Survivor's Memories Keep Lost Manchurian Settlement Alive
Eighty-one years after the end of World War II, a newly donated book and the testimony of a man who moved to Manchuria as a child are preserving the history of a Japanese settlement known as Hamamatsu Village, whose residents fled advancing Soviet forces after years spent pursuing the promise of a more prosperous life. (News On Japan)
In August 1945, following Japan's defeat in World War II and the advance of Soviet forces into Manchuria, residents of Hamamatsu Village, a Japanese settlement in northeastern China, were forced to flee their homes. Former superintendent of education in Shizuoka Prefecture Kosuke Shibata recounted leaving the settlement with all their possessions abandoned as Soviet forces poured into the region on August 9, 1945.
The book "The Story of Miyakoda Paitanshao Manchurian Pioneer Village" was recently donated to Hamamatsu Keiyo High School, aiming to educate students about the area's historical significance. Authored by Shibata, the book details the history of the Hamamatsu pioneer group, who migrated to Manchuria under a government-backed colonization program in 1932. The group hoped to increase food production and secure resources in the region.
In 1932, Japan had established the state of Manchukuo in Manchuria and actively encouraged Japanese migration to the area. Hamamatsu City, in particular, promoted settlement in Manchuria, aiming to establish a 300-household Hamamatsu settlement. In Miyakoda, Hamamatsu, the area known as Hakusho was named after Paitanshao, the Manchuria location where settlers from Hamamatsu established their community.
Toshio Takei, who moved to Manchuria at the age of 7 with his parents and six siblings, described the abundant farmland and better life they enjoyed compared to Japan. However, their peaceful existence was abruptly disrupted six days before the war ended when Soviet forces invaded Manchuria. The settlers discussed gathering in one village to fight and die together, as they had little ammunition and were prepared for their imminent demise.
They were eventually forced to flee to Xinjing, the capital of Manchukuo, where harsh winter conditions and diseases like typhus and cholera claimed many lives. Takei's father, Hitoshi, died of illness at the age of 42, and Takei himself was responsible for burying his father's remains.
Upon returning to Japan, Takei and other survivors of the pioneer group worked to cultivate parts of the Mikatahara Plateau, transforming it from wasteland to a prosperous agricultural area. Hirofumi Oba, a teacher at Hamamatsu Keiyo High School, noted that the school's location was once barren but was developed into a rich area by the returning settlers.
Students at the school are now studying the donated book to connect the present-day landscape with its wartime past, emphasizing the importance of preserving these stories for future generations.
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