MY REAL JAPAN: Gratitude for the British from one Japanese soldier

I wrote and handed this letter with 6 pictures to the Far East POWs and their families when they left for the UK on the 28th October 2012.

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Tamotsu Mizumoto(87) who had passed away on the very next day of my visit on the 20th last month in a hospital ,was my Japanese friend's father-in-law.I met him in 2005 after we moved to Singapore to live from 2004 to 2009.Before that,I 've not met any Japanese soldier who had told me their own experiences of the World War 2 .I was also not interested in these stories , but after starting to read the Singapore history books in Japanese, I told myself that I need to know about the Japanese modern history,too.So my friend brought me to his place for the first time.

After that we met many times and we became good friends.At that time in Singapore , our house was at Upper Bukit Timah Road.It was just next to the Old Ford Factory [War Museum] in the hard-fought field in 1942 so, I think the spirits living there woke me up...

In August 1944, he was on board of the tanker, Number 2 Hakko -Maru and was sent to Singapore as a correspondence soldier after training in Hiroshima.He was 18 years old then.On the way from Japan to Singapore, his ships sank 4 times including a small wooden ship as they were attacked by the US submarines and aerial bombing.So he had had terrible experiences which were like a mixture of the film Taitanic and Jaws.

Actually 3 years ago , I encouraged him to write his stories as a contribution to the publisher relating to the World War experiences.It was then he wrote about his most frightening one..Ultimately his script was not chosen by the editor so I kept the copies of his manuscripts.

On the 18th August 1944, after the fleet left Taiwan for Singapore, it happened just in front of the ship he was on board.The Red Cross ship was attacked by the US submarines and around 100 teenage nurses were killed .Many of them were flung into the open sky.He saw white uniforms in the few pillars of fire shooting out.Some of them slides from the deck covering their faces with their hands into the sea which was surrounded crowds of sharks .

It is said that a total of about 2700 Japanese on board were lost but Tamotsu could do nothing about it.

Only on the previous evening , the nurses and the young soldiers, including him were singing many songs like 'Home sweet home' in Japanese language together on the decks of the ships as they did miss their families...At last ,they flagged massages for a safe journey at the port of Taiwan.

The ship,Teia-Maru was actually in disguise as a Red Cross Ship , in fact , she carried many bombs,arms and soldiers for the battle of Leyte, Philippine.The US army had already read the decoded the code so they were waiting for the fleet.. He was informed about the fact by 1 senior after he was on board that the Teia-Maru could be a target for US submarines the most.
Later, his ship was also attacked . He dropped into the sea but he was saved as he managed to float with a handle of the stairs and he reached Luzon Island of Philippine.

Tamotsu could not sleep after refreshing his mind with the flashbacks as he also lost many fellow soldiers due to illnesses and wounds without any medication.He insisted that Japanese Emperor should have to apologize when the war ended.. So when I had interviews with him,he looked very sad...

He hesitated to write a script about the tragedy of the Teia-Maru for a long time because the parents of the young nurses would come to know about the fact that their beloved daughters were cruelly eaten by sharks.Actually,these facts had been concealed by the Japanese Government so the parents did not know about the real facts.He was still concerned about the relatives who are still alive when he wrote it.

Amazingly, he smiled and looked happy when he talked about the British soldiers in Singapore during when he was a POW ,which is from1945-1947.

Till Japan's failure in 1945 , he was working at the communication of the Ford factory in Upper Bukit Timah Road. .By chance he monitored the last telegram code from the one of the biggest battleship of Musashi ,then he realized that Japan would fail soon.

After the Japan's failure, he was sent from Sereta Navy Base in Singapore to Batu Pahat ,Malaysia first From there, he moved to the British camp which was in the island of Sentosa, Singapore.He had to work hard under the British soldiers but he got sufficient food and was much happier than he was in the violent Japanese army .
.In the island , the Japanese POWs were treated just like humans and not like the bullets with refills even though they were enemies of the British.He remembered that one of them said that 'we were allies and enemies at the battlefield.But now the war has ended, so we are same navies beyond love and hatred" then the man saluted..... Tamotsu showed me the pose,which moved my heart.
He recalled; when the British people had a meeting,they asked to prepare more tea thus allowing the Japanese soldiers to drink after the gathering.

He did learn what is the true meaning of real democracy for the first time and he got a precept which he followed for the rest of his life.He told me that the British camp had been like a school for him. In fact they taught him driving as a skill so that he can work when he returns to Japan.

He repeated that 1 of them suggested to the POWs before they left for Japan , that is to go travelling and he may post the letters which the POWs wrote to their parents' house to inform their sons were still alive in Singapore..

He was the only one who wrote the letter as the other POWs did not believe his kindness to them .

On September , 1947 when he returned back home in Japan, he did find his own letter at the household Buddhist alter.

He very much regretted for not asking this kind soldier's address ..He wished he had appreciated him.

This old photo with the British Soldiers taken in 1947 was always on the bookshelf , just near to him till the day he was admitted in hospital this September.

I would like to say thank you so much on behalf of him.

Recently we found that he seldom talked about his experiences of the WW2 even though his younger brother.I am the one who could listen to his stories the most.
I pay my last respects to Mr Tamotsu Mizumoto.

This time I heard the real , many sad stories from you and I felt very sorry..

It was just the opposite of what he had experienced in Singapore and never forgot till his death..