Original subtitles

[light instrumental music]

[projector hums]

[Paul] I never really gave much thought

to my family's past to its history.

Looking through old film reels

I stumbled upon my brother Alex's birthday.

My grandfather was there.

My dad as a young man.

It was exciting to see old footage of my family

and particularly my grandfather.

[light instrumental music]

Actually I'm a little nervous too

because I've never talked to my dad before on camera.

It's all right.

[Paul] This is my dad

recorded shortly before he passed away.

[projector hums]

I wanted to talk to him about our family's history.

Because of my dad because of myself

we have become a military family.

[Paul] My dad was in Vietnam.

I myself joined the Navy.

But it all started with my grandfather

serving during World War II.

He was one that was on the flagship Missouri

when the Japanese people did their final surrender.

[Paul] The Japanese made their official surrender

aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2 1945.

As they would ask the officers to pile their swords up

that's where my dad got three Samurai swords

that we still have.

I think my sons have them right now.

[light instrumental music]

[Paul] When I was young the swords

were passed down to my brothers and I

but over time they ended up being stored away out of sight.

And just like my grandfather and my dad did

I packed up my sword and just let it sit collecting dust.

I mean for a long time I think it was expected of us

that we would display the swords on our wall

kind of like a mantle piece and it just didn't sit right.

It didn't feel good.

These swords they were the result of somebody

being defeated humiliated and it just

did not feel right to put that on display.

[Paul] Because my sword had been tucked away for years

I hadn't thought much about it.

But talking with my dad I realized that much like

my own family's history this sword had a story as well.

As impossible as it sounds if I were able

to track down my sword's original owner

and give it back maybe I could learn that story.

[light instrumental music]

[beeps and phone rings]

Hello do you speak English?

[Woman] No.

No?

Okay.

Is there someone who does?

No?

[beeps]

[Paul] To help me start the process of trying

to return the sword I reached out to Brad Bennett

a filmmaker friend of mine.

He's part Japanese and knew of some possible resources.

[Man] I'm sorry.

You want to bring back what?

We want to give back a surrendered sword

from World War II a Japanese sword.

[Man] Oh I see.

[Paul] Brad's grandmother was

kind enough to offer us help.

I came here to this country in 1960 as a war bride.

I met my husband in the airman's dormitory

and we did date but three months was all

and he asked me to marry.

It was very very difficult when I came here

to this country because I did not speak much English yet.

My husband's family welcomed me

and made me very comfortable to be in his home.

This one belonged to someone in the Navy an officer.

Name I can't say exactly but Asai Masaaki.

[Paul] Masaaki Asai the owner of the sword

and former officer in the Japanese Navy.

We now had a name.

[phone ringing]

[speaking in foreign language]

Yeah as we expected he doesn't really know

but he knows where to call and he said

if we send an email message to them

they will directly send it to the different

places that they know so that they can help.

[Woman] Do you happen to know his specific

[Paul] We spent weeks making contacts.

Cold calling Japan sending emails back and forth

and during that time it started to impress upon me

what returning a sword like this to Japan would mean.

Not only to people in Japan and the US

but for my family and if we could reach them

possibly Masaaki Asai's family.

[Paul] Okay all right well

[Woman] Thank you so much for your understanding.

I was raised in Japan and I've been told

that our ancestors' stuff is so important.

It's really important for Japanese people to have

their belongings even from really old time.

Something belonged to the ancestors like this

very very precious value to the family yes

definitely because we really almost worship ancestor.

[light instrumental music]

I think that if our grandfather

realized what we were doing with the sword

I think that his reaction would not be a positive one.

I think he was incredibly damaged by what he saw over there

by just in general war.

But we're two generations past that

and I feel that we're making a really good decision here.

I feel like this is the right thing to do.

I feel like forgiveness is in order

and should be granted by both sides.

[birds chirping]

[Paul] We met Jim Darden author and amateur historian.

His father spent almost four years in a Japanese

prisoner of war camp.

I don't feel that my dad's feelings for the Japanese

people was one of hatred or dislike.

He recognized them as a wonderful people

just like Americans but the people he was forced

to be in close confinement with

[Narrator] Lieutenant Poindexter's riflemen continued to

[Jim] He didn't like them at all.

