被爆体験継承の可能性を探る : 「被爆75年学生平和意識調査」の多領域横断型研究

The 75th Anniversary Student Survey was conducted to assess students’ knowledge of the main facts and figures regarding the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to explore students’ perceptions of three related topics: survivors’ experiences, the existing nuclear weapons, and students’ conceptions of peace. Responses to single- or multiple-choice questions and free text questions were analysed using a cross-disciplinary triangulation approach that combines descriptive statistics, quantitative text-content analytics, and critical discourse analysis. The results revealed variability in students’ awareness of historical and present nuclear issues, and in their readiness to take over the survivors’ mission to keep campaigning for peace. Education had a significant impact on students’ conceptions of peace. Specifically, those who had visited museums in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, experienced a face-to-face interaction with survivors, and/or had a classroom-based study of a related subject scored higher than their peers in basic knowledge. Citing the survivors as their source of inspiration, these students’ responses exhibited willingness to pursue peace with a global perspective. They are more likely than their peers to opt for a contextualized interpretation of the US decision to drop the atomic bombs. Further, they expressed scepticism of nuclear deterrence and showed varying degrees of expectation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. At the same time, the students expressed acute concern regarding the sustainability of peace in the future if and when the survivors’ testimonies become voices of the past.