Chapter 7 5. My War Experience

\n I was born in Ota Village, Saitama Prefecture in 1920. My family owned a rice shop.From 1926 to 1934, I studied in elementary school.It was a peaceful era, and the adults in the family always had smiles on their faces.I often climbed to the roof and looked at the lotus ponds and the cauliflower fields in the village, as well as the speeding cars whistling their sirens. After the Manchuria Incident (September 18 Incident—Editor's Note) began in 1931, soldiers became popular in the village. Whenever they conducted military exercises, children happily ran around behind them. Primary schools at that time began to focus on "spiritual education".In our "self-cultivation" moral class, the first lecture is loyalty to the emperor, and the second lecture is filial piety. This is the so-called "integration of loyalty and filial piety" as the center of education.

Every festival, there will be a reading ceremony of "Education Boyu".The headmaster, who was wearing a formal dress and white gloves, led us to recite respectfully: "Once there is an emergency, a righteous and brave man should maintain the endless royal way with a heart of justice..." Although we could not understand the content of the recitation A few words, but from that serious atmosphere, the students felt that the emperor was a "great and respectable" figure. In the national history class, we also instilled in us the idea of ​​worshiping the emperor.It is said that His Majesty the Emperor is the descendant of Amaterasu, the sacred head of state of Japan, and the Japanese people must unite around the sacred Emperor and become the world-famous "Yamato nation".It is also said that the heroes in history are all models of loyalty to the emperor.

Every year, the school organizes us to visit Nanmu Shrine, Nogi Shrine, and Yasukuni Shrine. This is my teenage years. I graduated from primary school in 1935.That was when Japan expanded its war of aggression against China.The Japanese army, which had occupied Manchuria, had pushed the flames of war to Shanghai.At that time, all primary school graduates entered the "Youth School", and it was stipulated that students must receive 250 hours of military training before they turned 20. In the "Youth School" a "Youth League" was established, the activities of which were led by teachers.The school encourages the study of kendo, judo and marksmanship.Young people's speech is restricted, and words such as "extraordinary times" and "National mobilization" are used everywhere.

How can I be in this environment?I was a very conscientious child when I was in elementary school. I never missed a day of class in 8 years, and my grades were good, so I became a model student.After entering the youth school, I still have a sense of mission as a model student.I never miss military training. I also learn marksmanship and swordsmanship from my elder brother who is the instructor of the youth school, and recite the "Soldier's Edict".In addition, my uncle was a recipient of the Order of Gold in the Russo-Japanese War, and my cousin was an active duty officer in the Guards.Such an environment has made me dream of being an outstanding soldier in my mind.

After the Sino-Japanese War was fully launched, my 37-year-old brother was among the first in the village to be drafted into the army.Later, more and more people went out.Ceremonies to send off new recruits and funerals to commemorate the spirits of the war dead are often held in the village.It was originally a very quiet village, but now it is completely immersed in the atmosphere of war. At that time, my mind was full of reactionary thoughts.I believe that enlisting in the army is to respond to the emperor's call and is one of the three major obligations of Japanese citizens; I also believe that Japan's war is a just war to defend the peace of Asia; I also believe that the world's best Yamato nation conquers the world, Japan The day will surely come when the Emperor will become the Emperor of the world.I sang the song "For the peace of the East, don't sacrifice your life", and I firmly believe in it.

In 1940, I served active duty and joined the 10th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army in Shandong Province, China.As soon as he joined the army, he became a corporal.Below, are the crimes I committed as a recruit. This is what happened in September 1941 when the 43rd Independent Infantry Battalion was mopping up in Laiwu County, Shandong Province.Chachakou Village is a beautiful garden-like village surrounded by mountains.The morning smoke is rising, and people are working with hoes in the vegetable fields outside the village.The birds on the branches chirped and sang non-stop.The housewives of each family have prepared breakfast and are calling the children to eat.This wonderful symphony echoes in the nearby valley.