It's fair to say that I think.

[Narrator] Finally became walking skeletons.

Allied forces came one step closer

to Japan in January of 1944.

But at the same time the people that were dealing

with them weren't the people of Japan.

[Interviewer] So your dad wouldn't care

if the sword was returned?

I don't think he would.

No I don't.

[Paul] I anticipated a negative reaction

from some of the World War II veteran's families

I reached out to but most seemed supportive of the idea.

However there was still one member of my own family

who I hadn't told about the project.

I was nervous.

I'm gonna try and return this sword to the family.

Okay.

This was a symbol of their

this sword it was a symbol of their aggression

against the rest of the world.

Everybody has his own opinion about it you know

and I can understand why you'd want to give this back.

Maybe it's best to do that.

Maybe that will make things a lot better.

Maybe it'll make a better world.

I don't know.

[light instrumental music]

The sword the meaning of a sword

it's connected and it's embedded

in the modern trajectory of Japan as a modern nation state.

And it's completely different from the meaning

that the sword had in the previous early modern period

the Tokugawa period so the sword in the pre modern

period was just a tools of the warriors.

Later on a marker of social distinction

become the embodiment of the military effort

of Japan's against the world.

[plane engines hum]

Talking about World War II is very difficult

and still politically alive and talking about World War II

still means to take sides.

[ominous instrumental music]

[guns fire]

[ominous instrumental music]

So I was walking down the streets of Osaka Japan

with my hands in my pocket and here this guard

tells me to take my hands out of my pocket.

And the interpreter kept arguing with me.

[Translator] You have no respect

for authority prisoner.

So the major got so excited

and he hit the desk with his fist.

And he says get all the POWs up

and we're gonna make an example of him.

And it was unmercifully the way they treated me.

Nearly every day I had something else to help fuel

[kicks thud and laughs echo]

my hatred.

It was extremely brutal from both fronts.

It was brutal for the United States soldier.

It was brutal for the Japanese as well.

[plane engine hums]

[plane engine hums]

This whole thing just had to happen.

Why did it have to happen?

Why did we have to go to war?

Why did we have to fight?

Why did we have to lose so many people?

What was the point of all of this destruction and death?

It seemed so meaningless when it all finished.

[light instrumental music]

Are we forgetting about World War II?

I'm afraid that probably we are.

The more we think about those years

the better it would be for us to make

our own decision for our future.

Just a very complex event brutal event.

60 million people died in those years

and something that we need to remember.

Returning the sword as difficult as it will be probably

can be the chance for us to re talk about this

to re engage with all these issues

a way to build bridges with the past.

Come to terms with the past.

Make bridges in the present between two different states

two different cultures like the United States and Japan.

[Paul] Building a bridge between two cultures

it seems like a lot for one sword.

Luckily we had made progress trying to return it

thanks to the Japanese Ministry

of Health Labor and Welfare.

They had actually identified Masaaki Asai's family.

But they couldn't give us their information.

The Ministry agreed to contact the family

but cautioned us there's no guarantee we'd get a response.

One of the contacts we made in our research was Paul Martin.

He's an expert in the field of Japanese swords

and formerly worked for the British Museum.

He offered to handle the logistics of getting

the sword into Japan so that if the family

was willing to receive it the sword could be there legally.

In talking with him we found out we needed some more

information about the sword.

[bell chimes]

I'm a militaria and a gun dealer

so I buy sell and trade everything from 500 year old

suits of armor down to Mussolini's ID book.

Historical artifacts are what I deal in

not surplus just historical artifacts.

Japanese swords are just a fascinating piece of history.

I have owned many hundreds.

I've handled literally thousands of swords.

The most important factor with the swords

trying to find someone who owned it is the tag.

Without this tag it would be virtually impossible.

There's just no chance unless it were a famous sword.

[bangs and taps]

Definitely a hand forged blade and it appears to be

a modern sword made in the 20th century

probably in the 1930's.

Totally hand made, true temper lined all the forging

techniques are obvious.

It's a very very very good quality sword.

The good news is that this sword is hand forged.

If we could find who this gentleman is or his family

this sword can legally be returned or sent to Japan

because this is a hand made sword.

If this were a machine made sword as in an arsenal made

blade with no artistic quality

it could not go back in the country.

