Nanto City, Toyama — Hidemi Yamada, a 107-year-old resident of Nanto City, survived harsh detention in sub-zero Mongolia after being captured by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. As Japan marks 80 years since the war’s conclusion, he shares a powerful message: “War is wrong. We must live in peace.”
In 1945, Yamada, then 27 years old, was taken prisoner during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. He and thousands of others were promised repatriation but were instead transported by freight train to labor camps in Mongolia. During the journey, he witnessed fellow soldiers being executed for attempting to escape.
In Mongolia, he endured extreme cold, starvation, and forced labor, including brick-making in Ulaanbaatar. “We had barely any food or water. Every day, I walked to collect ice just to survive,” he recalled.
An estimated 575,000 Japanese were detained by Soviet forces, and around 2,000 lost their lives in Mongolia. From Toyama Prefecture, 3,100 individuals were taken, and 600 perished.
Now, Yamada continues to share his message: “Weapons should not be made. We must never repeat the mistakes of war.”
Source – Yahoo News