Orphaned by war, this Japanese girl joins the repatriation team; her younger sister is carried on her back. (Archive photo of the Photography Department of Mainichi Daily News)		As the ship prepares for departure, Japanese immigrants look back at Huludao. (Archive photo of the Photography Department of Mainichi Daily News)

Oono Kimiko.		The headquarters of Japanese Reclamation Group in Jinggang (Shizuoka), a village established by the Japanese in Tangyuan County, Northeast China. (Archive photo of the Photography Department of Mainichi Daily News)

Sasagi Munemaru.		A stone stele erected at the dock of Huludao Harbor in honor of the massive repatriation. It was here that Japanese immigrants and prisoners of war boarded the ship back to their country. by Wang Jiyu

This year marks the 60th anniversary of both the defeat of fascist forces in Europe and the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. During this year of important remembrance, for many who lived through those times, memories will be vivid and emotions powerful. Many will recollect dramatic events, special people and a remarkable post-war period.
Recently, staff reporters of China Pictorial visited Huludao, a coastal city in northeastern China's Liaoning Province. Our purpose was to research and revisit a history perhaps lesser-known, but important to all Chinese.

Against the first rays of sun on an early summer morning in 2005, editorial staff of China Pictorial arrived in Huludao City, Liaoning Province. Standing at the memorial site at which began the three-year repatriation of some one million Japanese on May 7, 1946, it was as if we were 59 years past to the date. Huludao, a harbor of Jinzhou Bay in western Liaoning Province, was witness to not only the ending of Japanese aggression in China, but also a place of release for 1.05 million Japanese immigrants and prisoners of war. It was here that history recorded the broad and lenient mind of the Chinese people, and it was here that was erected a monument to their humanitarianism.

The "Reclamation Group" - A Criminal Colonization
Historically, imperialist Japanese long sought dominance in Northeast China, a fertile land abounding in resources and products. To forcefully colonize the region, Japan launched an unprovoked war in 1894, forcing the government of the then ruling Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to sign the "Treaty of Shimonoseki." Pursuant the terms of treaty, agreement to which was considered a national betrayal and humiliation, the Liaodong Peninsula was ceded to Japan.

In what would result in a further segmenting of Northeast China, Japan and Russia engaged in an 18-month military conflict. After the defeat of Russia in September 1905, the nations signed the Treaty of Portsmouth. Accordingly, the area of Northeast China south of Changchun (present-day capital of Jilin Province) was given over to Japan while the northern part was annexed by Russia. Japan gained right of settlement in northeastern China's Lushun-Dalian area, the Manchuria Railway (which linked Changchun and Lushun) and peripheral areas.

To reinforce colonial control and expand their area of dominance, the imperial Japanese rulers put forward the "Theory of Manchuria Immigration." Following that official precept, Japanese civilians were immigrated to the Lushun-Dalian area (known to Japan as Kwantung Prefecture) and the areas along the Manchuria Railway.

On the evening of September 18, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army demolished the Liutiaohu section of the South Manchuria Railway near Shenyang, the present-day capital of Liaoning Province. Under the false pretense that the railway was destroyed by the Chinese army, the Japanese cannoned the Beidaying Battalion of the Chinese Army in Shenyang. This became known historically as the "9.18 Incident," and Japanese forces subsequently commenced a massive invasion into Northeast China to further occupy the nation.

Under order, the Chinese army offered no resistance. And the following day Japanese forces moved on to Shenyang. By 1932, they substantially occupied Northeast China with the goal of permanent dominance. Japan accelerated its scale of emigration, going so far as to establish an administrative institution for emigration. The Japanese immigrants as a whole were referred to as the "Reclamation Group," and the lands they would farm were forcibly seized from Chinese farmers. The immigrant villages were established and local Chinese were driven from their homes. As part of the plan, young Japanese women were trained then dispatched to Northeast China under orders to marry the male Japanese emigrants.

For 14 years Japan occupied Northeast China; the Reclamation Group existed for 12 of those years (1932-1945). The Japanese imperialists' emigration policy not only visited disaster upon the Chinese, but also forced its own civilians to endure great hardship. Like the victimized Chinese, the Japanese immigrants were also casualties of war, and it was they who would become the Huludao repats.