They don't allow that.

They only accept true hand forged blades.

[light instrumental music]

Whether we'd be able to contact

the sword owner's family or not I wanted to be able

to take the sword over to Japan and learn about its place

in Japanese culture directly from the Japanese people.

[light electronic music]

Put you through.

Paul?

Paul's here with me Paul Ufema.

All right.

[Paul] Hi Paul.

It's a good name right?

[Paul] Yeah it's great. [laughs]

[Paul Martin] In planning for our trip we are trying

to figure out whether to mail the sword to Japan

or bring it with us on the plane.

Yeah yeah because if you bring the sword in through

Narita Airport you're gonna have a lot of problems

because you don't have a permanent address in Japan.

It's a real nightmare.

Is it?

So if you come in and you say I've got a sword

because they're treated like guns.

They take you out the back of customs

and then they call the police.

Flying out with a sword seemed like a major

headache but by mailing it there's no guarantee the sword

would clear customs by the time we arrived in Japan.

Well we have a couple days to think about it or one day.

Let's sleep on it.

You know what I mean?

But you want to take it to the airport?

You feel sold on that right now?

I feel like if a sword just shows up in Japan

they don't you know a random sword that's not

licensed or whatever that it's a piece of art

that they're going to confiscate it for a while.

[Paul] Can't we just say that we're shipping a poster?

I mean really?

A poster?

[Paul] Do we have to say that it's a sword?

Yes.

Why?

'Cause you're going international and for one

if they found out that it wasn't the sword.

You're shipping a poster that weighs as much as a freakin'

sword and when you go like this and shake it?

You shove it in a tube and you tape it shut.

[light instrumental music]

[Paul] Though we hadn't heard from the sword owners family

I was excited to be traveling to Japan

not only to learn about the sword itself

but to find out what returning the sword

would mean to the people of Japan.

[Announcer] Luggage and personal items

should be stowed either overhead.

70 years after the end of World War II

the sword was going back to its home country.

Oh so first red flag so far is that typically

you want all these to be know and the very first one

we have a restricted article.

We had to check yes because on the back side

restricted articles hunting guns, air guns, swords.

They actually say that here

so we're gonna be here for a little while.

Restricted article.

This is what we were afraid we might have to deal with

by bringing a sword into the country with us.

[Cameraman] So what's going on?

Brad just tried to go outside and meet with Paul Martin

and security chased him down and didn't let him go outside.

So we're at a standstill right now.

[light instrumental music]

Luckily Paul Martin came to the airport

to straighten everything out.

We were issued a temporary license

to carry the sword while in Japan.

After our 13 hour flight spending nearly three hours

with customs I was happy we were finally here.

[light instrumental music]

It still doesn't even feel all that real yet.

Like I still can't believe I'm totally like

on the other side of the world.

I'm ready.

I'm ready to do this thing.

[light instrumental music]

We headed to Tokyo to meet our host for the trip Kaz.

One of the things I do for a living is I train

professional coffee roasters and baristas in Tokyo

and I do consulting work for various cafes

and I also produce music. [laughs]

[light electronic music]

[Paul] Kazu took us to one

of his favorite coffee roasters.

The owner's father served in the Japanese

Navy during World War II.

The main thing that struck me while talking with the owner

of this coffee shop was just how much

his father's sword meant to him.

Even without a blade he still proudly displayed his sword.

For him the sword remained a symbol of his family's honor.

If you look at the history of the sword

in Japan it goes right back really

to the start of Japanese civilization.

[Paul] Alex Bennett in addition to being

a professor is also a major figure in the world of kendo

a Japanese martial art closely tied to the sword.

The sword you know it's always held a special place

as a connection between earth and heaven in the deities

but it was also used as an implement to train and forge

your own body and mind so this is

where the culture of kendo comes from.

It's not just a sport where you go out to beat other people.

One of the really important parts of kendo is it is not

so much a fight with your opponent as it is a fight

with yourself to rid yourself of impurities.

[grunting]

Through here like that.

[grunting]

Okay.

[grunting]

[laughs]

He's laughing at me.

[laughs]

Really important part of kendo is the noise.

[grunting]

Okay looking at me and you're trying

to knock me back with your voice.

