Wow! Yet 2 more reasons why you should *never* give up on MIA's!
Posted on 05/26/2005 8:12:52 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Edited on 05/27/2005 12:51:25 AM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Just only a quick blurb in the top news segement today, but Mainichi News reports that two elderly Japanese men in their 80s have turned themselves into or otherwise presented themselves to Japanese authorities in the southern Philippines in Mindanao, apparantly "surrendering" or at least talking to them, after holding our for nearly 60 years in the Philippines following Japan's WWII defeat.
A remarkable story if true.
Japanese-language Mainichi news story is linked. It is unclear what their Imperial Army unit was, if they knew the war had ended, and other details. They were said to be talking now with Japanese officials in a hotel on the island of "General Santos".
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UPDATE!
The latest from what I can tell (3:00 a.m. Eastern Time Friday, May 27, 2005). And by the way, thank you for your kind comment.
A veteran of the Pacific War living in Saitama Prefecture in Japan, a "Teraishi san", who works with the War Survivor's Group, collects the remains of fallen Japanese soldiers. He is in his mid 80s.
He received a call from another man who is married to a woman in the Philipines, who was working to collect word in a forested area in Southern Mindanao. It was only yesterday that Terauchi received this international call from the Philippines which was rather frantic.
The woman had apparantly crossed into or had been in Muslim extremist controlled territory and had heard throught Moro fighters of the existence of "two elderly men from the Japanese army". Further, she got the information that they wanted to get out and passed it on to Japan, where it got to Terauchi.
Terauchi of course worked with the Japanese government who, through the Embassy in Philippines, to get the information.
There are still some survivors around from those days (much as WWII survivors are in the States), and they still look out for their own. Terauchi was in tears in the interview, saying the men were afraid of "Japanese Military Court Martial" if they returned to Japan, but of course he urges them to get back to Japan. This is from Yomiuri news. It is in Yomiuri, Mainichi, Fuji, NHK, Asahi, you name it.
I'll try to post any links to Japanese TV about this. The Moderate might also put (UPDATE) after this thread title if they could do so. Done.
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Families of the men in Japan are reported as amazed, shocked and ecstatic.
In the case of (Sgt?) Nakauchi, his sister thought he was dead all these years. She stated that even before the WWII ended, they received a report he was killed, and they even "received his remains" after wards (ikotsu, literally, 'bones') and had buried him and it was all behind them.
They even had a funeral service when the 'body' was returned to the town, but since it was not recognizable I suppose they would have no way of knowing. At any rate, they want the men home ASAP.
Yamakawa's brother said "he sure hung in there," and expressed the same thoughts.
Nakauchi's mother died some 23 years ago. The Japanese authorities had given notice to the family in June 1945 that Nakauchi had been killed. Nakauchi's relative said that if the mother were alive she would be very happy.
Nakauchi's 'gravesite' can even be visited in Kochi Prefecture. It just says his name and rank, and "June 15, 1944, Killed in the War, 28 years old" on it. By the way, I'm getting that the men apparantly are not both (83), but one I believe is 87 and the other 85--so the age might have been an inaccuracy.
War buddies of the two men, a few still around, such as one fellow in Hiroshima, a "Nagai" (84) only had reflective thoughts of how bloody their battles were and "well, that's amazing. 60 years. I want to say "yoku yatta" when he returns ('you really hung in there').
Another relative expressed some trepidation about returning after all these years, and the fact there may be Philippine families effected because (one or both, not sure) the men married locally there.
Not likely.
"That started from this tropic port
aboard this tiny ship..."
Wow! Yet 2 more reasons why you should *never* give up on MIA's!
Too much. I was just talking about this kind of thing about a week ago. But nothing like 60 years !!! I hope we hear more...
Japan is clearlyl a 'QUAGMIRE'!!!
If this turns out to be a true story, the Japanese will go crazy celebrating their return. Its interesting to note that the Japanese government didn't lift a finger to help its veterans in the first 15 years after the war. Large numbers of parents and grandparents of Japanese war dead were housed in countryside orphanages with virtually no food or heat assistance. Surviving soldiers who made it back were issued fresh uniforms, starched white, and provided a place to beg in front of national and religious shrines. It was shameful.
Sixty years????? HOLY CRAP!!!!!
Translate it with this:
http://world.altavista.com/
Just follow the instructions.
ping
With Kudos to www.Flashbunny.org for their hilarious magazine cover parodies...:)
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. . . unlike the French who surrender in 60 seconds!
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60 seconds? When did it ever take that long? That would be epic.
I think last combat action (company or batt size units) against the
Japanese was in 1956- give or take 2yrs. This from WW2 Magazine story in 2003(4?).
My tagline developed
from this exact reason as an answer to how long WOT will last.
We have faced tenacity before.....
And we will again. There's always someone who can't resist screwing with the US.
ping
Maybe. But then, I never had to fight against those guys, thank God. I can only imagine what some old Marine Corps vets would say if you asked them.
Any chance the JSDF can be given offensive capabilities, i.e., getting rid of anachronic Article 9???
Engrish prease?
Sorry......
If you are interest, the latest on this as of a few hours ago is that of the two, the Japanese government has the specific name and birthdate of one of them, and is cross checking the Public Welfare and Labor Ministry records (they handle Japanese WWII MIAs) for the same name and birthdate and details.
You are right. You have to respect that kind of committment.
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