Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0109, 1945-12-24.
Date24 December, 1945
translation numbersocial-0456
call numberDS801 .S84
Persistent Identifier
SOCIAL SERIES: 109
ITEM 1 The "American Cruelty" as reported is Counter-Propaganda of Japanese - (Provincial Paper) NIIGATA NIPPO (NIPPATA) - 12 Dec 45. Translator: K. Minagi.
Summary:
Mr. Earnest Stanley, member of the Civil Information end Education Section of General
Headquarters and IIMUHA, Hiroshi, have
related three war episodes based on their experiences.
On 3 January, 1945, five American tanks of a Cavalry Division rushed into San Tomas
University, Manila, where 3,120 American
and British prisoners were held. Colonel HAYASHI, the Japanese officer in charge of
the internment camp and 60 of his men were
quite upset at the unexpected invasion. They set apart 220 key prisoners and asked
Earnest Stanley, the interpreter, to report
to the American force the intention of the Japanese to fight to the last man. He did
all he could to disuade the Japanese and
to save the prisoners, who were non-combatants and the University buildings, which
are used for cultural purposes.
The negotiations between Brigadier-General Chase and Colonel HAYASHI were consumated,
and the Japanese troops were sent, Under
the protection of American Forces, from the danger of Filipino Guerrilla troops to
another Japanese encampment. However, the
report by Colonel HAYASHI to Japanese Headquartars concerning his retreat from Santo
Thomas University was quite different and
read, "Colonel HAYASHI and 65 of his men fought bravely against five American tanks,
which invaded the University, and
inflicted heavy damage on American troops. They fought their way out to another Japanese
encampment."
The position of Japanese forces on TARAKAN Island, Borneo, was precarious after meeting
with American landing forces on 1 May.
In more than half a month of desperate fighting, the Japanese Garrison had ever-in-creasing
numbers of wounded. The supply of
medical materials was cut o[illegible]by the enemy. With many wounded soldiers groaning and dead bodies
piled up, it was literally a hell on earth. One day an airplane came and dropped a
message. It was advice from Major-General
Hart of Australian forces to the Japanese saying, that a general attack would be made
in the near future. Prior to such
attack, all men unable to engage in the campaign should be handed over to the Australian
to be given medical treatment and
then be sent back to the Japanese troops. The chief of the Japanese Garrison did not
appreciate the General's good will and
sent no reply.
Major-General Hart again wrote to say that he had made such a proposal
SOCIAL SERIES: 109 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
because he wanted to thank the Japanese for the for the incident he once witnessed
in which a Japanese airplane approached an
American Red Cross ship, and, upon recognizing, the Red Cross marks, turned away.
"Please accept my proposal," he concluded,
"for the sake of humanity." The overwhelming bombardment on TARAKAN, both from warships
and planes, came to a sudden end. The
Australian Force suspended their attacks at one appointed time in order for Major-General
Hart to receive a reply, but the
wounded soldiers did not turn up, and the Japanese began firing from unusually short
distances. Then the fury of the
Major-General was fierce, and the Japanese force was annihilated.
The Japanese militarists have been using deceitful proganda on the Japanese people
saying that American troops were rolling
machines on Japanese wounded lying immobile on GUADALCANAL's soil. The fact is that
the Americans were planning a, common
burial service for the many Japanese dead and were using a bull-dozer. The picture
appeared in an American magazine, but the
Japanese skillfully replaced the bulldozer with a roller and said Japanese were being
crushed, to death under the roller
ITEM 2 Account of Escape from MANCHUKUO through Korea to Japan - Provincial Paper HYUGA NICHI NICHI SHIMBUN (MIYAZAKI) - 14 Dec 45. Translator: K. Minagi.
Full Translation:
A demobilized technical engineering sergeant, KOMAYAMA, Masao, by name told a HYUGA
NICEINTICHI reporter, at his home in
MIYAZAKI-City, of his experiences encountered while escaping from HSINKING to JAPAN,
via KORE after the defeat of JAPAN.
