War Orphans with Overseas Connections and Support for Them : Focusing on Religious Networks in the Areas Surrounding Atsugi Air Base

ガイコク　ニ　ツナガリ　ノ　アル　センサイコジ　ト　ソノ　シエン　アツギキチ　シュウヘン　チイキ　ニ　オケル　シュウキョウ　ネットワーク　ヲ　チュウシン　ニ

タカハシ, イズミ

Takahashi Izumi

宗教ネットワーク

戦災孤児

Atsugi Air Base

Religious networks

War orphans

After the end of World War II, Kanagawa Prefecture, which is home to Atsugi Air Base, and the surrounding areas were dealing with a large number of war orphans, leading to the establishment of a children's home in 1954 to provide protection for them. This paper sheds light on the characteristics of the Christian network in the areas surrounding Atsugi Air Base and explores the circumstances surrounding the support activities for war orphans at the time. Research and analysis showed that while the children’s home was primarily operated by a Catholic church and its stakeholders, support from the U.S. military was interdenominational.