樋口季一郎中将（樋口隆一氏提供）
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On August 15, Japan will mark 80 years since the end of World War II (WWII). While reflecting on the horrors of war and the sanctity of peace, we should also turn our attention to the history and memories that were suppressed under the occupation policies of the GHQ (general headquarters for the Allied forces) after the war.
On that, Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi, who rescued Jews from Nazi persecution during the war and prevented the Soviet invasion of Hokkaido, is once again attracting attention.
Ryuichi Higuchi, grandson of General Higuchi, was recently interviewed by The Sankei Shimbun. Known for his research on Bach, Ryuichi Higuchi is an emeritus professor at Meiji Gakuin University.
Remembering a Grandfather
"After my grandfather retired from his post as northern repatriation supervisor, responsible for bringing back soldiers stationed overseas, he never took up another occupation. He quietly spent his days in remembrance, mourning the many subordinates he had lost," Higuchi recalled of his grandfather, who was 58 years his senior.
"When he worked the fields of his wife's family in Kobayashi Town (now Kobayashi City), Miyazaki Prefecture, he would bow his head in prayer every morning, facing east, west, south, and north. He was exceptionally knowledgeable and seemed to know everything. His stories were always fascinating and captivating. Yet he seldom spoke to me about the war."
Five years ago, Higuchi compiled his grandfather's private records from both his military service and postwar writings. And, as editor, he published them as "The Last Words of Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi" (in Japanese, 陸軍中将 樋口季一郎の遺訓) by Bensei Publishing.
General Higuchi was born in 1888 in Aman Village, Hyogo Prefecture (now Minami-Awaji City). He graduated from the Army Cadet School and the Army Officer School before completing the highly competitive Army University, a training institution for officers.
Moral Courage
After serving as an intelligence officer in Russia, Europe, and Manchuria, Higuchi went on to hold a series of prominent positions. He was head of the Harbin Special Agency, second director of the General Staff Headquarters in charge of intelligence, commander of the 9th Division responsible for security in Manchuria and Mudanjiang, commander of the Northern Army, and commander of the Fifth Army.
General Higuchi is often remembered as a "humanitarian general" due to the 1938 Otpor Incident that occurred when he was head of the Harbin Special Agency.
At that time, he issued visas to Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi persecution and gathered at Otpor Station on the Manchurian–Soviet border, arranging for them to be transported by train to Dalian and Shanghai.
"When my grandfather passed away in 1970, the Asahi Shimbun reported both his death and his rescue of Jewish refugees, which caused quite a stir among our relatives," Higuchi recalled.
However, he also noted a potential discrepancy in the reporting. "The Asahi Shimbun reported that 20,000 Jewish refugees were rescued, but in his own manuscripts, he recorded 'several thousand.'"
A Personal Connection
"I was still in elementary school when a Jewish man who had started a business in Japan came to visit, expressing his gratitude and asking my grandfather to serve as an advisor," Higuchi said. "The fruits they brought as gifts were extravagant. My grandfather welcomed the visit but politely declined the offer, saying, 'That and this are different matters, so I must pass.'"
Still, he continued, "Even a year before the Otpor Incident, at the first Far Eastern Jewish Conference, he caused a stir by delivering a congratulatory address as a guest."
"He praised the Jewish people as 'inquisitive and hardworking' and expressed a desire to 'work together to contribute to world peace and the welfare of humanity.' Although Germany was an ally, my grandfather seems to have held a firm conviction that Japan must not persecute the Jews."
Defense of Hokkaido
Another of General Higuchi's recognized achievements came in August 1945, when he was commander of the Fifth Army, responsible for the defense of Hokkaido, southern Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. He launched a "self-defense battle," successfully thwarting the Soviet army, led by its Supreme Leader Joseph Stalin, from invading Hokkaido.
Eighty years ago, on August 9, the Soviet Union broke the still-valid Japan–Soviet Neutrality Pact and entered the war against Japan. It unilaterally invaded Manchuria, southern Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the Kuril Islands. Not only soldiers but also countless innocent civilians were killed and subjected to atrocities.
