Chapter 68 Six Japanese war criminals

In June and July, I went to Shenyang with a few companions to attend a military court and testify to the court for the trial of Japanese war criminals. It is known from the newspaper that more than a thousand Japanese war criminals were detained in China, some in Fushun and some in Taiyuan. They were all criminals during the Japanese imperialist war of aggression against China.In June and July of 1956, forty-five were sentenced to imprisonment in Taiyuan and Shenyang respectively, and the rest were exempted from prosecution, and the Red Cross Society of China assisted them to return to China.Those who were tried in Shenyang were war criminals detained in Fushun, a total of 36 people were tried in two batches.Some of them were known to me when I was in Manchukuo, and some of them were seen on the forum of the Fushun Management Office.Tadashi Gukai, the former deputy director of the General Affairs Office of the Puppet Manchukuo, was one of them.He and Wubu Liuzang, chief of the Puppet General Affairs Department, were the counterparts of me and the four puppet Manchukuo ministers who testified.Gu Hai was the first defendant to appear in court.He was later sentenced to eighteen years in prison by the court [1].

When I walked into this courtroom where the aggressors were tried, I suddenly remembered the victory in the Korean War, the victory in the Geneva negotiations, and the diplomatic relations since the founding of the People's Republic of China.Today, the trial of Japanese war criminals on Chinese soil is unprecedented in history. In the days when the Volunteer Army and the Korean People’s Army were winning battles together, I only thought at that time that I had no other way out except to plead guilty to the Chinese people and ask for forgiveness.When the Japanese war criminals were tried this time, what appeared in my mind was no longer a question of the way out, but a sense of national pride that far surpassed personal questions!

No, I got more than national pride.From this huge incident, I thought of many more questions. Furukai had this to say in his final statement before sentencing: In the entire Northeast, there is not a single inch of land that has not left traces of the brutal atrocities committed by the Japanese imperialists.The crimes of imperialism are my crimes.I deeply realize that I am a war criminal who flagrantly violated international law and humanitarian principles and committed major crimes against the Chinese people. I sincerely apologize to the Chinese people.For an intolerable criminal like me, the Chinese people have always treated me humanely in the past six years, and at the same time gave me a chance to calmly understand my crime.Thanks to these I regained my conscience and my reason.I know the path that real people should walk.I think it was given to me by the Chinese people, and I don't know how to thank the Chinese people.

I still remember to this day that after I testified in court, when he was asked to state his opinion, he bowed deeply and said with tears: What the witnesses said is entirely true. This scene can't help but remind me of the Tokyo International Tribunal.There, Japanese war criminals clamored through their lawyers, attacked witnesses, and tried every means to cover up their crimes in order to reduce the punishment.And here, not only Furukai, not only my opponent who testified, but all the war criminals who were tried have all pleaded guilty and served their sentences. Regarding Japanese war criminals, my younger brothers and brother-in-laws, especially Lao Wan, who has a good memory, can't finish talking about it for a few days.They participated in translating a large number of confession materials of Japanese war criminals from the time of reporting and pleading guilty.After the brothers-in-law were released, this work was undertaken by Pu Jie and Lao Bang.Since 1956, I have been hearing many stories about Japanese war criminals from them.

There was a Japanese war criminal who was a former army general. When the procuratorate began investigating in 1954, perhaps because of his fear or hostility, they could not find much from him.Even at the conference, when he was accused by his subordinate officers and soldiers, he still hadn't let go of his airs as a general.But this time in court, he admitted to commanding his troops to commit six massacres of peaceful residents in places such as Eastern Hebei and Jun County in Henan.For example, in October 1942, a regiment under him massacred more than 1,280 residents and burned more than 1,000 private houses in Panjiadai Village.He admitted all of these facts before the court.After he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, he said to reporters: When I made the judgment, I judged it according to my past crimes, and believed that China should of course punish people like me who violated humanity and violated public international law, and imposed the death penalty. .He also said that when investigating the facts of the crime, it was very correct and fair, and the investigation was carried out using methods that they had never seen in the old society.He said that although there was no room for defense for his crime, the court still sent defenders, and the indictment was sent to him a few days ago. He felt that this was a respect for his personality.Speaking of crime, he said: When I think of the fact that I have killed many Chinese people and made life difficult for their bereaved families, and it is the relatives of the victims who are taking care of me, my heart feels like a knife .

