August 15, 1945. For some people, the struggle began on the day the war ended.More than 270,000 Japanese who had traveled to northeastern China (formerly Manchuria) during World War II were left behind in enemy territory at the end of the war, beginning the brutal escape back to their homeland. Surviving the bitter cold and hunger, the children entrusted to these countries, desperate for their lives, were known as "orphans left behind in China."Diplomatic relations between Japan and China were restored in 1972. As adults, these "orphans" continued to "return" to Japan, unaware of the Japanese language, lifestyle, or even their biological parents.Takaaki Shigemitsu (86), a first-generation Japanese left behind in China, was six years old when the war ended in Manchuria. He has vague memories of both his biological mother and the war. He was raised by Chinese adoptive parents and speaks Mandarin. Despite this, he continued to be insulted at school and at work, being called a "Japanese" and a "little Japanese devil." Even after returning to Japan in 1984, Japanese society did not accept Shigemitsu as a "normal Japanese" because he was unable to speak Japanese fluently.But what does it mean to be normal Japanese? Who am I?These questions continue to ripple across 80 years.Nakamura Koharu (18), a university student in Tokyo, is the fourth generation of women left behind in China. Her great-grandmother worked in a hospital in Manchuria during the war. Although Koharu was born and raised in Japan, China is firmly in her heart.She would not have been born if there had not been a war. Is it okay for her to be here?Koharu travels to Dalian, China to follow in her great-grandmother's footsteps and reexamine herself.We look at 80 years of people caught between two countries.
>>215329275>was unable to speak Japanese fluentlySeems like it would be easy to fix
