Yukiko: A Japanese in China's army

[Shen Nong]

cctv.com 09-01-2005 17:12
http://www.cctv.com/english/20050901/102151.shtml

In 1922, Japan started sending thousands of settlers to China's Northeast, under the pretext of developing the region. The real purpose was to occupy the land for a future invasion. After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War Two, Tokyo abandoned many of the settlers. Among them was a teenage girl, Yukiko Yamabe, and her family. They turned to local Chinese for help. Yukiko even joined the People's Liberation Army. She's made it her life's work to be an ambassador of peace between the two countries.

Yukiko was two years old when the Japanese troops invaded Northeast China in 1931. Now 70 years old, Yukiko lives in Tokyo. But part of her will always be in China.

Yukiko Yamabe said: "60 years ago, my family lived in Northeast China. The Japanese there were very scared after Japan's unconditional surrender. But one day, a Chinese soldier came to borrow a pan from my family. My mother thought he'd probably never return it. To our surprise, one week later, the soldier returned the carefully cleaned pan with two precious radishes, and thanked us. This changed our view towards the army. And I enlisted."

Yukiko's six years as an army nurse took her to many places. And she married a fellow soldier--another Japanese.

Yukiko said: "When I had my own children, I began to better understand the cruelty of the Japanese militarism and invasion. And I wondered how many lives the militarism killed and how many disasters it caused. I returned to Japan with these questions."

Yukiko returned to Japan in 1953 and later joined the Japan-China Friendship Association. She dedicated herself to the Japanese peace movement. And when the biological warfare crimes of the Japanese military Unit 7-3-1 were exposed in the 1980s, she wanted the world to know the truth.

Yukiko said: "People need to know history. So we've been investigating the chemical weapons abandoned by the Japanese troops and the victims of Unit 731. We're prepared for the difficulties and we're not afraid."

Yukiko is one of the principal investigators of the Unit 731 war crimes. She's interviewed many survivors and documented evidence in video and photographs.

But she says the current political atmosphere means the road to justice and peace is still long and complicated.

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Editor: Wang Ping Source: CCTV.com

[MIGleader]

thats what i call a good jap. hopefully, more chinese can see this side of japenese people and lose their hate...

[Obcession]

A lot of Japs are good, they're just ignorant of the past. If they actually knew the truth 90% of them would be like her.

[T-U-P]

i've heard that in the news a few days ago. there're a number of japanese that are just like her and are helping the chinese to reveal the truth of the history.

[shichiroji4]

The us vs them mentality is often dangerous. If only we can all see each other as individual human beings, most of the reasons for war would have been long gone.

[PiSigma]

it's not the peopel, it's the damn GOVERNMENT!!!! most people of a country are the good guys, but usually it's the bad guys that gets to the top. afterall, power corrupts. USA=bush, Japan=kuizumi.

[MIGleader]

tiawan=chen
iraq=bush
al quada=bin laden

[PiSigma]

al qaeda is not a government, they only represent a very small minority of the islamic population. most musliums are very peace loving and are good people. why do you think al qaeda only have a few hundred fighters and not millions. the islamic population is about 1.2 billion, so if the ideas by a group is really popular, they could easily recuit thousands of people anytime. it's because most people don't think al qaeda is a good idea, that's why not many people join them.

[Obcession]

Taliban would've been a more appropriate example.

[Ender Wiggin]

While I can think of no obvious comparrison but please do not forget that the CCP has many corrupt officials as the recent audit storm has revealed and I hope the CCP will doe verything it can to curb it. Though a direct comparrison to the issue at hand however I do not have the information to make.

[Red Guard]

what's the big surprise? tones of surrendered japanese joined anti war association in 18th army (communist force). and tones of the later surrendered japanese joined PLA in the civil war. many were the co founder of the chinese air force.

[Ender Wiggin]

what's the big surprise? tones of surrendered japanese joined anti war association in 18th army (communist force). and tones of the later surrendered japanese joined PLA in the civil war. many were the co founder of the chinese air force.

