Rowena Ward

Delaying repatriation: Japanese technicians in early postwar China

Abstract Research on the Japanese living in Manchukuo in August 1945 has generally fostered the assumption that all Japanese there wanted to return to Japan as soon as possible. Yet, some made the conscious and voluntary decision to stay, at least for the short to medium term. Among those who chose to delay repatriation were a number of technicians employed by Mantetsus (South Manchurian Railroad Company) Chūo Shikenjo. This paper looks at the political and personal realities faced by these technicians when making their decisions as whether to stay or leave in terms of the concepts of voluntary and involuntary repatriation. It shows that the circumstances faced, and consequently the decisions made by the technicians, differed over time. It argues that there were three main reasons behind any decision to stay: pragmatism, a sense of responsibility for Japans activities during the war and a sense of loyalty.

Repatriating the Japanese from New Caledonia, 1941–46

ABSTRACT This paper considers the negotiations for the repatriation of the Japanese residents of New Caledonia who were transferred to Australia for internment after the outbreak of the Asia-Pacific theatre of World War II. It shows that whilst the Japanese residents’ place of origin was New Caledonia, it was deemed instead to be Japan, and they were repatriated to Japan either as part of the Anglo–Japanese civilian exchange of September 1942 or after the cessation of hostilities. The paper also shows that the Australian government had security concerns regarding the Japanese before and during the war but was willing to repatriate the Japanese to New Caledonia after the war should the New Caledonian authorities have been willing to accept them back. The New Caledonian authorities’ decision not to accept the Japanese back in New Caledonia resulted in their repatriation to Japan even though some expressed the wish to return to New Caledonia.

Returning from Exile: The Japanese Citizens from the Former Manchuria

This chapter examines the case of the zanryū hōjin, Japanese citizens who were abandoned and/or stranded in China atthe end of World War II, in terms of the markers of Japaneseness. The chapter considers the zanryū hōjin case in light of Said’s assumption that people have a geographical homeland and that exiles know they are in exile. It is argued that as a result of their exile in China, many zanryū hōjin did not have the opportunity to develop a sense of Japaneseness that would allow them to be recognized as members of the Japanese nation after their return to Japan. This effectively means that many zanryū hōjin experience multiple exiles in and between China and Japan.