On 8 August HSINKING, as well as all the principal cities of MANCHUOKUO experienced
air raid by Soviet planes. Our
headquarters were moved to the suburbs of HSINKING; then, with the situation growing
worse, to TSUKA, where we were told of
the Imperial Rescript of the Japanese surrendered on 15 August. Then our troop began
retreating to HEIJO. The families of our
troops were all evacuated beforehand to SEHSM in the north of [illegible]OREA on the 11 August. As we had
left some luggage there, I went to HSINKING, on 17 August, with some men but found
that it had been stolen by [illegible]NCHURIANS. We next planned to proceed by rail to SENSEN, via SHIHEI, TETSUHEI, and
MUKDEN, loaded with
a 10 days' reserve of food for 5,000 people. We had no drivers and our difficulty
in obtaining fuel to run the trains is
beyond description. When we arrived at HEIJO, a Soviet directive said that no train
would, run so we came to a
standstill[illegible]After negotiating with Russian troops, we at last arrived at SENSEN and joined our
families. On 4 September we succeeded in fitting out an open, 8 car freight train,
greasing the hands of Soviet Officers and
the Station master of SENSEN with the present of 150,000 YEN; 1,500 of us came down
to KAIJYO where we were not allowed to
pass through, so we had to turn back to HEIJO. In the meanwhile, owing to the heavy
rain and lack of food, many children died,
one after another. It was unbearable to see them hastily buried in boxes when we stopped
at stations. Soviet troops began to
come down to the south to plunder all Japanese possessions, and our children and women
were hidden
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SOCIAL SERIES: 109 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
in a coal house. We were imprisoned in a small laborer's cottage of the [illegible]ANEGAFUCHI Spinning
Plant, and we were never allowed to step out-side.
KOREAN police and communist troops came every day to examine us, and ex-Japanese
military servicemen were very frightened
every time they visit our prison. Japanese men were all forced to labor in engineering
work on an air field and in the
transportation of bombs, or even in cleaning toilets.
I had always been on the alert for a chance to escape. Fortunately, I gained the
confidence of a KOREAN who gave me three
tickets for my wife and sergeant KUSABA, a FUKUOKA man.
We three dis[illegible]uised ourselves and slipped out of the cottage at 0200 on 28 August and took the 1500
train, arriving at KAIJYO on the 30 August. There I had a ride on a train, which was
transporting KOREAN war victim and I
arrived at SEOUL on 1 October. On 27 August I took the TOKUJU-MARU to KAKAMA and came
homt to MIYAZAKI-City on 2
November.
The present situation in MANOHUOKUO and North KOREA is not known for certain, but
I suppose all Japanese military people are
being imprisoned and forced to labor. Some Korean communists told me that some of
them were being taken to RUSSIA for Russian
post war reconstruction work. Immediately after the end of the war, the Manchnrians
at HSINKING were crying for the
annihilation of the Japanese and some damage was sustain there by Japanese. However,
order has now been restored.
ITEM 3 International Marriage of ECHIGO Girl and Occupation Force Sergeant - Provincial Paper NIIGATA NIPPO (NIIGATA) - 14 Dec 45. Translator: K. Minagi.
Full Translation:
An-ECHIGO lady and a sergeant of the Occupation Force were tied together recently
by a happy international marriage. Miss
WADA, Toshiko, at SFC SHOJI, MINAMI-TERA-MACHI, 3-CHOME, TAKATA, and sergeant [illegible]OBO[illegible]UGA, of the Occupation Forces Military Police, are the happy couple.
Miss WADA, after her graduation from Girls' Night School, had some experience in
household work at the British and Italian
Naval attachee's homes. Her knowledge of English was useful at TAKATA.
Sergeant NOBORUGA* became her acquaintance through a Prefectural Assomblyman, Mr.
KAWASE. He is a medical student, who was
born in Hawaii. His two brothers wives are also Japanese from YAMAGATA and YAMAGUCHI-ken.
The Sergeant finished his military
service on 8 December and is going back to Honolulu.
After obtaining his parents' consent, he is coming back. A formal marriage is to
take place next June, and the couple is going
to live in TAKATA.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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