There is a former Japanese chief who was released without prosecution.My third brother-in-law once turned over a letter from Japan, which was written by a war criminal who returned to China on the same ship as the chief. The letter mentioned that the Japanese reporter knew that the chief was questioned by his subordinates (also war criminals) in prison. He was very annoyed when he committed a crime, so he interviewed him on the ship, hoping that he would say something different from others, because the praise and gratitude of war criminals for New China had already made some reporters impatient.They didn't get anything they expected from the Colonel's mouth. The reporter asked him: Why do you still say those words?Are you still afraid of China now?He replied: I am sitting on a Japanese ship now, what do I have to be afraid of China?What I said was just the truth.

The third brother-in-law used to be the team leader of the ward. He met a Japanese war criminal who lived in the ward. He made trouble all day long, did not abide by the rules of the prison, and often troubled the nurses and guards.When the release was announced and the farewell party was held, he suddenly burst into tears and publicly told his mistakes.There is also a patient, although he is not as troublesome as this little soldier, he does not want to plead guilty at all.What he had was rectal cancer, and he was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment due to the deterioration of his condition. He underwent two operations and had an artificial anus, and the doctor transfused his own blood for him, which saved him from life.After he was discharged from the hospital, he told a public meeting how he had killed and tortured Chinese people in the past, and compared how the Chinese people rescued him when he was critically ill.He cried while speaking on the stage, and the people in the audience also cried while listening.

One day, when we were leveling the grounds and building flower beds, we dug up a bone from a pit in the yard with a bullet hole in the skull.Both Lao Yuan and Lao Xian, who had studied western medicine, judged that the deceased was a young girl.Later, Lao Wan translated an article written by a Japanese war criminal, who was the former warden of Fushun Prison. He described the scene of hell when patriots were imprisoned at that time: At that time, there were only sounds of torture, shackles, and screams; At that time, the place was smelly and dirty, the walls were covered with ice in winter, and mosquitoes and flies were everywhere in summer. At that time, each prisoner was only given a small bowl of sorghum rice every day, and they had to do hard labor all day long. Many people were beaten to death and died of exhaustion.He said: Now there are only singing, music, and laughter here. If someone goes outside the wall, he will never think that this is a prison; now there is heating in winter and screens in summer. In the past, the labor factory became a boiler room and a bakery. The dark room where the patriots were tortured is now the dispensary of the infirmary, the former warehouse is now repaired as a bathroom, and now their personality is respected, they can study every day, play musical instruments, paint, and play ball, who would believe that this is the place? prison?He said: Now China is building a cause that brings happiness to all mankind. Let us follow the right path, stop committing crimes and start a new life.

Many articles written by war criminals have said that when they were sent to China by the Soviet Union, they were terrified, unconvinced, and even hated.Some people have the same mentality as me. When they first came here, they only used their own way of thinking to speculate, and they didn't understand why the Chinese people treated them like this.When they saw the boiler room being built, they thought it was a murder room, and when they saw the building of the clinic and the installation of medical equipment, they thought they were going to use captives for experiments, just like they did.Still others see leniency and humane treatment as weakness.There was a military policeman who was regarded as a good Japanese man by Japanese war criminals when he was escorted from the Soviet Union to China, and he yelled and cursed all day long.The institute asked him to talk, and he stood sideways in front of the officials of the institute and said: I was captured by the Soviet army, what right do you have to ask me?The staff of the institute said to him: We Chinese people did not invite you to come to China to kill people, but we have the right to pursue your blood debt against you!It is you who are not qualified to speak now.Think for yourself.When people come to this world, they should do something beneficial to mankind. What do you do?He thought he was going to be punished and give him another chance to show his strength, but he just told him to go like this and ignored him again.Soon, news of the victory of the Chinese People's Volunteers on the Korean battlefield came one after another, and he stopped making troubles, because he knew that reasonable people are not weak, but barbarism is just a sign of weakness.He became silent and finally spoke out of his crime on his own initiative.