Now that I have not known, fascinating thanks for the info, any sources so I may study it?

[PiSigma]

welcome to the forum ender, read any other books by Orson Scott Card??

after ww2, the communists was able to capture a lot of japanese equipment like aircraft, tanks, and artillery. the problem was that the communist fighting force was mostly made up of peasants and also didn't have good support like the nationalists with american backing. so they used captured japanese soldiers to teach them and use the equipment. many of these captured japanese soldiers were treated very well and some decided to stay although there are also some that went back to japan.

[Red Guard]

ja. i heard they have this "2nd field army comrades association of japanese" orgnization thing in japan. are those who had been fighting along chinese comrades side with the 2nd field army in the civil war. some went back to japan later. and when northeast 3 provinces were recaptured, there were lots of airfield, and some of the techs and pilots didn't make it to the train back to japan, or were just simply captured by PLA on the way, and PLA treated them well, so they say what the hell, they jsut stayed to teach the PLA foots soldiers to be pilots, who later on became the first generation pilots of the PLA, and the school was called "the old aero school of northeast" became the first part of PLA air force.

[Ender Wiggin]

Every ender and bean book by OSC and I refuent his offical forums at hatrack.com

[patriot]

it's not the peopel, it's the damn GOVERNMENT!!!! most people of a country are the good guys, but usually it's the bad guys that gets to the top. afterall, power corrupts. USA=bush, Japan=kuizumi.

In the U.S's case, I think it's really not the leader's fault since it's a democratic government and every choice is voted. Bush's anti-China policies is just a general American policy. Americans are anti-Commie and anti-Chinese in average and talked about China's downfall all the time.(Independent Tibet, Taiwan, East Turkey(Xingjiang), Manchuria, Mongolia)

[sumdud]

Yes, Patriot, Americans are generally anti-Chinese, not by its immigration though, but more by the government's words........

Plus, which leader was ever elected for his/her foreign polices?
And we never get a say on them either.

[patriot]

I kinda have to agree with you that it's because of government words. But even history teacher teach bad stuff about China. When i was in high school, my world history teacher told me that Chinese make deals by crossing pee. I as a Chinese had never heard such a thing. She thought it was funny and kept making jokes out of that. Even most Chinese people in the class laughed at those jokes. I kinda felt that we had no nationalism. This is more than 10 years ago but still had a refresh memory in my head.

[T-U-P]

When i was in high school, my world history teacher told me that Chinese make deals by crossing pee.
uh... ok... your teacher has a great imagination, maybe he is better off creating some of the crazy art and paintings.
even in US the people are not born hating communism and china, it's just its government, with all the propaganda and stuff, that's what creates the general impression of US people all hate china.

anyone know how many japanese actually served in the PLA?

[patriot]

They made up about 0.8% of the PLA during the war with Japan. They are mostly Japanese soldiers in origin but turned after realizing who the bad guys were. I got this info from some address a few years ago. Would remember how to get to the website again.

[Red Guard]

I kinda have to agree with you that it's because of government words. But even history teacher teach bad stuff about China. When i was in high school, my world history teacher told me that Chinese make deals by crossing pee. I as a Chinese had never heard such a thing. She thought it was funny and kept making jokes out of that. Even most Chinese people in the class laughed at those jokes. I kinda felt that we had no nationalism. This is more than 10 years ago but still had a refresh memory in my head.


what....do..you..mean.by..crosing..pee?????
like..they..just..urine together.????

i guess...not, i think your teacher is very...racist....

ja, i also had a teacher like that. except, she is a chinese canadian. she was born in taiwan, with parents from mainland, i suppose, she came to canada pretty young, like...baby i guess. and she was taught chinese as well, i guess she was the best mandarin speaker in my high school. she loves traveling, so she went back to china sometimes. and she is a geo teacher. so she kept telling her students, how bad china is. like the water is undrinkable, and you ahve to shower with bottle water.....i personally found that offensive, and i think she doesn't really like chinese from mandarin either, but she was nice to me, still....i am con to anyone who offenses my nation. hahahaha.

