Request for your support
Today, we live in an age of frequent disasters, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Türkiye-Syria earthquake, and many other disasters that occur every year. However, the "memories of disasters" are overwritten and forgotten with the passage of time.
In order to make the most of these “memories of disasters” and the people’s experiences to the next generation, it is necessary to share and pass on the memories of disaster victims to society as a whole. However, such precious memories of individuals will eventually be lost due to aging and death.
In order to share "individual memories" and preserve them as "social memories", it is necessary to create a system to preserve and record the memories that have happened and will occur again in the future.In this sense, "digital archive" are important as a foundation for preserving and sharing such memories and passing them on to the future.
The Hidenori Watanave Laboratory has been developing and operating a "Digital Archives Series" since the 2010s on such themes as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the war in Ukraine, and the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, they have been developed and operated mainly with annual research funds, and there are concerns about their sustainability. In addition, we would like to incorporate advanced technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence into these archives with the cooperation of many people to develop more user-friendly archiving systems. Therefore, we need donations to fund these efforts.
By building a "digital archive" with this donation and communicating the "memories of disasters" to the world, we seek to create a motivation for society to "learn from the past and apply it to the future". The participation of young people, including students, will make these activities highly sustainable.
We hope that as many people as possible will support and cooperate with this project toward the realization of a peaceful and strong world that will confront war and disasters.
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo
Professor Hidenori Watanave
Passing on Memories through Digital Archives
In an era of frequent wars and serious disasters, we will develop and operate a "digital archive" to pass on the "memories of disasters" to the future, utilizing cutting-edge technology and the power of the younger generation.
Major Project Initiatives
Development of a new generation of digital archiving systems
Development of a new generation archive system utilizing VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), AI (artificial intelligence), etc.
Development of leaders who will take the lead in passing on the memories
Education of the "younger generation", mainly students, who will be the primary inheritors of memory, and collaboration with overseas educational and research institutions, including those in the disaster-affected areas.
Cooperation with disaster-stricken areas
Cooperation with disaster-stricken areas in Japan and abroad based on digital archives, and support for reconstruction of communities threatened by disasters.
Related Links
Hidenori Watanave Laboratory, UTokyo
