Guo Xiangsheng is seeking to have the bank of the
Daluomi River in Fangzheng county, where many Japanese settlers were washed
away, designated a historical site. (Koichiro Ishida)
By KOICHIRO ISHIDA/ Correspondent
FANGZHENG COUNTY, China--Amid all the rancor in China over Japan's war
responsibility, local historian Guo Xiangsheng comes across as a lone voice in
the wilderness.
He is campaigning to preserve the memory of thousands of Japanese settlers
who died in China after the Imperial Japanese Army abandoned them in the chaotic
close of World War II.
The seeds of his quest lie in Japan's military occupation of northeastern
China. Many Japanese were sent there as farmers to raise productivity after
Tokyo established its Manchukuo puppet state in 1932.
Later, the settlers were dragooned to defend its northern borders against the
Soviet Red Army, which overran the region in August 1945.
The settlers were left to fend for themselves after the Japanese army
fled.
It is estimated that 5,000 Japanese settlers perished in Fangzheng county
alone in the immediate aftermath of Japan's surrender
From the Chinese perspective, the Japanese settlers were "invaders," says the
62-year-old Guo. On the other hand, they were left behind by the army that was
supposed to protect them.
For this reason, Guo wants Chinese to view the Japanese settlers in
Heilongjiang province, which includes Fangzheng county, as victims of the war
rather than as aggressors.
Read more at Asahi Simbun
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