Stone Village - A Home Eternal in Memory
On July 17, 1945, the United States, the USSR and Great Britain met in Potsdam, Germany, to lay plans for the final push against Japan and discuss the disposition of post-war affairs. On July 26, the three nations announced the creation of the Potsdam Agreement (the USSR signed later). The entreaty for Japan to surrender was rebuked by the entrenched militarist and on August 8, 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan.

On August 9 the one-million-strong Red Army launched an attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army stationed in Northeast China. Confronted by a massive Soviet offensive, in three days the Kwantung Army defense forces - in place for a dozen years - were completely destroyed. With the Kwantung Army utterly defeated, Japanese immigrants, essentially tools of the Japanese militarist aggression, went into exile.

In the later stage of WWII, with the Kwantung Army decimated, Japan conscripted and ordered to the frontline high school students, who were previously studying in Changchun. More than 100 of these Japanese teens were sent to the Sino-Russian frontier. Soon the Red Army routed the Japanese troops and the youngsters fled in the direction of Changchun. On the way they passed a village named Shitou (Stone). What happened there will forever be imprinted upon the psyche of the Japanese.

A small village on the bank of the Mudan River in Ning'an County, Heilongjiang Province, Stone Village then comprised only about 100 households. When the panicked and starving Japanese youngsters pled desperately for food, to their surprise the kind villagers offered them not only hot steamed buns, but also warm beds.

"There were more than 100 of us in total, and even if every three of us stayed with one family, nearly 40 households would be occupied." Said Tahara Kazuo, now 75. "In such a poor and war-stricken village, all of the host families did their best to help. The next morning, before we set out, they prepared breakfast for us. We were all filled with appreciation."

Mase Saneyoshi, now a 76-year-old retired university professor living in Nagoya, shed tears when recalling his experience in Stone Village. That day, together with a few other teens, he was allocated to a family of an aged couple, then looking after a grandchild. Realizing their home was not large enough, the couple put their grandchild in the care of a neighbor and hosted Mase and his fellows. It was a cold winter night, so the old couple allowed the Japanese children stay in bed, while they themselves slept on the ground. Seeing that Mase was nearly frozen, the grandmother even took a basin of hot water to warm him up.

Today, the memory of that winter afternoon of 1945 remains fresh in the mind of Ma Junqiang, now 75, and his fellow old villagers. "This was done purely out of the Chinese people's benevolence," Ma said.

After staying overnight at Stone Village, the Japanese students set off for Mudanjiang. From there, they boarded a train and eventually arrived in Huludao via Changchun. In 1946, they were repatriated from Huludao to Japan.

Tahara Kazuo later became a writer. His Manchuria-Russia Frontier: The Summer of Age 15 was published in 1995 as a record of his personal experience and salvation at Stone Village. Therein he expressed his great appreciation to the Chinese people and condemned the evil of war.

A Massive Movement - Repatriation Begins
On August 15, 1945, Japan declared unconditional surrender and the world achieved final victory over the fascist power of WWII.

September 2: Japanese officials formally surrendered to Allied Powers on the deck of the US battleship, "Missouri," anchored in Tokyo Bay.

September 9: The surrender of the Japanese army in the Chinese theater was formalized in a ceremony held in Nanjing, marking final victory in the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion.

Upon their nation's defeat, the Japanese in China began to flee towards home. In retreat, they would first enter Korea via Dandong, a frontier city in Liaoning Province, and then board a ship from Pusan for Japan. Many learned of the surrender by Japan's emperor, Mikado, while in flight.

On October 25, 1945, based on the principle of the Potsdam Agreement, representatives of China and the United States met in Shanghai, in large part to discuss the repatriation of Japanese civilians and prisoners of war. The decision was made to repatriate the Japanese civilians and prisoners in geographic order. The two sides agreed to first repatriate the Japanese in regions north of the Shanhai Pass, then move on to areas south of the pass. The Chinese government was responsible for the gathering and land transport of the Japanese to harbors, while the US army would organize ships for sea transport. The entire repatriation was designed to be complete by the end of 1946.

When interviewed by China Pictorial reporters, Zhang Zhikun and Guan Yaxin, both associate researchers at the History Institute of the Liaoning Province Academy of Social Sciences, explained that before the grand repatriation, Japanese immigrants in Northeast China numbered 1.45 million. Of these, more than 840,000 were in the Kuomintang-dominated areas, more than 330,000 were in the Chinese Communist Party-dominated areas, and 270,000 were in Soviet-dominated areas. Compared with the regions south of the Shanhai Pass, the repatriation of Japanese immigrants in Northeast China was extensive in geographical range, tight in schedule, heavy in workload and complicated in organization.