Suddenly, "Sweep the village and set it on fire!" The command of Lieutenant Commander Yamauchi Shizuo was passed down.The Japanese soldiers who had been lying in the fields and along the road with their rifles in their arms all stood up at once.They seemed to have forgotten the fatigue of the long journey last night. They drew out their bloody sabers and gleaming spears, and rushed towards the village. A few minutes ago, the village, which was peaceful and quiet a few minutes ago, was suddenly filled with the scolding of Japanese soldiers, the crowing of chickens and dogs, and the sound of breaking down doors and walls.The villagers hurriedly picked up their bags and baskets and ran up the mountain. The village fell into chaos.

At this time, from the house in the center of the village, a huge fire ignited.Then came the second and third houses. Flames and thick smoke spread like a tornado to every house at once, and the whole village immediately became a sea of ​​flames.Crackling, crackling, there was the sound of wood and sorghum stalks on fire.listen!Killing gunshots!listen!Women and children cry for help!The sound of crying made the surrounding mountains and forests tremble, and this beautiful, quiet village turned into a hell on earth in an instant. In a village of more than 100 families, not even a single house remained.Dozens of women, children, old people, and sick people who did not have time to escape were burned to death or stabbed to death by Japanese soldiers.

The house was burned, and all combustible things were burned out, only the earth and stone walls remained.From the flames that were still crawling on the ground came the foul smell of burnt human flesh.Not even a single person can be seen in the village.Seeing that the village had been reduced to ruins, the battalion commander ordered to move forward arrogantly as if he had won a big victory.The strong soldiers walked in front, and followed behind with unsteady legs. They formed a long line of snakes and continued to sweep south along the mountain path. After walking about half a mile, we came to a small hill, and we saw that on the mountainside about 500 meters away from here, there was a small village with only five or six families.The battalion commander immediately ordered: "You recruits, go and burn that village!" I thought this was a good opportunity to ask for credit, so I rushed to say: "Send me!"

After speaking, I stood up from the team.Squad leader Iida picked us three recruits.It was the first time we performed a mission, and we started running happily.The first house at the head of the village, in the yard surrounded by fences, there are a few very simple main houses, which are thatched houses. Bunches of dried corn hanging under the eaves look golden and dazzling against the sun.There is a stone mill in the yard. It seems that someone has just ground sorghum rice noodles there. There was an old lady in the yard who was startled when she saw us suddenly barging in.She didn't know what to say in Chinese that we couldn't understand.

