That did it. Shinichi collapsed into a nearby chair and stifled tears of joy. How could this man Toshi Nakamori perform such an incredible feat? Shinichi read some newspapers nowadays. He had a fair idea how bad things must be in war-torn Japan. To think Nakamori had a network of undercover connections that could obtain a family group picture such as this and have it brought to the U.S.A—in the space of a few days—was nothing short of a miracle.
And, these people; in his mind they should still be looking upon him as a Japanese P.O.W.—someone to be scorned, the enemy. Service men were still dying by the thousands at the hand of the Japanese, yet these people treated him almost as one of their own. How could he ever have looked upon the Americans as the enemy?
It took a few minutes before Shinichi had collected himself enough to join in the celebrations and to partake of his share of cake and drink. It was an experience he would never forget.
Later in the quiet of his room he read the letter. This time it was in Masako's hand. Like his mother's earlier letter it was brief. Simply telling him she and the baby were well and his parents too. She, together with his parents, had chosen the name, Myumi. They all hoped it would please him. Don't worry, we are all safe here in—a few words had been completely blacked out, censored perhaps in case the letter was intercepted—we miss you very much and hope you are keeping very well.
It was simple but it was from Masako and that was all that counted. Shinichi read it over again and looked at the picture closely. They did all look well, though his father and mother looked awfully serious. That was typical of them however. He was sure that behind their seriousness, they were proud to be grandparents for the first time. He wondered if they knew what he was doing. Did they think he was in some kind of American prison camp?
Shinichi had no way of knowing that—on this very day 26th March 1945—the long fought battle for Iwo Jima was declared over. The United States forces had defeated the Japanese garrison after a protracted battle which left thousands killed on both sides. However, it would go down in history as a significant turning point in the process which would lead toward the capitulation of the Japanese and the end of the war in the Pacific. American forces would soon be using Iwo Jima as a base for heavy bombers to fly from to bomb the major cities in Japan.
Chapter Fourteen:
And the War Continues
As Shinichi's language skills improved so did his knowledge of how the war was progressing. He picked up on little comments here and there from the people attending the classes. He was reading more of the newspapers and hearing occasional radio news. Marion was keeping him informed to a degree too. She obviously didn't want to tell him too much for fear he may get too worried about his family.
News reports showed the tide of war was turning in favor of the allied forces. In early April Japan lost a major sea battle east of Leyte Gulf and Yamato—the largest battleship of the Imperial fleet—was sunk. Also in April General MacArthur led a force of two hundred thousand to retake the Philippines. The Island of Okinawa was retaken and the allies took over many other islands. American bombers were now based on several islands well within range of all of Japan. There was little opposition. Many cities were carpet bombed with newly developed Napalm incendiaries and thousands of homes burned in the ensuing fire-storms. Most Japanese homes are made of wood and plaster so they burned like kindling. Shinichi dreamed at night of his family caught in the conflagration and killed. He may never see them or his new born child. Japan was hard pressed to ship in any supplies because the Americans controlled the skies and the shipping lanes.
He spoke quite openly with Marion about his fears and she tried to reassure him that smaller towns would not be the target of such bombing campaigns. They would be concentrating on; airfields, industrial centers and major ports. It was small comfort, but he hoped she was correct. In reality, she wasn't, the policy had changed and the bombers targeted civilian population centers in the hope it would break the will of the people so they would rebel against their own government, rebel even against their God-like Emperor.
He held no animosity toward his captors because he had seen and heard enough news to appreciate the atrocities that had been meted out by the Japanese forces whenever they controlled an area. He had been a pilot and had been insulated from the carnage of war. He had flown, dropped bombs, and fired his guns but rarely had he seen actual death. Never saw the faces of the enemy or the burned and mangled bodies. Now there were appallingly graphic pictures for all to see.
May the eighth Marion called Shinichi to a side room where several people were gathered around a radio set. President Truman was about to address the nation.
This is a solemn but a glorious hour. I only wish that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day. General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations. The flags of freedom fly over all Europe.
For this victory, we join in offering our thanks to the Providence which has guided and sustained us through the dark days of adversity. Our rejoicing is sobered and subdued by a supreme consciousness of the terrible price we have paid to rid the world of Hitler and his evil band. Let us not forget, my fellow Americans, the sorrow and the heartache, which today abide in the homes of so many of our neighbors—neighbors whose most priceless possession has been rendered as a sacrifice to redeem our liberty.
We can repay the debt which we owe to our God, to our dead and to our children only by work—by ceaseless devotion to the responsibilities which lie ahead of us. If I could give you a single watchword for the coming months, that word is—work, work, and more work.
We must work to finish the war. Our victory is but half-won. The West is free, but the East is still in bondage to the treacherous tyranny of the Japanese. When the last Japanese division has surrendered unconditionally, then only will our fighting be done.
