Astro Captain mechanical toy
Creator: DAIYA
Date: between 1950 and 1970
The Astro Captain's plastic arms and tin legs move when wind up key is wound. It is mostly made of tin and was made in Japan by DAIYA and imported and distributed by MEGO. It was made between 1955 and 1970. Japan dominated the production of toy robots after World War II. The U.S. "Space Race" to explore the solar system in the late 1950's to early 1970's generated huge public interest and a large market for space related products.

Bombing of Hiroshima, Japan
Creator: Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas
Date: August 6, 1945
A photograph taken of the atomic cloud rising over Hiroshima on Shikoker Island, Japan. A member of the 20th Air Force shot this photograph with a 152 mm lens at 25,000 feet after the bomb exploded. Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, the first on the city of Hiroshima and the second on Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. Six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers.

Box part
Date: between 1942 and 1945
Part of a cardboard box that once held rations sent by the American Red Cross to Prisoners of War. Colonel James C. Hughes acquired this ration box while being held as a Prisoner of War (POW) by the Japanese during World War II. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. In 1942, he was captured by the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula and spent the next 41 months in various Japanese POW camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Child's bowl
Creator: Noritake
Date: between 1914 and 1921
This child's porcelain bowl on three feet is hand painted with a repeating pattern of a crouching bunny in a rust-colored jacket. Marked Noritake / Nippon, this bowl was made in Japan prior to 1921.

Coast Guard at Saipan, Japan
Creator: United States Coast Guard
Date: Between June 15, 1944 and July 19, 1944
This black and white photograph shows the United States Coast Guard at the controls of a LCVP boat filled with U.S. Marines near the waters of Saipan, Japan. The Marines are showing the "V" for Victory" sign after the Battle of Saipan that cost nearly 10,000 American casualties.

Coast Guard at Saipan, Japan
Date: Between June 15, 1944 and July 09, 1944
This black and white photograph shows a number of United States Coast Guard Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel, (LCVP's), navigating the waters near Saipan, Japan after the Battle of Saipan.

Col. William Menninger at the 99th Evacuation Hospital in Japan
Date: Between 1945 and 1950
This is a photograph of Clark Barnade (second from left),Col. Will Menninger (third from left), Eli Ginsburg (fifth from left), Col. Rice (far right) at the 99th Evacuation Hospital in Japan.

Frank Darrell Timken in Kyoto, Japan
Date: April 1954
This is a photograph of Frank Darrell Timken, who served in the 196th Field Artillery Battalion during the Korean War. The photograph was taken while he was on R&R in Kyoto, Japan. Frank Darrell Timken was from Cimarron, Kansas.

Glenn Cunningham receiving an ancient warrior's helmet
Creator: Acme News Pictures, Inc
Date: October 07, 1934
This is a photograph showing Glenn Cunningham, captain of the American track team, receiving a helmet from Educational Minister Genji Matsuda after the American team defeated the Japanese athletes. The two teams competed in the International Track and Field meet at the Meiji Shrine Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Prince Yasuhito Chichibu, the eldest brother of Emperor Hirohito, is on the right.

He needs more than guts! Until Japan is whipped
Date: Between 1941 and 1945
This World War II poster is encouraging Americans to take their scrap metal to their local salvage depot to help with the war efforts.

Infancy research project at the Menninger Clinic, Topeka, Kansas
Date: 1974
Dr. Nancy Shand and Dr. Kogawa conducted research on infant rearing practices in Japan and the United States. They analyzed the interaction of Japanese and American mothers with their infants to trace the child's development into the cultural norms.

James Asbury Power, Jr.'s World War II photograph album
Date: 1945-1946
This is James Asbury Power, Jr's World War II photograph album. He was a member of the 3291 Signal Base Depot Company serving in Japan. Included in the album are photos of Camp Smith, New York; Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokuska, and Nikko, Japan; Roosevelt Park; Pacific Stars and Stripes…the First Year, Sept. 2, 1946; Order to Report for Induction; IRTC Handbook Camp Blanding, Florida; and a document thanking Power for his service.

Japanese flag
Date: 1944
White silk inscribed Japanese flag. These flags were given to Japanese soldiers during World War II. Carried for good luck, the flags were adorned with patriotic phrases by family and friends. Allied soldiers in the Pacific Theater often captured the flags and brought them home as trophies. Markings indicate this flag belonged to a Japanese Naval officer stationed at Nanjing, China, and Kure Naval Base, Japan. The flag was acquired in Leyte, Philippines, site of a major battle between Japanese and Allied forces in 1944.

