The personal memoirs belonging to Masabumi Hosono, the sole Japanese survivor of the Titanic which sunk in 1912, will be on display at the Yokohama Minato Museum for a special exhibition beginning April 19.

Hosono was the grandfather of Haruomi Hosono, also known as Harry Hosono, a member of the influential techno music group, Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). The exhibition will be one of the featured items in the "Treasures collection," a special collection commemorating 25 years since the opening of the museum.

On the museum's home page, an announcement about the exhibition was posted accompanied by an antique looking photograph. The announcement reads: "On the pages of Hosono's memoirs is written detailed accounts of both the ship's collision with an iceberg, and his escape."

Documents and materials that survived the Titanic disaster are extremely rare. The pages of Hosono's memoirs were written on paper printed with the name and seal of the famous ship.

In 1912, Hosono, 42, was working for the Japanese Ministry of Transportation conducting research in Europe on the development of railway systems. After completing his work in Europe, Hosono had planned to return home via America.

After surviving the Titanic sinking, he returned home where he was vilified by the Japanese public, press and government for his decision to save himself rather than go down with the ship. He died broke and in obscurity in 1939.

His memoirs will remain on display until May 18.

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