This is Army General Yamashita Tomoyuki a.k.a. Tiger of Malaya. He was very much feared by his enemies as well as his soldiers. Indeed, his war crimes were unforgivable, but allow me to show you a humane side of this ruthless, blood-thirsty creature.

Story 1: by Mamoru Shinozaki

It happened in Singapore (1942) when Yamashita celebrated the Emperor’s birthday in Singapore. The Singapore children were made to sing “Aikoku Koshin Kyoku” (Look at the dawn over the Eastern Seas) for the ceremony. They sounded grand as the tune was correct and the timing was superb. Then the Japanese anthem was sang. Yamashita was very impressed. He was so touched that he whispered, “Just like Japanese children, aren’t they?” uncontrollably. And tears started forming in his eyes. As the children shouted Banzai! thrice, he saluted to them. Then, he was so moved that tears washed down his eyes. I was rather affected by his patriotism.

Story 2: by Ino Masamichi

It happened in Japan. Ino was then a worker at the reception office of the dental section of the Number 74 Supply Hospital, his tasks were basically to note down name and illness of patients. On one occasion, Yamashita went for treatment at the hospital. Ino, not knowing who it was, shouted sternly at the general when he forgot to report his rank and company. As Yamashita announced his name and rank, the soldiers there were petrified, They broke into cold sweat and saluted. Surprisingly, Yamashita not only did not reprimand them for disrespect, but said, “No, no, stay as you were.” Poor Ino thought he would be severely dealt with later. However, the next day, Yamashita purchased a gift with his own money from a store in town for Ino. He expressed his sentiments to Ino, “Thank you for your hard work. You carry out your duties just as seriously as my officers and soldiers who charged into enemy troops with swords drawn.” His appreciation for his countrymen was very remarkable.

Equality in Sports

When the Japanese occupied Singapore, it was renamed “Syonanto”. There and then, the Syonan Sports Association was formed (Jalan Besar Stadium was used). It was the only institution then that everyone was treated on the same footing – regardless of Japanese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Arabs or Chinese. Many lifetime friendships sprouted from here, as it gave hope during the brutal Japanese reign. Games like boxing, soccer and basketball were played between races, and boxing tournaments held at the Great World in aid of charity. Such unity and equality was rare in wartime, hence, it was a really moving episode in the midst of the Second World War.

Chinese Treatment of Japanese War Criminals

Despite Japanese brutality towards Chinese, Japanese soldiers gave account of good treatment by the Communist Chinese. It was said that in China, they were given white bread (when they had black bread in Siberia) and delicious meal (Chinese broccoli, with a soup of pork and radish). The guards ignored their defiance (compared to Japanese treatment of defiance in China), never shout or kick at them, and were even polite to them. The Chinese were concerned about the POW’s welfare as they treated the sick even at wee hours. The Chinese expressed that they did not blame the Japanese, but rather, their leaders. Besides, the Japanese soldiers were released back to Japan after self-confession. This contrasted with the Japanese brutality in China and SEA where they conducted large-scale massacre (e.g. Operation Clean-up) to eliminate their enemies. The good treatment received made some Japanese soldiers very remorseful.

Respect to Enemies

This account was given by a survivor of the destroyer, Seppu. An enemy destroyer Seppu was bombed by the Japanese air raids. As it was about to sink, a Japanese destroyer sailed past. Some machine-gunners wanted to shoot the sinking Seppu but were stopped by the captain, who “saluted to the sinking ship in seeming condolence for the loss of the enemy ship”. Apparently, the survivor was greatly touched by such an act of the Japanese. Unfortunately, not many Japanese were like that, most were very sadistic (like the machine-gunners).

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