日本のシンドラー

レイルウェイマンで永瀬隆さんの存在を知りました。以下の本を読んだのですが、大戦時の出来事をうやむやにせず真摯に向き合った方だったのですね。

クワイ河に虹をかけた男―元陸軍通訳永瀬隆の戦後 (教科書に書かれなかった戦争) (2011/03) 満田 康弘 商品詳細を見る

日本軍の捕虜を扱い方がひどく遺恨を残していることは日本ではあまり広く知られていませんが、イギリスでは何百冊も関連本が出ているそうです。先日、横浜保土ヶ谷にある英連邦戦死者墓地に行ってみました。交通の便がよくありませんが、日本とは思えない感じがする静かな場所でした。

自分も初めて知りましたが、英国の要人が訪日した際には必ず訪れる場所だそうです。1995年にダイアナ妃が来日した際にも献花していました。下記の動画でも伝えていますが、捕虜収容所で亡くなった方が埋葬されているそうです。



YOKOHAMA WAR CEMETERY
Country:
Japan
Identified Casualties:
1503

Location Information
Yokohama War Cemetery is 9 kilometres west of the city centre on Jido-Yuenchi-Dori, Hodogaya Ward, which branches about 300 metres left off the old Tokaido highway. 

The nearest railway station is Hodogaya, 4 kilometres to the north on the JNR line. JR Hodogaya Station is for the trains running on the Yokosuka Line and some of the Shonan-Shinjuka Line Services. Please note that only trains on these two lines stop at the station.

The cemetery is then easily reached by bus from Hodogaya Station.To get to the bus stop leave the railway station at the East exit onto the Tokaido highway. The bus stop is located on the opposite side of the road and visitors can cross the highway by using the pedestrian bridge nearby.

To get to the cemetery by bus, the bus route is No.53 and the bus departs every 20 to 30 minutes during it's operating hours. The stop required for the cemetery is called Naga Tadai Kouen Mae. The bus stops about 100 metres beyond the cemetery entrance which is signposted for the gardens and cemetery. ("El-Renpo-Gun-Bochi" translates locally as "British Commonwealth Cemetery".)

Yokohama Post War Plot is situated in Yokohama War cemetery and is reached by going up through the United Kingdom Section, up the steps to the Indian Section and then following a sloping path.

Visiting Information
The opening times of the cemetery are 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., including Saturdays, Sundays and all public holidays, all the year round.

Wheelchair access possible via main entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.

「アンクル・ジョン」とよばれた男―香港捕虜収容所通訳・渡辺潔の半生 (2005/08) リアム ノーラン 商品詳細を見る

関連本を読んでいて、残酷な日本軍の中で自分の身を危険にさらしながらも、捕虜の人たちを助けようとした方がいたことを知りました。

"Uncle John"
Bizarre, Fascinating, and Wacky World War I & ll Secrets.
by Cecil Owen

"The closer I got to the main prison gate the more afraid I became. This was Sham-Shui Po Prison Camp (concentration Camp) in Hong Kong, China. I must admit that I have always been a complete coward. My stomach became weak and trembly and my legs were weak and rubbery. My heart began to beat rapidly and my teeth began to chatter. As I forced one foot ahead and then the other, I prayed silently; Dear Lord, give me the strength to calm down and complete this mission. I am interpreter Kiyoshi Watanabe for the Imperial Japanese Army. But if I am discovered in what I am about to do.... I will be tortured very extensively, used for bayonet practice and then beheaded."

The Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, were just like the Nazi Gestapo. They were so barbaric that they were the terror of Hong Kong. That is why Kiyoshi Watanabe was petrified with fear. He was not afraid of dying but he could not stand pain and suffering. One of the Kempeitai's favorite torture consisted of pulling fingernails out by the roots. Another was to force a water hose down into a stomach, then turn it on full force. Every time Kiyoshi thought of this he would begin to shake and tremble. In his arms Kiyoshi carried a large heavy cane work basket which he guarded very closely. It contained a small pack of surgical instruments with various other medical supplies but it also contained vials of precious diphtheria serum. Inside the Sham-Shui Po Prison Camp a diphtheria epidemic was killing dozens of prisoners daily. They were also suffering from Dysentery, a serious intestinal disorder, and Beri-Beri, a disease causing nerve degeneration and heart failure. It was a very deplorable sight, the daily dozens of the dead and also the walking dead. The stench of rotten flesh was almost unbearable.

Interpreter Kiyoshi Watanabe was a loyal Japanese citizen who loved his country, he would never do anything that would dishonor Japan. He wanted Japan to win the war, and very soon. Then he could go back to his beloved wife, Mitsuko, who lived in Hiroshima. Lieutenant Sakaino, the camp commandant, and the guards would not allow anything beneficial to the prisoners brought into the camp, so the time had come for Kiyoshi to decide to obey God rather than man, even if it meant his own death. This is why he was attempting to smuggle a doctor's bag into the prison camp. As he fearfully entered the main gate, the guard just waves him through. Now he has to cross the courtyard very carefully. Usually there were two or three Japanese officers who could stop and search any and everyone. But Kiyoshi reached his room and quickly hid the bag under his bed. At this time he was so shook up that he falls into his bed in a dead faint. When Kiyoshi woke up much later he had to heave twice to return to normal but as night comes on his abnormal fears return.

日本の視点から第二次大戦を振り返ることが多いですが、いろいろな角度から歴史を学ぶ必要を感じます。