Shokeikan Museum for Wounded Soldiers, Tokyo
Opened in Tokyo in 2006, the Shokei-kan Museum for Wounded Soldiers is dedicated to outlining the hardships experienced by sick and wounded Japanese soldiers and their families throughout World War II and the years following. Funded by the national government, the museum was opened in response to lobbying from the Japanese Disabled Veterans Association. In Japanese, the name Shokei-kan breaks down to mean inherit (Shokei) and museum (kan).
Through the use of material collections, interpretation panels and a large collection of oral testimonies the museum reveals the difficulties many individuals endured as a result of being injured or contracting illness whilst in battle. The audio-visual and written testimonies highlight themes such as medical treatment on the frontline, hospital ships, rehabilitation after discharge and living with war wounds and sickness – a feature that allows visitors to engage and connect with the museum content on a more personal level.
In addition to the exhibition space, the museum also hosts a small library and database. The library, which is available to visitors, collects material on medical treatment and memoirs written by sick and wounded servicemen, whilst the database allows visitors to search for official records and visual testimonies of Japanese soldiers who were inflicted with sickness and injury during the war.