In commemoration of eight decades, a 103-year-old individual still bears the painful recollections of the trauma inflicted by a Soviet assault

Old veteran of the dissolved Imperial Japanese Army, aged 103, residing in Otaru, Hokkaido...

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2025 September 3 . 5:21 AM

2 min read

Seventy-Eight Years Ago: Unforgettable Suffering Recalled by Centenarian Due to Soviet Assault

In commemoration of eight decades, a 103-year-old individual still bears the painful recollections of the trauma inflicted by a Soviet assault

In the twilight of his life, Shoichi Takahashi, a 103-year-old former Imperial Japanese Army soldier, vividly remembers the sudden Soviet attack on the Chishima (Kuril) Islands just three days after Japan's official surrender in World War II in August 1945. Born in Aomori, a city in northeastern Japan, Takahashi was stationed on one of the islands during this surprise assault by the Soviet forces.

Before the attack, Takahashi was initially assigned for service on Attu island, a westernmost isle of the Aleutian group. However, U.S. fighter planes prevented Japanese troops from landing on Attu island, and Takahashi was subsequently sent to Shumshu island of the Chishima chain in the North Pacific in March 1943. On Shumshu island, his main duty was digging trenches.

The Soviet attack occurred starting August 18, 1945, despite Japan's surrender. The Soviets launched amphibious landings supported by air raids and artillery shelling against Japanese positions on the Chishima Islands, such as Shumshu. The battle was intense, with significant casualties on both sides: approximately 1,567 Soviet casualties and 1,018 Japanese casualties. The engagement ended with Soviet occupation of the islands by late August 1945, establishing control that continues today, with Russia administering the islands officially since then.

As a witness and participant, Takahashi has expressed his strong anti-war sentiment, remarking, "I want no more war," shaped by his experiences during the attack and his subsequent detention in a Soviet labor camp in Siberia. Later in his life, he moved to Otaru, a city in Hokkaido, and became a fisherman.

The battle and occupation remain deeply sensitive issues for former Japanese residents and descendants who long to revisit their ancestral homes on the Northern Territories—the four islands seized by the Soviet Union, now Russia. Takahashi, now a symbol of the past, continues to express his desire for peace, stating, "War is simply unacceptable."

It is important to note that the Imperial Japanese Army is now defunct, and the events on Attu island did not directly involve Takahashi after his transfer to Shumshu island. Takahashi's service on Attu island did not occur due to U.S. fighter planes. The events on Attu island ended with a banzai charge by the Japanese garrison, which did not involve Takahashi.

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