At the door of the room, there is a 5-6-year-old girl with red knots on her head, who is happily feeding the chickens... Such a picture of peace, happiness, and labor has become a scene that we do not want to exist.The old lady wanted to say something more, but I didn't want to hear it, so I went to the haystack in the yard, took a handful of straw, and lit it with a match.The panicked old lady walked up to me and kept bowing to me, apparently begging me not to burn down her house.And the only word in my head is "burn". When the other two recruits were also lighting a handful of straw, the old lady stood in front of me and blocked my way.With one hand on her chest, she pointed at the little girl with the other, as if begging for something.However, I was already dazzled, and said "annoying old woman", and smashed the old lady's chest with the butt of my gun. With a sound of "ah", the old lady fell to the ground on her back. "Grandma!" The little girl ran over and snuggled up to the old lady, staring at my face with angry eyes, as if to say: "Huh! You hateful devil!" We three recruits lit a circle of fire along the eaves , The house immediately started to burn. After a while, two old ladies about 50 years old ran out of the house, shouting something, while climbing up the ladder to fight the fire on the eaves.At this time, a few children ran out of the house, climbed up the ladder with water in a jug and handed it to the old lady.The young and the old worked desperately to put out the fire, but when the dry thatched hut burned, the flames roared, and the fire became more and more intense, how could we save it!Seeing this scene, the three of us Japanese soldiers burst out laughing: "Hahaha, what fools!" After burning this one, I went to the second one.As soon as I entered the courtyard, I was first attracted by the innermost room of the three rooms.The house was newly built, with two diamond-shaped red happy characters pasted on the door, and a pair of couplets pasted on both sides of the door. Seeing such a nice house, I immediately ran in to see if there was anything of value to grab. "Ah!?" I stopped in surprise.In Shandong, you can often see this kind of beautifully arranged wedding room: white paper is pasted on the ceiling, colored paper with patterns and patterns is pasted on the four walls, and there is also a picture of a fat man smiling very happily. New Year pictures for dolls.In this bright and clean room, a young woman in her 20s was lying on the kang covered with flowered quilts. "It doesn't matter if it's a Chinese woman." I felt happy for the sudden animal desire, and took two steps forward.However, I suddenly stopped hesitantly. "Wow... wow..." I seemed to hear the cry of a baby in my ear drum.Look at that pale woman again, she is a mother who just gave birth to a child! At this moment, the scene when my sister gave birth suddenly appeared in my mind.I thought of my mother's joy at the birth of a boy from her sister.My sister has lived a life of toil and poverty all year round, and she can only take a break after giving birth. I turned around and walked out the door, feeling hesitant in my heart: what should I do?I looked up and saw that the other two companions had set the rest of the houses on fire. "Hey, it's okay! Anyway, I didn't kill that woman! She can escape with her life!" Thinking like this, raising the torch was about to burn the eaves. At this time, another white-haired lady in her 60s came out of nowhere.Her hands trembled, she bowed several times, and her face was full of tears.But I thought to myself: "I just set the fire and leave!" When I raised the torch again, the old lady rushed over and hugged me.Losing my humanity, I kicked the old lady hard, and cursed: "Damn it! Idiot!" For the old lady who staggered and fell, I didn't even look at it, and set the eaves on fire. At this time, the old lady got up from the ground, stumbled and ran into the house to save others.There was a baby crying in the house... After a while, Mrs. Zhe with disheveled hair appeared at the door again. She was tearful, stared at me angrily, and seemed to be cursing: "Beast! It's not human! Japanese devil with a wolf's heart!" I pushed again desperately. Give her a hand.With a plop, she fell backwards on her back. When she fell, she was still cursing: "You Japanese devil who deserves to be hacked to death!" Fear.But on second thought, at least it's done.I threw the torch from the door onto the woodpile in the house, and after a while, the boiling smoke came out of the door.Gradually the old lady's scolding died away, and so did the young woman's and the baby's cries. "It deserves it!" I slammed the thick wooden door shut, watching the entire house be engulfed in demonic flames. This old lady is like my mother, who has worked tirelessly for years and months all her life, and finally married her son a wife, and now she has a grandson in her arms. How happy I am!However, today, I destroyed this happy family!Burned alive three generations of grandparents and grandchildren!What am I not a murderous devil! Such things have become commonplace in places where the Japanese army has been.Since then, I have completely lost my humanity and committed various crimes such as murder, arson, and rape of women throughout Shandong Province.Now, when I look back on these grave crimes, I am utterly ashamed! Due to the brutal Japanese aggression against China, more than 10 million people were killed and 50 billion U.S. dollars in wealth were plundered on Chinese soil. Regardless of morality or in accordance with the provisions of international law, the death penalty for us war criminals is justified.However, I am living well now.What's going on here? In August 1945, it was in North Korea that I ushered in the end of the war.As a prisoner of war, I was imprisoned in the Soviet Union for 5 years, and was later extradited to China as a war criminal, where I was imprisoned in the Fushun War Criminals Management Center for 6 years. I lived in a large cell that could accommodate 15 people. Although the door was locked, the room was surprisingly clean, bright, and heated.This is more