About

We keep memories of history alive in an ever-changing world.

Our Story

Established in 2014, Pacific Atrocities Education aims to broaden public awareness of the history and impact of the Pacific Front of WWII, in which an estimate of 30 million lives were lost. 

Mission

Pacific Atrocities Education's mission is to increase awareness about atrocities committed in the Asia-Pacific Theater of World War II through public history projects. It is essential for future generations to learn about, understand, and share with others this devastating chapter of our world story. PAE is devoted to researching the past through archival material, interviewing elders for talk stories, publishing books, and creating educational resources on topics such as Korean comfort women, the Bataan Death March, Unit 731, and the Nanjing Massacre to help survivors find closure and reconciliation for these painful memories. Although the study of war memory and atrocities seems like a niche topic, it is important pertaining to contemporary issues today in Asia. 

Why it is important to examine atrocities in the modern world?

After the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8985 to Establish the Office of Censorship for the national interest and for troops' morale. It suppressed many reports on the Japanese-committed atrocities in the Far East for fear of causing public hysteria. Therefore, even though millions perished in the Pacific Theater of WWII, not much had been discussed or shared due to censorship. The Pacific-Asia War was way bigger than Pearl Harbor. As war documents get declassified, we can examine the past and study contemporary related issues. 
This lack of mainstream awareness of WW2 outside of the Western lens allowed the American people to be uninformed and indifferent about the heinous human rights violations affecting millions of thousands of miles away. This order set a precedent for much of the suffering during the war to go forgotten, still seen today with the media, memorials, and education curriculum's focus on the Western stories of World War II rather than those of the Asia-Pacific Theater. We exist to shed light on the events in this region, and during this period, to truly say "Never Again," one must understand what happened before. ​