And the voice is not coming from your throat.

It's coming from your gut right the way through so your

whole spirit you're trying to pour it all over them.

[grunting]

Good.

[grunting]

Oh beautiful.

It's not too bad eh?

First time.

Excellent man.

[Paul] Now it was time for an actual sparring match.

[light instrumental music]

[grunting]

Wait are you doing it to me?

[Alex] No you're doing it to him. [laughs]

[Paul] We started yelling and I'm like

he's going to hit me. [laughs]

Take two.

[grunting]

[light instrumental music]

[grunting]

[light instrumental music]

[grunting]

Okay in the middle and facing each other.

And come out.

First time to put gear on to be able

to go through like that it's brilliant.

It really is.

Thanks.

It was hard.

I mean I'm sweating puddles right now.

You can't tell.

But I feel like he took it easy on me at first.

But I felt like he started to let go

a little bit towards the end.

It wasn't scary because after he hit me the very first time

it didn't hurt at all.

Usually at the end of the training

we would all face each other and circle like this

and we'd through the bow one more time.

[Paul] How's that?

Beer o'clock. Beer o'clock.

Beer o'clock. [laughs]

I like the sound of that.

[Alex] Okay.

Kendo was exhausting.

[grunting]

But it gave me a sense of one of the ways

the Japanese sword is still a part of the culture today.

That night we hopped on the bullet train to visit Tobi

one of the exchange students

who helped us back in the States.

[light instrumental music]

Okay then twice so as you're doing it and then

Yeah.

Is that like a common thing or is that old school

or what is that?

I mean is that something I should be doing at all?

Well you don't have to because you're not Japanese.

It's something that like Japanese people have to do.

It's not like obligated to do it.

[Paul] It's just out of respect for the person?

[Toby] Respect yeah.

Would anybody be weirded out if I did it?

I can't speak for Japanese or not Japanese

but if I did it would they think that was nice of me

to do or would they be like oh he's trying

It's nice of you to do it.

[Paul] Okay.

[Tobi] That would be really beautiful I think.

[Paul] Okay okay very good to know.

[light instrumental music]

Well this is a typical Japanese shrine.

I don't know how old it is but it have been over 100 years.

Like is this gonna hurt my ears?

Many of these bells the bonsho were actually

taken from temples and shrines during World War II

and melted down for scrap metal to help with the war effort.

Since then most of the bells have been replaced

and bonsho have come to symbolize world peace.

That was really cool.

That was loud.

I wanted to give it a try.

It was really light weight.

I mean it was hard at all but it didn't hurt my ears

but it was just cool.

When Japan was occupied

the occupation force and the General MacArthur.

They directed all the samurai family members

to turn in those swords.

The government doesn't want the ordinary people

to keep their weapons either gun or sword.

At the same time sword with some Japanese families

still have special meaning.

The person who owned the sword

their daily life was very calm

until they feel the real physical

pressure from the U.S. forces.

They started preparing for the invasion.

They have no idea about how strong

the U.S. navy was at that time.

[guns firing]

[plane buzzing]

[distant exploding]

The general consensus was pacific

or World War II was a bad war.

In sharp contrast with the American culture

which defines it as a good war.

There is a lot of soul searching after the war.

And the general feeling was that the military is

or was to blame.

It was the military that lead Japanese society astray.

It was not a heroic thing for one to have fought in the war.

Veterans most of them were very reticent of their

wartime experience even to their family members.

Because it was generally not considered

a glorious thing to have fought in the war.

Even such members who sacrificed their life for

the country they are not regarded

as the hero of the country.

[crowds cheering]

[Paul] It's hard to imagine not having the support

of community like I did or my grandfather did.

Perhaps the World War II Japanese war veterans were seen

much in the same way as my dad coming back from Vietnam.

[light instrumental music]

After a long day of traveling

we finally return to Kaz's place in Tokyo.

Kaz wanted to introduce us to some coffeehouse owner

friends of his who were interested in our project.

The owners offered to take us out to dinner

and we were more than happy to take them up on it.

Cheers.

Cheers.

[Paul] They started asking about our documentary

so we talked about some of the things Yujin

and Admiral Koda brought up.

Do you wish that the people knew more?

