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.
On Memorial Day Weekend?
http://www.kyodo.co.jp/photo/PN20050528/PN2005052801004765.-.-.CI0002.jpg
I wonder if they will get sixty years of back pay.
Since their employers long ago went out of business, (the Government of the Empire of Japan, and the Japanese Imperial Army), I do doubt it.
The IJA has ben out of business for quite a while, so there probably is no back pay coming. That said, I think the Japanese people will probably give them enough money that they don't need to worry much.
I'd like to see those guys expressions when they get to THAT website!
I never thought of that ... hmmm ....
[snicker[
And leave it at THAT.
I'd see if this Japanese local 'broker' in Mindanao that I am hearing about now would have much else to say, or turn down the offer perhaps. That would say a lot to me.
That is at least my thoughts at this point at 5:45 p.m. Eastern as we continue to follow the story.
My wife is from General Santos. I'm sure glad this situation waited to boil until after I left, I can only imagine the media circus it is now. I'm sure my former room, a presidential suite, is chock full of these media guys.
Saw this Japanese TV clip, report just now, at 7:10 p.m. Eastern / 4:10 Pacific Saturday:
http://www.bcast.co.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo/news.asx?cid=20050529-00000000-jnn-int-movie-001&media=wm300k
PING, and alert.
I'm reading the Japanese are down playing this event now. I'm wondering if they just want some of the media folks to go away.
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050529a2.htm
TOKYO (AFP) - Philippine rebels are demanding 232,000 dollars in ransom for the return of two elderly Japanese soldiers believed to have been hiding in the jungle since the end of World War II, a daily said.
Guerrillas controlling part of the lawless island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines initially demanded five million yen (46,000 dollars) in exchange for "delivering" the two men to Japanese authorities, the Mainichi Shimbun said, citing a Japanese businessman who reported their presence.
But the guerrillas have now raised the ransom to 25 million yen (232,000 dollars), the businessman said.
The newspaper did not say if the pair were being held against their will.
The Japanese embassy in Manila sent officials on Friday to General Santos city, 1,300 kilometres (806 miles) south of Manila, to meet the two men believed to be on the island.
While they have not been seen, Japanese media said they had been living in guerrilla-controlled mountains near General Santos until late this month. It is not known if they knew of Japan's surrender in August 1945 to Allied forces.
The Tokyo Shimbun, however, said the two elderly soldiers are expected to meet Japanese embassy officials in a few days.
"I will let the two meet embassy officials nearly next week," an unauthorized Japanese middleman who claims to have had contact with the two men told the daily on Saturday.
It was not clear if he was the same man as the businessman referred to in the Mainichi Shimbum report.
"I cannot reveal details of their meeting place, but the place is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) away from General Santos," said the unidentified man, who was on Mindanao collecting the remains of dead Japanese soldiers.
"The two soldiers left over there are now living with local guerrillas in the mountains," the negotiator said. "The guerrilla side has already agreed" to allow them to leave the rebel camp, he added.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050529/wl_asia_afp/japanwarphilippines_050529023615
JUST DAMNN AIT
I wonder if they have kin folks still alive in Japan
I'll provide what else is known at this time.
I will add that the Japanese news on NHK had it at story #2, and in a later broadcast at story #7.
I did hear and see the interview on NHK today with the MILF leader who said, 'there is no money that we demanded from the Japanese or nation or government or individual for that matter' to release the two. Of course, perhaps to his knowledge. Who knows what local guerilla commanders may have demanded, knowing the hopelessly CORRUPT nature of the Philippines.
I have some ways we could at least confirm if the bones in Sgt. Nakauchi's grave back in Japan are his or not, for sure (DNA kantei). I think that should be the next step if this goes into 'overtime.'
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