Before these stories of Japanese war criminals came out, almost everyone knew about the changes in Japanese war criminals.But at that time, I was only thinking about my own problems, just like reading newspapers and family letters before, and I didn't have the heart to think seriously.In fact, from around 1954, changes in Japanese war criminals have been continuously revealed.I might as well copy some relevant passages from Pu Jie's incomplete 1955 diary to illustrate (the words in square brackets are my notes): January 26 In the evening, we watched dances and musicals performed by Japanese war criminals (this was the first time we watched them perform, and they used to perform and watch by themselves. At this time, they already had a fairly large orchestra. The instruments were prepared for them by the institute). It is based on examples of how the Chinese People's Liberation Army loves the people, the spirit of anti-imperialism and internationalism, and the struggle of the Japanese people who opposed the atomic war. (After the play ended), many Japanese war criminals expressed their opposition to the US imperialist monopoly of atomic energy in tears (many war criminals said that their relatives died under the atomic bomb), and thanked the Chinese People's Government for its lenient policy.

May 2 During the day, I still played games all day (because of May Day, entertainment and celebrations were held for two consecutive days), and at night I watched the Japanese war criminals' singing and dancing party, and the former rank of war criminals from the sixth and fifth camps also participated In addition to acting, this is something that has never happened before. It made me deeply feel the words on the white-haired girl film that the new society turns ghosts into people. May 5th I watched (Japanese) war criminals play Son of the Atomic Bomb in the evening, and only performed one because it was too cold in the courtyard at night (the wind suddenly blew up that day), so I was afraid of the performers and audience (the performers were only Japanese war criminals, and the audience was all war criminals) ) caught cold, so it was temporarily suspended, and the performance will be resumed when the weather is good (this open-air venue was built by Japanese war criminals in only three or four days). May 6th I watched Son of the Atomic Bomb tonight, and the plot was quite touching (this is the story of Nagasaki being devastated by the war). May 15 More than 20 Japanese representatives participating in the Asian Conference visited here, and their delegation thanked the Chinese government for the humane treatment of war criminals with tears in their eyes.The representatives of the war criminals also delivered speeches, declaring their determination to fight for the defense of peace after rehabilitating their evil ways. Many of the war criminals were moved to tears.The Solomon Islands also allowed members of the delegation to meet with known war criminals. June 11 Watching sports games held by (Japanese) war criminals all day long (this stadium was also built by Japanese war criminals themselves), its organization and creativity can be used as a reference for us (their cheerleading teams at the sports games are very good). fourth of july In the evening, watch (Japanese) war criminals' singing, music, and dance. It must have been Katayama Tetsu who came, and they were still cheering and clapping late into the night. Looking back, I realized that their changes were obvious.Why did these prisoners become so happy, so alive?Why did they sit on the Xing'an Pills after they were released, and they still took the set of pipes and drums given to them by the management office, and played it to the coast of the lost China with tears in their eyes?Why do they love to sing Tokyo Beijing?Why does everyone who has been sentenced keep saying: I am grateful to the Chinese people!I regret it? Gu Hai said so, those who scolded others said so, and those who played scoundrels said so.In letters from Japan, there are often words like this: I know how to live from China, I know life, and when I took the first step in life, I would like to thank Mr. Director, who shook hands with me, wishing my physical and mental health , the warmth of your hands will never be lost Several war criminals learned from Japanese newspapers and magazines that after the American army occupied their land, there was a female profession called fat girls. This is a similar phenomenon to the jeep girls before the liberation of our country. They became angry and scolded Women are shameless.Someone wrote to his wife asking if she did it too.After checking the letter, the prison guards kept it, took it to find him, and said very patiently: "You should think about it again. Is it appropriate to write to your wife like this?"Needless to say, your question is groundless, even if there is basis, you have to think about it, whose fault is this?Is it necessary to ask a woman to be responsible?The war criminal was silent, but suddenly he rolled up the letter and threw it on the ground, and then burst into tears. Yes, those who are grateful to the Chinese people are not only grateful for the tolerance of the Chinese people, they are even more grateful to the Chinese people for teaching them the truth and the truth of many things.Just as I learned about the emperor, they also understood the truth of militarism and the reality of Japan.After they returned home, their letters talked about the astonishing figures of juvenile delinquency and the fate of fat girls.The Japanese movies "Children of the Base" and "Women in War" that have been screened in the management are all realities.Women in Saipan were forced into the water by bayonets, desperate mothers raised their newborn babies to the water with both hands. These realities just passed. American bases appeared, American tanks rolled over their land, and American troops planes pollute their skies, GIs rape their women, A person who returned to the countryside wrote a sad letter saying: some young people in the village have changed, some became robbers, some killed people because of women's issues, some joined the Self-Defense Forces, and indulged in alcohol and women's degenerate life.At night, if you don't close the doors and windows, you can't sleep peacefully.The culture is corrupt, and the movies are full of pornography and robbery. There are also dramas from the past, kendo, judo, and shooting games.Children play killing games, and they don't obey their parents' orders.Goods are available, but the poor have no money to buy them They realized the truth in China, and when they went back, they saw the truth of the disaster in their own country. As soon as they understood these truths, they organized and took action.They gave speeches everywhere, talking about New China, talking about the crimes of Japanese militarism, opposing the revival of militarism, and demanding independence, democracy and peace.Why are they so?They are subject to many restrictions, surveillance, but they do not shrink back, they have many ways to deal with those restrictions.The reactionaries forbade them to perform Chinese dances, so they taught Mongolian dance, fan dance, Yangko dance and red silk dance to professional kabuki theaters, so Chinese red silk dance and Yangko dance spread all over Japan.Why do they have these methods?Where does the power come from? From the sporadic but exciting conversations of my brothers-in-law, I know many stories about returning war criminals in Japan. These stories boil down to one fact: they are welcomed by the Japanese people everywhere, and they tell the truth to the people, the people supported them. Many people wrote to describe how he was invited by his family, relatives and friends, fellow villagers, groups, and schools to talk about his prison life and things about China.They talked about the friendship between the Chinese people and the Japanese people, what the attitude of a powerful China is towards the war, and what the hopes and ideals of the Chinese people are.Some people doubted his words, some took reservations, and some believed them.But more and more it is belief, affirmation, and trust in those who go back.The more the pro-American reactionary rulers dislike the returnees, the more the people believe in them As soon as they returned to China, they published a book: "Three Lights Policy".Those who personally participated in the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in China wrote how they created no-man’s land on Chinese soil, how they used the Chinese people to test bacterial weapons, and how they dissected living people. The first edition of this book is 50,000 copies. It sold out within a week! Several ex-soldiers and retired generals were silent for a long time after listening to an old colleague who returned to China talk about their life and feelings over the past few years, and finally said: Based on our conscience and understanding of you, we believe in you Every word spoken.However, these words can only be said in the room. In one village, after hearing what a fellow villager who had just returned from China had to say, whenever there was any problem, people would always say: Go to ××.He is the most knowledgeable person in our village. In one village, their fellow villagers who had just returned were not very talkative, but just changed their old habits at home. The villagers were very surprised why this person is so kind and loves to help others.When he knew that this was a change in China, he became a more prestigious person in the village. There is also a village, they hold the flag of long-lasting martial arts, and welcome the returnees like a triumphant general.But this popular man, got off the train, and delivered a sad speech to his fellow countrymen. As a result, people understood the cause of the disaster in Hiroshima, and they all shed tears, and the flag of Wu Yunjiu fell to the ground There was a mother who, after listening to her son who had been released back describe his life for more than ten years, asked: Where is Beijing?The son told her.Then she realized that the mattress was placed incorrectly, and she should not have her feet facing this direction, so she hurriedly adjusted the mattress and told her head to face Beijing, where truth and hope are.This is a mother's hope. Many of the families of war criminals are simple working people or people with conscience.Many of them have written letters to the Chinese government in the past, requesting the release of their husbands or sons, saying that they are all innocent people.Later, some of them asked to come to China to see their relatives. When they came, they listened to the stories of their relatives, and some listened to the recordings of the Chinese people’s complaints in court. They cried together with their relatives in prison, and they admitted that the prison The people here are guilty and understand that they have been fooled by militarism. The changes in Japanese war criminals, like the changes in my family, shocked me greatly.From these changes, I have seen a fact: Communists convince people with reason. [1] Tadyuki Furumi was released early in February 1963.