The president went on in some length encouraging the forces to continue the fight until all vestiges of Japanese resistance were crushed.
Everyone around Shinichi was overjoyed to hear the news of the German surrender and he couldn't help but feel a little elated too. Japan had an alliance with Germany and if Germany had surrendered, surely Japan would follow suit and surrender very quickly. He was being very selfish. All he really wanted was for the war to end as soon as possible so he could return home to his family.
He was very well aware that, for the last year, he had sat out the war in comfort and safety. Had he continued flying he may well have been killed—probably would have been killed—and his body likely never recovered. Many of his fellow fliers suffered this fate for sure. He had read about the Kamikaze attacks and knew he would probably have been “recruited” for a one way flight with a fiery ending. He knew he would have answered the call too. Instead he had an opportunity to return home one day and apply his new found skills to help his nation to recover from the ravages of the terrible war they had brought upon themselves. He was quite convinced he had made the right choice when he surrendered up there in the northland.
In the days that followed he read the horrors of the war in Europe and saw photographs in the newspapers of allied P.O.W. being rescued from German death camps. There were horrible sights of emaciated bodies being carried away on stretchers because they were too weak to walk. Some places, mounds of skeletal bodies stacked like cord wood waiting to be buried or burned. There were photographs too of P.O.W. rescued from the Japanese camps. Those prisoners were also in appalling condition. He could not help but compare their imprisonment with his own treatment and his comfortable surroundings. How fortunate he had been.
And still the Japanese government stubbornly resisted. Shinichi began to question, why? Why did they hold out? Why not capitulate as Germany had done and save the lives of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians?
Then he began to understand. It was they way they had been brought up. Obey, always obey. Death was preferable to surrender. It was all about loss of face. They
would commit hari-kari—kill themselves—rather than lose face. And then there was Emperor Hirohito, God like, but invisible. Did he really exist? What kind of person was he? Shinichi was beginning to wonder if the whole of Japanese society had been hoodwinked. They have been so brainwashed they are totally incapable of thinking for themselves.
Then there was talk of a negotiated surrender. No. The terms were not acceptable. Another flurry of news, this time, it was unconditional surrender. That didn't happen either. Days dragged by and still the fighting and bombing continued. The Japanese air force was in tatters and could put up only token resistance due to shortage of fuel; the factories and power-plants were falling silent, the cities were subjected to fire-bombing and were razed to the ground. Food staples were in short supply and the people were beginning to starve. It was feared an all out invasion of the Japanese home islands would be necessary.
That really frightened Shinichi because he realized that it would reach every corner of the country. Fighting would be city by city, street by street, and house by house. Those fanatical Japanese—he was thinking of them that way now—would be ordered to fight to the last man or kill themselves. They would follow orders from the emperor. His family would really be in certain danger if it came to an all out invasion.
The sixth day of August came around and there was a buzz around the camp. News finally broke about a new kind of bomb being dropped on Japan. The city of Hiroshima was totally destroyed by a single bomb. President Truman announced on the radio; “If they do not accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth.”
Still there was no surrender. Three days later —9th August—news of a second bomb, this time it was the city of Nagasaki that was destroyed. News began to filter through camp about the number of people killed at each city; one hundred and forty thousand in Hiroshima, seventy thousand in Nagasaki. More people were dying of a strange sickness every day. Horrifying photographs of burned and blistered people eventually appeared in the newspapers.
Shinichi now had very mixed feelings. These Americans truly were cruelly determined to win the war even if it meant killing many thousands of civilians. People like his own family who simply worked to survive day by day and had never killed anyone. Innocent little children such as Myumi would be turned to ashes by these new bombs. Were they not totally innocent, as were the majority of the people in those now destroyed cities? When would it end? How many more of these awesome bombs would it take? Shinichi began to feel a terrible blanket of depression settling over him.
Then he began to rationalize; hadn't it been the same in Europe? The Germans bombed civilians in England, the allies bombed cities in Germany. Civilians were targeted simply because they were the ones keeping the wheels of industry turning. They were the ones building planes, tanks, ships and bullets. Without the civilian workers, the military would soon run out of supplies. Break the will of the people, bomb the factories where they worked, cut off all power, starve the civilian population, and eventually you could win the war. It had worked in Germany, now it had to work in Imperial Japan.
Finally, Emperor Hirohito spoke to the people, never mentioning surrender, but informing the nation the fighting must end for the; “preservation of Japanese society.” This new and terrible bombing had to stop or the Japanese, as a nation, would cease to exist.
It was announced 28th August that Douglas MacArthur led an occupation force into Tokyo Bay. American servicemen would enter Japan and would fan out across the country to assert their control—a few of them undoubtedly using their new found language skills.
The Japanese police and armed forces were ordered by a decree from Emperor Hirohito to lay down their arms and not to resist. There was to be no more fighting. As was usual, the vast majority of Japanese people obeyed because that was the way they had been conditioned. Obey, the Emperor, always obey.