Jim Stokes video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Stokes, Jim (James, Jr.)
Date: June 15, 2007
Jim Stokes enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served until 1947 on the USS Erben, Third Fleet. He was originally classified 1-E, which meant that he could not be drafted or enlist. He wanted to be in the Navy and the interview describes what he had to go through to get his draft status changed. He also describes these confusion about being drafted into the Army at the same time his Navy enlistment was being processed. He trained at Tufts College, Medford, Massachusetts, and Cornell in Ithaca, New York. He was sent to San Francisco because he assigned to the USS Erben, a destroyer. He participated in campaigns in Okinawa and Tokyo, Japan. Interviewed by Brian Grubbs on Jun 15, 2007, Stokes talked about military experiences in the Second World War. Stokes was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, August 11, 1922, and was attending North Carolina State University in engineering when the war began. He used the G. I. Bill to finish college. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Watkins Community Museum of History (Lawrence) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Kansas Centennial salt and pepper shakers
Creator: Norcrest
Date: 1961
This set of salt and pepper shakers, designed to resemble shocks of wheat, was produced by Norcrest of Japan. They were manufactured to commemorate the Kansas Centennial in 1961 and highlighted the state's significant role in wheat production. In the early 20th century, wheat was commonly bundled in shocks during the harvest.

Leo Smith video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Smith, Leo
Date: September 25, 2007
Leo Smith enlisted in the Army (Air Force) in 1941 and served until 1945 in the Sixtieth Air Depot Group. Interviewed by Deborah Pye on September 25, 2007, Smith talked about military experiences in the Second World War. Smith was born at his farm home in Jefferson County on January 1, 1924. He attended Valley Grove School and McLouth High School, graduating in 1941. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 14, 1941. He did his basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and he received clerical training at Chillicothe, Missouri. His first assignment was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His was sent to the Pacific and spent tim in New Guinea and Okinawa, Japan. He attended college on the G. I. Bill. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Watkins Community Museum of History (Lawrence) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Lewis Glynn Magouirk
Date: 1945
A photograph showing Lewis Glynn Magouirk, a member of the 229th Platoon United States Marine Corp. He served in the South Pacific during World War II. This photograph was taken in Sasebo, Japan. Magouirk was from Cimarron, Kansas.

Mary E. B. to Sarah Brown
Creator: B., Mary E.
Date: August 31, 1863-September 5, 1863
This letter, written by Mary E. B. from West Acton, Massachusetts, was addressed to her cousin Sarah Brown, daughter of John Stillman Brown, a Unitarian minister who lived west of Lawrence, Kansas. Mary expressed her thankfulness that the Brown family was safe following the attack on Lawrence and the anxiety she and other family members felt reading national accounts of it. Mary added to her letter the following week, again mentioning the "desolation and destruction abroad in our beloved country." She also briefly mentioned political conflict with Japan.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, Ambassador Howard Baker, Laura Bush and President George Bush
Creator: White House (Washington, D.C.)
Date: February 18, 2002
This is a photograph showing Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, United States Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker, Laura Bush and United States President George W. Bush in Japan. Nancy's husband Howard Baker served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005. This photograph was taken during President Bush's visit to Japan in 2002.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker with President George Bush and Laura Bush
Creator: White House (Washington, D.C.)
Date: February 18, 2002
Here are photographs showing Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker with President George Bush and Laura Bush in Japan. Nancy's husband Howard Baker served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005. These photographs were taken during President Bush's visit to Japan.

Plate
Creator: Nagoya Potteries Shippo Kaisha
Date: between 1891 and 1921
This white porcelain plate has raised elements and is decorated with an image of a mountain, flowers and bamboo. The plate's mark, "SHOFU," indicates the Nagoya Potteries in Japan produced it between 1891 and 1921.

Prisoner of war bowl
Date: between 1942 and 1945
Aluminum bowl with Japanese characters on the bottom. The bowl belonged to Colonel James C. Hughes, whom the Japanese held as a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II. Hughes had few possessions while in the camps; this bowl was among them. The etching on the bowl indicates that he used it while in Tarlac, a province in the Philippines. Tarlac was home to Camp O'Donnell, a prisoner of war camp that was the end destination for men on the Baatan Death March. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. In 1942, he was captured by the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula and spent the next 41 months in various Japanese POW camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Prisoner of war bowl
Date: between 1942 and 1945
Aluminum bowl with Japanese characters on the bottom. "JHC PW TARLAC" is crudely etched into one side of the bowl. The bowl belonged to Colonel James C. Hughes, whom the Japanese held as a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II. Hughes had few possessions while in the camps; this bowl was among them. The etching on the bowl indicates that he used it while in Tarlac, a short-lived POW camp for high-ranking officers in the Philippines. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. In 1942, he was captured by the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula and spent the next 41 months in various Japanese POW camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Prisoner of war cup
Date: between 1942 and 1945
Small aluminum cup with handle. The cup belonged to Colonel James C. Hughes, whom the Japanese held as a prisoner of war during World War II. Hughes scavenged for some of his possessions while in the POW camps; the cup once belonged to another soldier who died while incarcerated. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. In 1942, he was captured by the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula and spent the next 41 months in various Japanese P.O.W. camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Robot mechanical toy
Date: between 1959 and 1971
Robot's legs and arms move when turned on. The Horikawa Company in Japan made this robot between 1959 and 1971. Japan dominated the production of toy robots after World War II. The Horikawa Company, who used the trade logo SH, was one of the most prolific makers of battery-operated toys such as this one. The U.S. "Space Race" to explore the solar system in the late 1950's to early 1970's generated huge public interest and a large market for space related products.