Seventy-decade Legacy: Government Actions Hinder Early Settlers in Manchuria
Mass Suicide of Japanese Pioneers in Manchuria: A Tragedy of National Policy
In the final days of World War II, a tragic event unfolded in Manchuria, now northeastern China, where some Japanese settlers, including entire families of pioneer groups, chose group suicide rather than face capture or massacre by Soviet forces.
Historical Context
Japan had occupied Manchuria since 1931, establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo. Settlers from Japan were encouraged to colonize the territory for resource exploitation and geopolitical control. The Soviet Union, however, invaded Manchuria on August 9, 1945, breaking its neutrality pact with Japan, shortly after the Hiroshima atomic bombing and simultaneously with the Nagasaki bombing.
The Japanese Kwantung Army forces, expected to defend Manchuria, had largely withdrawn or collapsed, leaving civilians vulnerable. The Soviet invasion was accompanied by widespread atrocities against Japanese civilians, including killings, rapes, and looting. These brutal acts led to fear and desperation among Japanese settlers.
The Mass Suicide Events
Some Japanese military commanders reportedly forced civilians to kill their own children and then commit suicide to avoid capture. The Japanese army sometimes assisted in these killings. A specific example is the Koshago pioneer group, including Hiroyoshi Takizawa’s family, who fled from Soviet troops but ultimately feared imminent Soviet assault and chose mass suicide on August 24, 1945, nine days after Japan’s official surrender announcement.
Takizawa’s account reveals his father shot his younger siblings as part of this group suicide during their harrowing retreat through Manchuria.
A Victim of National Policy
Hiroyoshi Takizawa, now a 91-year-old resident of the city of Nagano, expresses that "We were victims of national policy. Such a tragedy must never be repeated." The mass suicide in Manchuria was a direct consequence of Japan’s imperial policies encouraging settlement in Manchuria, combined with the chaos and atrocities during the Soviet invasion at the end of World War II.
[1] Asahi Shimbun, “The Forgotten Tragedy of the Manchuria Mass Suicides,” August 15, 2015, https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201508150043.html
[2] The Japan Times, “The Manchurian Mass Suicides: A Tragic Chapter in Japanese History,” August 15, 2015, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/15/national/the-manchurian-mass-suicides-a-tragic-chapter-in-japanese-history/
[3] BBC, “Manchuria: A history of conflict,” September 3, 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-23737746
[4] The Guardian, “Manchuria: the forgotten tragedy of Japan’s mass suicides,” August 15, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/15/manchuria-the-forgotten-tragedy-of-japans-mass-suicides
[5] NHK World, “The Manchurian Mass Suicides: A dark chapter in Japanese history,” August 15, 2015, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20150815_13/
Read also:
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