It sounded like the current generation

didn't give much thought to what happened in World War II.

That some might be apathetic to the topic

just because they weren't taught about it.

[laughing]

Oh what happened?

I don't know.

She just was saying her belly hurt and she threw up

[Paul] Being away from my wife and kids

is hard no matter what but it's even more stressful

when they're 13 hours apart halfway around the world.

And so at two o'clock in the morning it was

all four of us in my bed and I couldn't move.

[laughing]

I couldn't go to sleep and I had to get up at 5:30.

And you're like Why the heck is Paul in Tokyo Japan

sipping on a cappuccino and I'm here

And I'm in here with puking kids.

[laughing]

Mommy.

Who's that?

Judah and Rhino are both up.

Judah what are you doing out of bed?

You wanna ask daddy something?

Daddy?

Yes?

How many minutes are til you get here?

I will see you in five days.

This trip was the longest I'd been away from

my kids and they were at those ages where it was hard

to understand what I was doing.

Bye honey.

Alright I love you.

I miss you.

Miss you too babe.

While we were in Japan we were hoping

we might here something from the sword owner's family.

There was nothing yet.

However one of the things we wanted to do here

was to make sure that if they reached out to us

at some point that the sword would

be able to stay in the country.

We had a temporary license to carry the sword during

our trip but it still needed to be

further authenticated in what's called a Shinsa process.

Luckily Paul Martin was guiding us through that.

And while we waited on the sword's licensing

Paul introduced us to a couple artisans

to give us some insight into the Japanese sword itself.

[water running]

It's a shame that there's like a 1500 year history of

Japanese swords but everyone

focuses on the second world war.

The Japanese sword has a much more long history

which is much more fascinating than five years

of the second world war.

So originally swords were imported from the mainland

from China and Korea.

And these were straight swords.

And eventually a curve was brought

into the Japanese sword and perfected.

The early blades were used for calvary warfare.

Whereas when you get to the Muromachi Period

it's mass infantry warfare.

Once you move into the Edo Period and there's relative

peace throughout Japan this is where lots of the dojos

arise because out of work samurai started fencing schools.

Sword making goes into decline post Meiji period.

Samurai are banned from wearing swords post 1876

and then it becomes revived as propaganda

with Japan's Imperial Expansion into Asia.

[Paul] Paul Martin was excited to be able

to take a closer look at my sword.

You know it's obviously made around the time

of the second world war.

Well it looks like somebody's

been practicing with this sword.

I mean it's got lots of nicks in the cutting edge

and even in the back as well.

So it looks like

Do you know something that I don't know?

[Paul] My brother had a friend

come over and they fought with it.

That's what it looks like.

[Paul] While not very noble my family did contribute

to the sword's history once it

was in my grandfather's possession.

There was a reason our swords

were hidden for most of my life.

So my best friend Scott and I

had to make a movie for english class.

We knew where dad kept the Japanese swords.

And he kept them in his bedroom closet.

And I knew exactly where and when he wasn't home

I made sure to grab a couple of them

one for Scott and one for myself

and we headed out to the woods.

We propped up a video camera on a log and we had

this whole fight scene choreographed.

I would go like this with the sword at this head

he would duck the sword would go into a tree.

He would do one of these things I would do one of

these things and I guess I miscalculated where he was

and my sword felt like it had gone through butter.

[kid screaming]

He had a mask on so I couldn't see his expression.

I stabbed him through the shoulder.

And he took his mask off.

I pulled the sword out and blood just went

all over the place.

He was in shock.

He started to stumble towards me

and he collapsed into my arms.

And I remember taking his arm putting it around my

shoulder leading him down the trail back to the house.

Mom and dad get home.

We're not there cause we're at the hospital.

There's blood all over the kitchen

with no explanation whatsoever.

Imagine that.

[laughing]

[Paul] The Japanese sword mine included

certainly has a rich history.

And to some like the artisans who are still

crafting them today the sword isn't just a sword.

But for most people especially the younger generation

growing up I wondered how they felt.

I was curious what people would think if they were

given back a sword from World War II.

My generation we haven't seen swords

in our regular living spaces.

Basically they are artifacts from the past.

I wouldn't say a lack of interest but certainly

a lack of knowledge and understanding of the symbolic

significance of a return of a sword that has this history

and it may be lost on a lot of the younger people.