In order to ensure a smooth repatriation, with the coordination of the US observation team, two logistical forces were established: the Kuomintang Administration of Japanese Immigrants and the Prisoners of War in Northeast China, headed by General Li Xiuye; and the Japanese Repatriation Administration of Northeast China Democratic Allied Army, headed by General Li Minran (Li Lisan). Thanks to the cooperative efforts of the three parties, an unprecedented post-war repatriation was successfully carried out.

Huludao (meaning "Gourd Island" in Chinese) is situated in Jinzhou Bay in western Liaoning Province. (Facing the sea in three directions and bordering the land to the north, the island resembles a gourd floating upon the sea, hence its name.) Beginning in May 1946, trains from varying areas of Northeast China transported Japanese to the Mazhangfang Station near the harbor of Huludao. At an interview conducted by China Pictorial reporters, Li Yuqing, a 73-year-old villager in Longgang District of Huludao City, recalled what she witnessed. "[The Japanese] got off at the [Mazhangfang] railway station, and then took an open car or covered wagon to the dock," she said. "We followed them for fun. At the dock, we watched them board the ships in good order."

"Although they were defeated," said Chen Yunsheng, Li's husband, "We Chinese were merciful and lenient... we did not offend or retaliate, but let them go in peace."

The repatriation was strictly organized. Each of the repats was required to have an ID and exit permit, and wear chest and arm badges. For the sake of the repats' physical health, each was allowed to board the ship only after a physical checkup, inoculations and a period of quarantine.

According to General Li Xiuye's memoirs, in order to guarantee the repats' health, the Kuomintang Administration of Japanese Immigrants and Prisons of War set up emergency clinics at all repatriation centers. Experienced doctors were selected from the Japanese to tend to the ill, and medical supplies were provided by local governments. The processing centers also provided food and firewood, and a special supervision team was established to investigate and deal with any infringement of the repats' rights.

Tremendous human effort, materials and money were devoted to the repatriation. The number of railway wagons alone came to 13,441. Zhang Zhikun and Guan Yaxin revealed to China Pictorial reporters additional historical facts. When the Huludao Concentration Camp for Japanese was stuck by a cholera epidemic, and tens of thousands of Japanese were detained in Shenyang, the Japanese Immigrants Administration of Shenyang immediately transported 500 tons of coal from Fushun. And, when due to a long-time berth in the Huludao Harbor, the Japanese ship Daian Maru did not have enough fuel for the return to Japan, the Chinese provided 50 tons of fuel.

The Chinese people's humanitarian spirit was also recognized in the History of Manchukuo (a word denoting the puppet empire of Manchuria) compiled by Japanese: "It was true that in the later stage of the war, the Chinese people's aversion to Manchukuo, and even to the Japanese people, soared. After the war, however, they did not commit any acts in retaliation. Quite the contrary, they took sympathy upon the Japanese civilians and provided salvation, shelters, and living assistance."

On May 7, 1946, marking the beginning of the grand repatriation, the first group of 2,489 Japanese immigrants and POWs boarded two ships at Huludao Harbor and headed for Japan. Japanese from different regions of Northeast China successively arrived and assembled at Huludao Harbor. When their eyes fell upon the sea, many shed tears. By the time the last group of Japanese immigrants departed from the harbor on September 20, 1948, a total of 1,051,047 (including 16,000 POWs) had been repatriated from Huludao. It was then China's war of resistance against the Japanese invasion came to a real and final end.

Huludao - A Million Pass in Safety
Sasagi Munemaru, now 83, was one of the Huludao repats. In her eyes, Huludao is her second home. In August 1946, she arrived in Huludao along with the repatriation team, but soon after she suffered a serious disease. Three local Chinese sought to assist her and offered her food. Thanks to her experience working at a grocery in Harbin, the present-day capital of Heilongjiang Province, she could speak Chinese. So while she stayed in Huludao waiting for the ship, for 13 days she worked at a small retail shop. Having pity on her suffering and impressed with her hardworking attitude, the kind shopkeeper rewarded her with a bonus and provisions. In grief due to the loss of her husband during war, she nearly lost her will to live. In support, the shopkeeper composed a dozen Chinese poems for her. When Sasagi boarded the ship for Japan, the shopkeeper and his family went to the docks to see her off.

