Abandoned in Manchuria

by Yang, Yeeshan; Thorne, John Francis

• ISBN13: 9781469934235
• ISBN10: 146993423X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-27
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Summary

Just a few days before Japan's surrender in 1945, its Manchurian colony was attacked by the Soviets. Many unarmed Japanese settled in colonial villages died or committed collective suicide, while others starved in refugee camps. Some survived. They did so by entering Chinese families as wives or adopted children. After decades, they have been repatriated to Japan, often with their Chinese extended family members of three generations. Their repatriation brought up complex feelings of historical indebtedness within the Japanese public. Such guilt began to fade away when Japan has been distressed by these rural migrants. Tensions deepened when the repatriates accused the state of abandoning them at court. What they really want is to negotiate for advancement through whatever means between metropolitan Japan and rural China to "hitchhike" a modern life.