50th Anniversary of the Fall of Phnom Penh: A Memorial Ceremony for Peace in Kanagawa

On November 29, 2025, community members, families, and supporters gathered at the Hiratsuka Art and Culture Hall for Acts of Memory 2025 – A Gathering for Remembrance and Peace. Organized by Alive in partnership with Rei Foundation Limited, the event marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh and brought people together to remember, reflect, and look toward a more compassionate future. The evening opened with a moving series of testimonies from first-generation survivors, followed by excerpts of video interviews with their children and younger relatives. They showed how memories of the Khmer Rouge era shape lives across generations. These memories carry not only the trauma of war and displacement, but also the resilience, creativity, and enduring hope within families and communities. The interview project has also created new connections and rekindled old ones throughout the community.

A candlelight remembrance invited participants to pause together and honor the countless lives lost. The quiet glow of candles filled the hall as attendees reflected on the stories they had heard and on the importance of preserving these memories before they fade with time.

The event also highlighted the launch of the Acts of Memory Japanese-language website, which features video interviews of survivors with Cambodian roots in Japan, and the Japanese-language version of Bophana Center's Khmer Rouge History educational app. Both of these open access to testimony, history, and community knowledge. These resources support learning and bring different generations into conversation, especially within Japan’s Cambodian diaspora, where younger generations rarely hear their families' histories firsthand.

Acts of Memory 2025 offered more than a commemoration; it was a reminder of the power of storytelling and the importance of carrying forward the voices of those who lived through one of the most painful chapters in Cambodian history.

For the Acts of Memory Japanese-language website, see here: https://memory.bophana.com/memory?category=acts-of-memory-in-japan&lang=ja&note_text=&search=&sort=function%20sort%28%29%20%7B%20%5Bnative%20code%5D%20%7D

And for Bophana Center's Khmer Rouge history app (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bophana.history&hl=en_NZ