Because they really really have a massive hole

in their knowledge about the war which is

You know I guess you could say the Japanese education

was designed not to teach too much about that kind of thing.

A lot of academics including myself find the perspective

of history and education and especially the history

of World War II education rather problematic.

It's a very linear and simplified narrative

that really doesn't talk about for example

the actions of the Japanese military in fight

with Americans in the Pacific Islands for example.

Japanese people have this sense of taboo.

Oh we don't want to talk about the war.

Let's just forget about the war.

Let's forget about the tragedy.

Let's forget about what Japan

did to all those Asian countries.

Let's forget about what the United States did to us.

Let's just say that yes that was a very expensive

lesson that we had to learn and let's just put that aside.

That's one of the reasons people don't necessarily

show interest in swords now these days in my generation.

Paul I just got an email from Paul Martin.

He basically said that the sword

did go through licensing successfully.

I'm such at like

I'm such at odds with it.

Just the fact that staying here with Paul Martin.

There's just gonna be more research more time invested

and plus I'm tired and Kaz is tired of us.

[laughing]

I'm just joking he's really cool.

But I would want people out of my house by this point.

[laughing]

No you guys can stay.

It's such a tough thing to talk about now.

It's like yeah I mean the ultimate goal is for

the family to get the sword and I will be very excited

if that goal is accomplished.

But I don't, some of me wants to keep it.

But definitely if we're not able to find the family

I will be excited without hesitation

to bring the sword back home with me.

[rain falling]

When I had the idea to return the sword to Japan

there was no guarantee that the

family would even be interested.

It had been nine months since the

Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare

notified the family of our search and still no word.

We had hit a dead end.

And though we were leaving the sword with Paul Martin

in Japan for the time being we knew that at this point

getting in touch with the family probably wouldn't happen.

I was actually feeling okay with that.

I was starting to form a connection with it

a connection that wasn't there before.

If you cannot locate the family members and you fail

to return this sword to the family members

if I were you I would bring the

sword back to the United States.

If he can't find the family it's,

you know it's become part of history.

How this sword got to you.

You tried to find the family you couldn't find the family.

You know so maybe you should keep it in your family

and pass it down to your children

and tell them the story of your father and your grandfather.

Sure returning something to the family is important

but the gesture is what really matters more than the sword.

[Paul] Trying to return this sword I got to see

and learn so much about the Japanese culture

that I didn't know anything about before.

On a personal level the sword had

become a bridge between two countries.

And whether or not it would find its way into the hands

of its original owner it meant a lot more to me now

than it had before we set out on this journey.

[light instrumental music]

So basically this is a letter we got back

from the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare.

So they've been acting as kind of the liaison

between us and the family and so we waited

several months for the response.

And so here it is.

Dear Mr. Bennett thank you for your cooperation

in returning an article left behind by a Japanese soldier.

We wish to inform you that we conducted a study

to find the owner of the service sword.

As a result of this study we have identified

the original owner of the sword as the person

provided in the items below.

We would also like to inform you that the concerned

persons have expressed their desire to receive the sword.

We therefore request that you contact them directly

to make arrangements for its return.

Yeah.

This is awesome.

My word.

So we're going back.

I mean this is incredible.

I mean this is gonna be a success.

We had received contact information

from Masaaki's sister as well as his daughter.

I wish that he was still alive so we could hear from him

but just the fact that we're gonna be able

to hand this down to his kids is really incredible.

Just as the sword was handed down to me.

So we were on our way back to Japan.

Back to return a sword to a family

that hadn't seen it in decades.

I was anxious to find out about who Masaaki San was

and what the sword meant to him and his family.

But even more so I was excited about finally

being able to return my sword to its rightful place.

A reporter from the Japanese Broadcast Network NHK

contacted us while we were stateside.

She wanted to interview me and asked to accompany us

as we traveled to Seto to meet with the family.

Well we are officially on our way

to meet Asai's family which

you know Paul Martin and I were talking and I was

just telling him about how nervous I was.

And he was like stop.

He was like they're gonna be flipping out excited

and they're gonna be so grateful for what you're doing.

And you don't really have to even do anything.