In 2001 and 2002, Sasagi, already in her 80's, revisited Huludao twice to seek out her past benefactors. But great changes had taken place in the city and she was unable to locate them. She was disappointed, but she was also pleased to see the development of Huludao. For the memorial planting of four ginkgos in the city's Longwan Park, she donated 80,000 Japanese yen from her modest pension. In this way she conveyed appreciation for her benefactors.

Kunihiro Takeo, born in 1932 in Changchun, was just 15 years old when he was repatriated from Huludao. In the few years prior, the young man was assigned by the Japanese Kwantung Army to a battle tank, he was captured by Russian soldiers and nearly died, he was saved by Chinese villagers and he was repatriated to Japan. These dramatic impressions were deeply imprinted to his mind, later to trigger his drive to produce films. In 1997, he once again set foot on the land of Huludao, this time to shoot a film documentary of the 1946 repatriation.

In the documentary script, he wrote: "I don't know why so many people just have a rough knowledge, rather than a detailed understanding, of the true face of that war. Two-thirds of the current Japanese were born after the war, and I think it necessary to make these people clearly understand the calamity left by war."

Driven by his desire to bring this history to the younger generation and enable people to learn from history, disdain war and cherish peace, Kunihiro sold off his family property to shoot the film Huludao Repatriation. When the motion picture was released in Japan in 1998, it sparked overwhelming response. At the premier ceremony, the film won high praise from Geng Moxue, then Cultural Attach¨¦ of the Chinese Embassy to Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryntaro placed a telephone call to congratulate the filmmaker, and praise the efforts Kunihiro had made in promoting the friendship between Japan and China. The elderly man intended to visit Huludao once again, but he passed away in 2002.

Hold History - Promote Peace
Often, when their China experiences are mentioned, the Japanese who were emigrated to China dozens of years ago are moved to tears. They have not forgotten the Chinese people's kind assistance and have done their part to represent the friendship between the people of the two nations. They shot films, wrote memoirs, returned to China to seek out their benefactors and contributed money to help impoverished Chinese students complete their education.

One such nongovernmental friendship organization, The Breeze Society is devoted to financially supporting low-income students in Northeast China. Funded by membership dues, the nonprofit organization is purely composed of Japanese who were repatriated from Huludao. Its founder, Ms. Tamata Sumiko, was repatriated to Japan at the age of eight. As a child, she did not grasp the true facts of the war. As an adult, from her revisiting of China and her studies of history, she came to understand the suffering and tragedy visited upon the Chinese people by the Japanese invaders.

Driven by her desire to return goodwill to the Chinese, Ms. Tamata Sumiko established the Breeze Society, primarily to provide needed funds while bringing a kind of warmth to the impoverished children in Northeast China. The organization also established the "Osawa Foundation" scholarship to benefit those in the poverty-stricken areas of Northeast China. Since its creation, the society has assisted more than 1,000 poor Chinese students; many of those have been admitted to colleges and universities, and some have traveled to the United States for further study.

The deputy president of the Breeze Society, Ms. Oono Kimiko, who was returned from Huludao at the age of 26, joined in the society when she was 78. Despite her small pension, she has dedicated herself to the society. "I am not the mother of those Chinese children," she said, "but I should love them as their mother. Only by doing so can I pay back the selfless assistance offered by the Chinese people and help remedy the injury done to them by the Japanese."

In past years, Huludao City has committed substantial resources to the excavation and sorting of relevant historical documents and the protection of historical sites. The city also submitted a proposal to concerned departments to establish an archive center for the massive repatriation. This is expected to serve as a patriotic education base, enabling Chinese citizens - especially younger generations - to become more aware of the great humanitarian deed of the Chinese nation.

Nearly 60 years have passed, but that history remains alive in people's hearts. Of the many aspects of this historic event, one episode remains particularly vivid in the minds of those who were there. Before the final repatriation ship set out in 1946, Li Xiuye, then head of the Kuomintang Administration of Japanese Immigrants and Prisoners of War in Northeast China, boarded. On the deck he spoke to the Japanese in sincere and earnest tones.

"After you return, think what you have done to the Chinese people and how the Chinese have treated you in turn," he said. "I hope that when you next come, you come in peace and friendship, rather than with bayonet. If you take to the bayonet again, the Chinese people will not offer a send-off such as this."

From May 7 to December 31, 1946: 1,017,549 Japanese in 158 groups were repatriated from Huludao;