
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 18, 1994                   TAG: 9407180079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG                                LENGTH: Short

STUDENTS GET WARM WELCOME ON JAPAN VISIT

Members of a group of Virginia college students who traveled to Japan to discuss ideas about peace and the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima said they were surprised at their reception.

Eight Randolph-Macon Woman's College students recently returned from a two-week visit with students at Jogakuin University. They were welcomed in Japan with generosity, curiosity and media attention.

Most of the students said they had expected animosity and blame for America's World War II bombing of Hiroshima. The bomb killed about 70,000.

"It surprised me how forgiving they were," said Peyton Dixon, one of the students.

"The Japanese took responsibility for their role as aggressors in World War II," said Jan Gardner, another student.

The college dialogue started off shaky, students said, because the Japanese students were unaccustomed to such an exchange. Getting them to share personal opinions was a problem.

"What was so incredible was at the end of this 10-day period, they were really talking about how they felt as individuals," Gardner said.

by CNB