Ring of Guam-Japan. In this role, he is dedicated to honoring the memory of those who perished in Guam during World War II and to recovering their remains.

"Experienced the Terror of Air Raids and Lost Both Parents at a Young Age"

Heitaro Matsumoto was born in 1940 in Komagome, Toshima Ward,at the time in the midst of war. During the Tokyo air raid on March 10, 1945, he had been evacuated to a friend’s house in Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, narrowly escaping danger. However, his home was completely destroyed by fire, and even the belongings stored in the air-raid shelter were burned.

"The air raids were terrifying. Near our house at the time, there was a conspicuous building that seemed to be targeted during the raids, so bombs would often fall around us. It would get so dark, even during the daytime. I remember being so scared when the air-raid sirens went off that I would cry a lot," he recalled.

After His Uncle Goro’s Departure for Military Service (Heitaro is the child in the front row, on the left)

After the war ended, Heitaro, who had been at his evacuation site, lost both of his parents due to the harsh conditions during and after the war. In the postwar chaos, only his grandmother and his young brother remained.

"I was taken in by my uncle, who lived in Mitaka. My uncle ran a barbershop. When I became a middle school student, I started helping out at the shop—cleaning, doing laundry, and even washing customers' hair. I would prepare the shop in the morning, go to school, and then work at the shop after I got back. On my days off, I worked all day. I don’t really have memories of playing with friends," he recalled.

" Opened a Barber Shop to Support Younger Brother's Education"

Heitaro Matsumoto’s younger brother, Tadashi, was an excellent student who dreamed of going to university. However, their uncle decided to send Tadashi to work at a laundry shop instead. Faced with this situation, Heitaro made a major decision.

"I gave up on going to high school so I could support my brother. I wanted to give my brother the chance to continue his studies. I figured that if I became a barber, I wouldn’t need to worry about inventory and could make a living with just my skills. So, I went to a vocational school, trained, and at the age of 19, I opened my own shop in Kumagaya, enabling my brother to attend Kumagaya High School."

Tadashi went on to graduate from Chuo University’s Faculty of Law , later working as the editorial bureau chief at Asahi Shimbun and serving as the principal of the Asahi Shimbun Journalism School..

Meanwhile, around 1965, Heitaro began to think, "The future belongs to the beauty industry." With women increasingly entering the workforce, he focused on developing haircuts and perms that were easy to style during the busy mornings before work. He traveled to Los Angeles and London, where he adopted the "Sassoon Cut" by Vidal Sassoon, a barber-turned-hairstylist whose techniques laid the foundation for modern global hairdressing. In 1978, Heitaro opened a cut-and-perm salon in Kichijoji.

His salon; “Matsumoto Hiratarou Biyiushitu”

The name of the business, Matsumoto Heitaro Beauty Salon, was created by taking the last characters from the names of my great-grandfather Tamehira, my grandfather Tachita, and my father Ichiro. I also hold dear the words of my mentor: "The trust earned through sincerity is the greatest asset." Carrying the names of my ancestors symbolizes my determination to uphold these words in practice.

The company eventually grew to operate 31 salons with hundreds of employees. It expanded beyond Tokyo to cities like Utsunomiya, Maebashi, and Koriyama. The guiding principles of the business were to provide high-quality services at affordable prices and to treat employees with care, including offering good working conditions. The company also took progressive steps, such as becoming one of the first in the industry to implement a complete no-smoking policy.

"In Place of His Late Father, He Honors His Uncle's Memory"

Alongside his business endeavors, Heitaro devoted himself to activities as a bereaved family member of a war casualty. He lost his uncle Goro in the Battle of Guam.

"My father deeply cherished his youngest brother, Goro. Goro was drafted right before his wedding. As a signalman, he was sent to Manchuria and then Guam. He sent exactly 100 letters to our home in Komagome during that time. Many were addressed to me. He wrote everything in katakana so that I, as a young child, could read them. The last letter we received from Guam seemed like a farewell."

