Japanese War Orphans in Manchuria : Forgotten Victims of World War II

Japanese war orphans left behind in Manchuria at the end of World War II are forgotten victims of the war. These 5,000 children were trapped in the strained postwar Sino-Japanese relationship, grew up in China, were bullied as “little Japanese demons,” and then were persecuted as “Japanese spies” during the Cultural Revolution. They experienced every imaginable human atrocity: they were shot or stabbed with bayonets, witnessed group rape, massacres, and mass suicide, became displaced persons in an enemy country, and lost their identities. They endured what the American soldiers and the Guant?namo Bay Prison inmates combined encountered--near fatal injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, interrogations, and torture. Upon delayed repatriation four decades later, they were despised as “Chinese” in their homeland. This original book demonstrates that they are another group of victims of Japanese militarism, in addition to the Chinese and Korean “comfort women” and forced laborers. The orphan issue is an integral part of the Japanese government’s war responsibility. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Photographs and Tables......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Notes on the Text......Page 16 List of Abbreviations......Page 18 1 Introduction......Page 26 2 Background: Illusory Empire and Great Migration Campaign......Page 36 3 Ill-Fated Diaspora of Japanese Farmer-Settlers......Page 52 4 Early Postwar Era: Repatriation of Japanese and International Politics......Page 64 5 Plight of Orphans During Postwar Era......Page 86 6 Initial Search for Orphans: Volunteer Groups and Official Missions......Page 98 7 Barriers to Repatriation: Reestablishing Identity and Domicile......Page 110 8 Barriers to Repatriation: Guarantor/Receiver Requirement......Page 126 9 Japanese Women Left Behind in China......Page 140 10 Orphans' Struggles for Settlement......Page 154 11 Struggles of Orphans' Spouses and Offspring......Page 170 12 New Obstacles: Retirement and Pensions......Page 184 13 Class-Action Lawsuits......Page 198 14 Verdicts......Page 210 15 Conclusion: Orphan Issue and Sino-Japanese Relations......Page 230 Appendix......Page 244 Notes......Page 250 Bibliography: I......Page 266 Bibliography: II......Page 274 C......Page 280 F......Page 281 I......Page 282 L......Page 283 M......Page 284 P......Page 285 S......Page 286 T......Page 287 X......Page 288 Z......Page 289 Japanese war orphans in Manchuria are the forgotten victims of the Asia-Pacific War and Sino-Japanese relations, and this is an integral part of the Japanese government's'postwar settlement'issues concerning its war responsibility and compensation.