Memorial Museum for Soldiers, Detainees in Siberia, and Postwar Repatriates, Military history museum on 33rd floor of Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, Japan
The museum sits on the 33rd floor of a high-rise office building and displays letters, photographs, and personal belongings of wartime participants. The exhibits include reconstructed scenes from camps and show what happened to soldiers and civilians in the years after the fighting ended.
The institution was founded in 2000 to document the experiences of Japanese prisoners of war held in Soviet camps after World War II ended. It focuses on their difficult journey home and their struggle to rebuild their lives in Japan.
The displays here share personal stories of people who experienced captivity and forced labor after the war. You can see how these experiences shaped families and shaped the way Japanese people understood suffering and resilience.
You can reach it easily from Tochomae Station and it is open most days of the week, closing only on Mondays. The building is accessible to people with limited mobility, and there is no admission fee.
The museum displays handmade items that prisoners crafted during their internment in Siberian camps. These objects are remarkable evidence of how people maintained creativity and dignity even under the harshest conditions.
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