A bronze statue of Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi of the Imperial Japanese Army, erected at Izanagi Shrine in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture.
August 15 marks the anniversary of the end of World War II. But 80 years ago that day, fighting still raged as the Soviet Union unilaterally declared war against Japan on August 8, 1945, and began its invasion the next day.
One of those conflicts was the Battle of Shumshu Island, reported on August 10 in The Sankei Shimbun. Even after Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, the Soviet army pressed on with its invasion. In response, Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi, commander of the 5th Army, ordered, "Resolutely counterattack and crush the landing forces."
After a fierce battle on Shumshu Island, located in the northeasternmost of the Kuril Islands, a ceasefire was reached, with Japan maintaining the upper hand.
Fateful Decision
Also facing active aggression from Russia, Lieutenant General Hiroshi Nemoto, then commander of the army stationed in Mongolia, refused to disarm in the face of the Soviet army's continued advancement through Manchuria and China.
While holding back their attacks, Nemoto protected Japanese civilians until the last group fled by train. It is said that the Soviet Union had plans to occupy the northern half of Hokkaido. Without such acts of self-defense, the very map of Japan might have been altered.
This is a piece of history worth remembering on the 80th anniversary of the war's end.
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
(Read this in Japanese)