Now Shinichi had cause to celebrate. He had no word from Masako, simply had to assume she had somehow survived all of this fearsome bombing and would be there when he was repatriated. A sobering thought clouded his mind. It might still be many months before that process began.
The formal surrender was signed in Tokyo Bay 2nd September on board the Battleship USS Missouri. A few days later Shinichi saw photographs in the newspapers and couldn't help but think the Japanese representatives looked like a bunch of clowns—in fancy dress—compared to the uniformed, and businesslike Americans led by MacArthur.
MacArthur was quoted: “It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past—a world founded upon faith and understanding—a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance and justice.”
Weeks passed with Marion and Shinichi continuing to hold the classes. There was a noticeable change of tone—servicemen who would be sent to Japan had a different outlook now they knew there was less chance of someone shooting at them. They seemed more willing to learn. However, Marion told Shinichi, there was some doubt now as to how long the classes may be allowed to continue.
The war was considered to be over, although news of the surrender had apparently had not reached some of the more remote outposts. Some Japanese refused to believe their nation would ever surrender—it had to be a trick by the allies—so they continued to resist to the bitter end. People still died on both sides.
On the main Islands of Japan the role of the military was changing. War criminals, those guilty of the worst atrocities, had to be sought out and brought to justice. Many took the ‘honorable way out,’ others resigned themselves to whatever the courts meted out and were imprisoned or hanged.
Rather than fighting, servicemen were required to organize clean-up crews and to direct the reconstruction of bridges and the re-establishment of infrastructure in order to bring a sense of normalcy to the lives of the Japanese people. Food and medical supplies—in such short supply before—now needed to be distributed across the country. Wounds had to be healed and a measure of mutual trust established.
To help in this process the Americans had agreed to leave Emperor Hirohito in place so that orders sent down by General MacArthur were perceived to be edicts from the Emperor himself. The majority of people could accept this—obey this.
Shinichi was getting restless. He finally received another letter from home. To his utter relief they were all okay. Now he desperately wanted to go home to Masako, to see his child and his own mother and father.
Chapter Fifteen:
A Fitting Conclusion
Little did Shinichi know his fervent wish was about to be granted—Toshi Nakamori was scheming again.
Shinichi finished his breakfast one October morning in the small break room of the training center. Just, as he had done most days for more than a year. Then he took a brisk jog around the western side of the camp. Although nobody had formally told him he was no longer a P.O.W. he discovered he had considerably more freedom to go wherever he pleased. However, he was still not inclined to venture to the other end of camp unless invited or Marion sent him to the Admin Building on some particular errand.
It was an especially pretty Oregon day with a clear blue sky. Signs of autumn colors were emerging on the deciduous trees. Activity at the camp was slowing and Marion had told him she thought it may be closed before too much longer now the war was over. The military was already standing down in many areas. However, her classes were continuing for the time being because fresh people were being rotated to Japan all the time. They still needed some knowledge of the Japanese language and customs.
Shinichi returned, refreshed to the training center, just as a Jeep pulled up in front and Lieutenant Nakamori leaped out. He looked as fit and well uniformed as ever.
“Shinichi” he remarked jokingly, “How nice of you to meet me.”
“Good morning, Sir” said Shinichi confident now with his langua
ge skills. “I just finished my morning exercise.”
“Darn it. I'm late or I would have gone with you. Do you mind taking a walk with me?”
“I would like that, we don't have a class scheduled for today and it is a very pleasant morning.”
Nakamori turned to his driver, “Thank you. I won't need the Jeep anymore for now.”
They walked together along the same perimeter path Shinichi had already followed.
“It's good to see you Shinichi. You look very well. I imagine you've been keeping up with all the news and will be relieved as we all are.
“Yes I have.” said Shinichi. “People keep me well informed and I have received another letter from Masako. Did you have something to do with that—again?” He felt bold enough to ask point blank now.
Toshi smiled, “As a matter of fact I did and I must say it was much easier than previously. I'm so pleased your family came through this okay. It is so sad we have to go through this kind of thing at all. Now it is time now to start the healing and the process of putting your country back together. That will take time and a lot of effort.”
They walked quietly for a few minutes enjoying the fresh, clean air, and the sound of starlings pleasantly chirruping nearby as they attacked the crop of seeds on the spruce trees.
“I have spent the last few weeks in Washington and I have new orders. By the way, you will notice I've been promoted to the rank of Captain… I will be flying to Tokyo next week to join the American Embassy staff there. A lot of investigative and diplomatic work to be done as you can imagine.”
Shinichi was not surprised. Nakamori, Captain Nakamori, with all of his connections and his language skills, would be an obvious choice for the position.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Sir. You must be looking forward to going to Japan.” They waited for a couple of army trucks to pass noisily by on the entry road then Nakamori spoke again,
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