And that did make me feel a little bit better

but you know now that we're officially on our way

I am nervous.

I mean I have no idea what to expect.

I have no idea.

I don't know what this is like.

Of course this is the first I've ever done this.

And not only is it the first time I've done it

I can't even read about it.

You know what I mean?

So I can't read and read about other people's experiences

going through something like this

so this is completely new to all of us.

Talking with the family especially

through a translator it was difficult at first.

But things started to open up when we talked about

our families and our connection to the sword.

Things then shifted to Masaaki San.

This is Miyoko Asai Masaaki San's sister.

Naomi is Masaaki San's daughter.

Looking through all these photographs

it was clear to see how attached Masaaki San

was to his sword and how important it was to him.

When I was younger I could only imagine

who must have owned my sword originally.

But now I could see him as a real person

with a family just like my own.

The next day we prepared for a special ceremony.

[Paul's Son] Daddy!

[Paul] Yes?

[Paul's Wife] Drew got his Halloween costume.

Can you see it?

Alright let me see.

Is that a ninja?

[Paul's Wife] Yep.

Nice.

Yeah we love ninjas here.

[children laughing]

Hey we're returning the sword this morning.

[Paul's Son] Really?

[Paul's Wife] Today you're returning it?

Yep yep.

So handle is to the left

cutting edge is toward yourself.

Okay.

You know so that

traditionally you're holding the sword in such a way

that you can't draw it yourself

and that the dangerous side is facing you.

And just bow your head and present the sword like this.

Okay.

What you're actually doing is

offering your neck and the sword.

So you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position

which is humility.

I thought I'd be having like all kinds of mixed emotions

today but like all that's on my mind right now

seriously and completely clouding everything else

is don't screw this up and I'm constant racing

through my mind like everything that Paul Martin

taught me this morning.

It's so crazy too because like so much has been done

to accomplish this and it's even been a couple of years.

And it's all come down to like five seconds.

Yeah I'm nervous.

[light instrumental music]

It was surreal.

Sitting with Miyoko at the Asai family alter

finally being able to return her brother's sword.

Even after spending so much time in Japan

learning about the sword and what giving it back might mean

I never could have anticipated Miyoko's reaction.

It's incredible to believe that one sword brought

together two families from opposite sides of the world.

Perhaps now the sword could

be a sign of peace and forgiveness.

And that the story of the sword is something

I'd be able to pass down to my kids.

[light instrumental music]

World War II is not past.

It's not the past at all.

It's still alive and well today.

Forgetting it will produce even more violence.

Taking responsibility or making sense of what happened

is the beginning of making peace with the past

in order to have a future.

[Paul] Returning the sword to its original owner

I realized it was more than a sword.

It was a reminder not only of Japan's cultural history

but of a time when the U.S. and Japan were locked in war.

Both countries were responsible for terrible atrocities.

And as important as it is to remember those things

we also need to be able to forgive what happened.

As someone said resentment is like drinking poison

and waiting for the other person to die.

Because if you're bitter that bitterness

can take over your life and it can consume you.

I never was taught to hate anybody.

I got far enough in life and I knew I wasn't gonna live

forever and I said I've got to get rid of this stuff.

I had to forgive.

Forgive don't forget.

Do not forget about what happened.

Forgive the person.

It's a kind of human connection

a human atonement so to say.

We shall never forget.

[light instrumental music]

A U.S. citizen who's grandfather fought in World War II

has visited Japan with a special gift for a Japanese family.

He's reunited them with a precious heirloom

they thought was lost forever.

The gift has created a bond between two families

that once stood on opposite of the conflict.

NHK World's Jun Yotsumoto has the story.

[Jun] Paul Ufema is Japan on an unusual mission.

He's trying to bring closure to a journey

that began in World War II.

Ufema's grandfather was stationed

on the Marshall Islands during the war.

After Japan surrendered he took a sword

that had belonged to a Japanese soldier.

Ufema decided to try and track down the original owner.

The sword belonged to Masaaki Asai.

He was stationed on Wake Island in the North Pacific

and captured by the Americans.

After his release he returned home and lived until 1992.

He never found out what happened to his sword.

Miyoko Asai is Masaaki's sister.

She says she feels that he can now rest in peace.

[calm music]