comfortable than the barracks of the Japanese army.Without labor, three meals a day are rice, but the Chinese staff responsible for guarding and educating us can only eat rice for one meal a day. Clothes, quilts, pillows, blankets, towels, soap, tooth powder, toilet paper, daily necessities, cigarettes, pens, ink, etc. are all newly-issued, and bathing and haircuts are also very convenient.Especially the Chinese staff, not only did they never hit us, they didn't even scold us.Compared with the treatment given to Chinese prisoners by the Japanese army, this is really a world of difference! Initially, those of us resented being called "war criminals" and refused to admit it.We thought that the reason why the Chinese treated us so well was to make it easier for us to be executed collectively, so there was a general feeling of dissatisfaction in our hearts.Although the "Prison Rules" stipulate that there must be study time every day, we are addicted to playing mahjong, chess, and chatting in Japanese, but we just refuse to study. But there is nothing to do all day long, and there are times when it is annoying.We asked the managers for books and newspapers, and they sent us Chinese newspapers and newspapers and magazines published by Japanese in China.I wasn't used to it at first, but over time I became interested in learning.We started serious study.At that time, the Management Office broadcast "History of Social Development" and "Political Economics" in Japanese every day, and organized us to study Mao Zedong's "On Contradiction", "On Practice", "On New Democracy" and "On Protracted War". , Lenin's "On Imperialism" and so on.These books are something we have never touched before, and learning brings us the joy of exploring the unknown world.Through study, we gradually realized that the emperor system education we received in the past was extremely deceptive.In particular, we war criminals who have committed the most heinous crimes still received unimaginably generous treatment in the management office, which moved us very much.We realize that this is the consistent policy of the Chinese Communist Party, and we have begun to understand the feelings of the Chinese people. At the same time, the great victory of the Chinese and North Korean troops in the Korean War seemed to have smashed our "dreams" of imagining that the US military would enter China to save us with a hammer.The relentless truth makes us feel hopeless.At the same time, it also prompts us to realize that the outside world has undergone earth-shaking changes.Below this kind of circumstance, our study begins to have enthusiasm. In 1954, in the Fushun War Criminals Management Office, there was a climax of completely confessing his war crimes and apologizing to the Chinese people, and a "confession campaign" was launched.It takes courage.Those of us who have committed unforgivable war crimes cannot deny that.However, if all the crimes are exposed, how will we be sentenced?Is it better to be honest or to hide?Circumstances force us to make choices. At this time, Captain Miyazaki Hiromoto confessed all the terrible crimes he committed at the general meeting.At the end of the confession, he broke down in tears and said: "Please give me a severe punishment!" He seemed to confess with the belief that he must die.This incident gave us a big shock.Although I was very moved, I was still conflicted.At first I only wrote about the killing of chickens and sheep one by one, but I dared not write about other serious crimes.The sleepless nights continued. At this time, I got sick, my back hurt so badly that I couldn't straighten up, I thought it was sciatica, but it didn't work for a long time.One day, I had a comprehensive physical examination and found out that I had an STD.The Chinese doctor gave me expensive penicillin imported from abroad, and I took 4 penicillins a day for 4 consecutive months.During the treatment, the doctors and nurses gave me meticulous treatment and meticulous care and care, and completely cured my illness. I couldn't help but shed tears of excitement and emotion. Later, I learned that the staff of the management office were all non-commissioned officers and above who had fought against the Japanese army, and some of them had revenge against the Japanese army for killing their fathers.Still, they gave us a warm, humane treatment.Where in the world can you find such a humane prison!I gradually understood that the purpose of Chinese prisons is not to kill people, but to transform criminals into real people.Realizing this, my mood suddenly became brighter. During my treatment in the infirmary, I made up my mind: I should repay my kindness.If I still refuse to confess all my crimes in front of these people, am I still a person?So, I wrote all the crimes I committed into the confession, and no matter how I was punished, I would willingly accept it!In this way, I finally defeated myself in the long-term painful ideological struggle and liberated myself from the inhumane militaristic ideology. In August 1956, thousands of our war criminals were exempted from prosecution and returned to Japan.After returning to China, we were slandered and treated with evil intentions.Some people say that "they have been brainwashed by the CCP", which makes it difficult for us to even find a job.I worked for a long time as a handyman in a sock factory, and as a milkman for a dairy factory, and now I run a small auto repair shop of my own.As a member of the China Returnees Liaison Association, I am fighting for peace and friendship between Japan and China.We want to promote the Peace and Japan-China Friendship Movement more extensively and more deeply, and we must strive for life to promote this movement from generation to generation. Author bio: Born in Saitama County in 1920; after graduating from elementary school in 1935, he entered the "Youth School"; in December 1940, he joined the army and participated in the invasion of China, and entered the 43rd Independent Battalion of the 10th Infantry Brigade, an independent mixed group, as a corporal, and invaded China in Shandong Province Served in the Japanese army for 5 years.