In response, General Higuchi ordered his troops to "continue fighting in self-defense to the exhaustion." Although the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War was issued on August 15, the Battle of Shumshu, at the northern tip of the Kuril Islands, began on August 18. It inflicted heavy losses on the Soviet forces that had landed there.
Hiiguchi said, "At the time, Stalin demanded that US President Harry Truman approve the occupation of northern Hokkaido. If my grandfather had not ordered the war of self-defense to destroy the Soviet army, not only Hokkaido but also the Tohoku region would have been divided and occupied."
Lessons from History
"When I was in junior high, Germany was split into East and West, and the Berlin Wall was built (in August 1961)," Higuchi went on. "My grandfather, who was then living in Oiso Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, once told me, 'Ryuichi, draw a map of Germany,' and spoke to me about Berlin."
"When I became a graduate student, I studied in East Germany for [J.S.] Bach research, and witnessed firsthand the tragedy of Germany's division. My grandfather likely took pride in having prevented the Soviet occupation of Hokkaido. A US strategic researcher also told me, 'If the Soviet Union had invaded Hokkaido at that time, a free and open Indo-Pacific would not have been possible.'"
Prevailing over Stalin
In his book, "The Last Words of Kiichiro Higuchi," General Higuchi wrote the following about the Soviet Union's entry into the war against Japan:
"The Soviet Union launched a sudden and forceful attack, much like a thief breaking down a private back door. Such 'unlawful behavior' cannot be tolerated. If it were allowed, similar reckless and illegal acts by the enemy could erupt everywhere, making a 'peaceful conclusion' to the war impossible."
"The Soviets are capable of committing such outrageous acts without hesitation. They are not gentlemen, but fearsome lawbreakers."
After the war, Stalin demanded that Lieutenant General Higuchi be handed over as a "war criminal." But General Douglas MacArthur of the GHQ refused. One reason for this refusal is said to have been pressure from Jewish organizations, which opposed Higuchi's extradition.
The Value of a Nation
Eighty years after the end of the war, Japan's security environment continues to deteriorate. Some media outlets and commentators, as in previous years, prominently emphasize "peace" while questioning the development of the country's defense capabilities.
For them, General Higuchi's book also contains the following pertinent recollection:
"In the Japan of the past, there was an ideal. Even if that ideal sometimes went too far, there was a clear goal to strive toward, and life was not spent in mere drunken dreams. Today, that has been completely lost. And people live like beasts — or like birds — simply enjoying each day as it comes. Can such people truly have any value in existence?"
A Call for True Sovereignty
He also wrote the following about the Constitution of Japan:
"The preamble of this Constitution can generally be seen as a written version of the Potsdam Declaration, essentially saying, 'We were wrong. From now on, we will follow what the United States says.' Such content does not belong in the constitution of a sovereign nation."
"In placing too much emphasis on pacifism, it has degraded into a submissive 'anti-war principle,' relying on the goodwill of other nations to ensure security and survival. This is far too servile and detached from reality."
"If our homeland, Japan, is to truly restore its independence, then naturally a constitution must be created that aligns with the spirit of the Japanese people."
To safeguard peace and protect Japan and its people today, should we not look to Lieutenant General Higuchi's words for guidance?
Wake Up Call
"Looking at the international situation, wars are breaking out all over the world. Around Japan, Russia, China, and North Korea are allied in ways we cannot predict. There is also concern over a potential crisis in Taiwan. This is no time to preach peace alone," Higuchi said.
"My grandfather, operating within a rigid, top-down military system, was able to think for himself and make independent decisions. He was truly unique. Even from the perspective of his grandson, he was an extraordinary person," he added.
"If he were alive today, I think he would say to Japan: 'It's time to stop being complacent about peace and seriously consider the country's geopolitical risks in the world.'"
The Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi Memorial Foundation is working to erect a bronze statue honoring General Higuchi at Sapporo Gokoku Shrine in Sapporo, Hokkaido. For more details, please visit the foundation’s website: https://general-higuchi.org/.
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Author: Masashi Yano
This post is also available in: English