[renmin]

what....do..you..mean.by..crosing..pee?????
like..they..just..urine together.????

i guess...not, i think your teacher is very...racist....

ja, i also had a teacher like that. except, she is a chinese canadian. she was born in taiwan, with parents from mainland, i suppose, she came to canada pretty young, like...baby i guess. and she was taught chinese as well, i guess she was the best mandarin speaker in my high school. she loves traveling, so she went back to china sometimes. and she is a geo teacher. so she kept telling her students, how bad china is. like the water is undrinkable, and you ahve to shower with bottle water.....i personally found that offensive, and i think she doesn't really like chinese from mandarin either, but she was nice to me, still....i am con to anyone who offenses my nation. hahahaha.You think that is racist?! my Chinese teacher calls Mao a dictator and said he killed millions and another said that one day, China will take over the world!:mad: Any ways, a japanese person really isnt against China unless they had idiotic parents or they read those history text books. Generally, I belive japanese today are pretty nice, but beleive me I seen many who are just nutjobs, the problem is that those arrgoant people wontt admit there mistake they made in WWII. I hope someday Japan and China would become friends instead of enemies.:china:

[patriot]

what....do..you..mean.by..crosing..pee?????
like..they..just..urine together.????

i guess...not, i think your teacher is very...racist....

ja, i also had a teacher like that. except, she is a chinese canadian. she was born in taiwan, with parents from mainland, i suppose, she came to canada pretty young, like...baby i guess. and she was taught chinese as well, i guess she was the best mandarin speaker in my high school. she loves traveling, so she went back to china sometimes. and she is a geo teacher. so she kept telling her students, how bad china is. like the water is undrinkable, and you ahve to shower with bottle water.....i personally found that offensive, and i think she doesn't really like chinese from mandarin either, but she was nice to me, still....i am con to anyone who offenses my nation. hahahaha.

Anyway, i guess everyone that live in U.S or Canada had similar experience. It's not that the people are bad like my history teacher was actually very nice and gave me good grades, it's just that popular believe they were taught.

[PanAsian]

I am really glad to hear stories like this being reported. Good guys and bad guys don't fall neatly under flags and sides. As long as people are willing to look and see with their own eyes and think and do what they find to be good in their hearts then things should end up alright.

Which actually brings up a separate subject: with technology making war and destruction more easy and remote, with less and more removed witnessing of destruction by the destroyers, does it weaken the need for purpose and verification of any purpose for wars? As there will be less and less personal contact in the field, less of an opportunity to see the other side as human beings?

[patriot]

:china: No, because of the vast modern day communication system. Everything can be reported and monitored and in a matter of second be sent to thousand of places around the world

[sumdud]

Well, hating PRC and hating Chinese are two things, but as you can see, they are mixed up 80% of the time........
(And crossing urine is just BS from bored people....)

These mixs are the things complicating the issue.

I hope Yukiko lives a bit longer. We don't need another death just now.

[Wingman]

What the hell does crossing pee mean??? If it's what I imagine it is, how can that possibly have anything to do with making deals?? :roll:

(on topic) It shouldn't be a surprise that there are Japanese people like this. Not every person of a certain nationality think alike.

[EternalVigil]

No offense but Mao did kill millions and was a dictator like stalin. Lets not overlook the facts for the sake of nationalism.

[renmin]

**********

Many people might of died but those were because of famines and stuff. hello? it was not millions! not even close! and plus Mao did not come up to them and say, ******* absoutly, mao is no dictator and he is not even close to stalin. Mao did not kill his comrades like stalin. he loved his people and only wished for the best of them.:china:

My god, you know better than to do that.

[T-U-P]

:off Alright people, stop discussing about Mao. This is about the Japanese who fought in PLA, not whether if Mao killed millions of people.

[whufee]

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