One of the parts of letter that delivered from Goro to Heitaro

Heitaro's father often took the young Heitaro to the stonemason's shop when creating Goro's gravestone. "If my father had lived longer, he would have surely devoted himself to honoring Goro. As the eldest son, I must take on the responsibility of Goro's memorial services in his stead." He decided.

When Heitaro first participated in memorial services for the war dead in Guam, he was shocked. "I assumed that most remains had already been repatriated. However, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, out of the 19,135 Japanese soldiers who perished in Guam, only about 520 remains had been returned to Japan. While the average recovery rate for remains from areas where the Japanese military fought is around 45%, for Guam, it's just 3%. I knew something had to be done."

With the mountain where his uncle fought in the background

Responding to the establishment of Peace Ring of Guam by Japanese expatriates in Guam, Heitaro founded the Japanese counterpart, Peace Ring of Guam Japan. Today, the organization operates as an NPO, participating in annual memorial services in Guam and hosting similar events in Japan each March at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. The organization also advocates for the recovery of remains by petitioning the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and politicians, holding photo exhibitions, and organizing youth-oriented talks to raise awareness. However, progress remains slow.

"The Struggles of Recovering Remains: Facing Significant Barriers"

"Guam is U.S. territory, so we cannot simply recover remains based on Japanese wishes. Even if official documents confirm the location of remains, or if eyewitness accounts suggest possible burial sites, we cannot excavate without evidence from a radar or other means. There's a high legal barrier."

Even when official documents or testimonies confirm the presence of remains at a certain location, excavation is not permitted unless a radar specifically detects them or the remains are accidentally exposed due to some unforeseen circumstance. This significant legal barrier imposed by local regulations poses a major challenge to the recovery of remains. Additionally, there is a notable difference in motivation regarding the recovery efforts between bereaved families and other individuals.

Scenes from the remains recovery efforts

Heitaro recounted a specific incident:
"In November 2009, we received word that remains had been discovered at a water supply construction site. We managed to retrieve nine sets of remains by January 2010, but two still remained when the excavation was halted, and the site was refilled. I was told it was because the archaeologist was hospitalized and couldn't examine the remains. There were plenty of archaeologists, though! After about six years of persistent requests to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and politicians, the excavation resumed in 2016. However, the Japanese official told me, ' Please let this be the last time.' According to official documents, about 72 sets of remains were estimated to be buried there. On another occasion, a local explorer found remains in a cave, but when I asked to retrieve them immediately, the Japanese official said, 'It's the rainy season; wait until next year.' By the time the rainy season was over, the remains were gone. It’s heartbreaking that these soldiers cannot rest in peace."

"Approaching 80 Years Post-WarⅡ: Hopes for the Next Generation"

As Japan approaches the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the repatriation of remains remains incomplete. Meanwhile, fewer people who lived through the war remain, and its memories are fading. Heitaro hopes younger generations will inherit the responsibility of building a peaceful society and praying for the war dead.

"It’s crucial to prevent these memories from fading. Even the speeches at memorial services feel increasingly perfunctory. I want to ensure that the sacrifices of those who died in the war are not forgotten and that their memories are honored. I’m aging and don’t know how long I can continue, so I want to nurture successors to carry on this mission. Watching the news about conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine is deeply disheartening. While our efforts may be small, I hope they inspire Japanese youth to become advocates for peace."

The talk event held on March for teenagers

"People have varying views on the war, but personally, I often wonder: What was the purpose of that conflict? Some supporters of memorial services and recovery efforts still justify the war, saying it was to liberate Asia. While it's true that post-war independence movements in Asia were influenced by the war, how can a war that claimed the lives of 20 million Asians be considered liberating? How do we account for the many Japanese soldiers who starved to death, and the young lives cut short? Their families endured tremendous hardships in the aftermath. There is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘just’ war."

As the generation that directly experienced the war firsthand gradually passes away, Heitaroremains resolute that the war is not truly over until all remains are repatriated. He hopes that more people, across generations and perspectives, will take an interest in this cause.

English translation of Hotosena news article