Home Visit

here is a group of people， abandoned in China as small children because of war， who were brought up by the kind-hearted Chinese people. These “war orphans” are undoubted Japanese， but they speak colloquial Chinese with a northeastern China accent and continued thinking of their homes in China after they returned to live in their native land.

“Japanese orphans” is a term most people are familiar with， but not many know exactly who these people are， what kind of life they lead， nor their stories in detail. They came to the wider public’s knowledge in November 2009 when a delegation visited China to express their gratitude to the Chinese people. Wen Jiabao， then premier of the State Council， received them in Zhongnanhai and took them to visit the Xihua Hall where the late Premier Zhou Enlai once lived and worked. As a result， their stories， sad but full of warmth， once again touched the hearts of Chinese people.

In August 1945， the invading Japanese army suffered repeated defeat and the Japanese Kwangtung Army stationed in Northeast China began large-scale retreat， leaving large numbers of Japanese civilian emigrants to run for their lives unaided.

On the escape route， some parents killed their tiny offspring so that the fugitive contingent would not be discovered. However， many more children got separated from their families in the chaos. Ordinary Chinese people， who had suffered greatly from the wounds of Japanese-inflicted war， still showed their openness by adopting the poor Japanese children， 2，808 altogether， and brought them up.

After China and Japan normalized their diplomatic relations in 1972， the Chinese Government， exerted great efforts to help the “orphans” find their families in Japan and the majority of them eventually went to settle down in their motherland.

Yet， although they returned to their native land， beaming with joy and with their hearts filled with hope， instead of warm concern they encountered the indifference of the Japanese Government and various difficulties such as the language barrier， different habit and customs， etc.

Due to inadequate support for them in terms of Japanese language education and job training， most of the orphans lived in abject poverty and struggled at the bottom of society. Though they missed dearly their homes in the faraway China and their kind-hearted Chinese moms， they could not afford to make a “home visit”.

“We missed our foster parents so much after returning to Japan， but we could not go back to visit them， even when they got ill. This had been mistaken as ingratitude， which was heart-breaking for us，” said Sumie Ikeda， leader of the delegation.

Still， the Japanese orphans bore in mind the kindness of their Chinese foster parents and kept close contact with them and their Chinese brothers and sisters. Many organized themselves into such civic groups as “thank Chinese parents society” and “Chinese returnees Japan-China friendship association”. They built a cemetery and a monument to express their gratitude to their Chinese foster parents， and actively promoted the cause of China-Japan friendship. After the Wenchuan earthquake， they donated money from their meager savings for the construction of a Japan-China Friendship Hope Primary School in the devastated area.

Their Chinese kinsfolk likewise remembered them. During his “ice-thawing visit” to Japan in April 2007， Premier Wen Jiabao made a speech entitled “For Friendship and Cooperation” in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet. He especially talked about Japanese orphans， arousing the interest of the Japanese public in their plight.

The struggles of the orphans for existence and dignity then became widely known and the lawsuits to protect their rights and interests they had filed against the Japanese Government received increasing support. Three months after Premier Wen’s speech， the Japanese Government put in place a new aid program for the orphans that greatly improved their livelihood and medical care and enabled them to live a stable life.

In November 2009， their wish of a “home visit” came true. A 45-member delegation from various parts of Japan， and politicians and lawyers who had supported them， came to China.

When they stepped onto the land that provided the home of their youth and reunited with their Chinese families they had been longing to see， and when Premier Wen welcomed them home in Zhongnanhai， they were so excited and moved， happiness written on their faces. They all had a lot to talk about and stories to tell. There were no flowery expressions in their speeches， but every sentence showed their feelings of gratitude for China.

Somebody wrote a song I Have Two Homes by borrowing the tune of Words from My Heart：

Words from my heart

I have two homes： one in Japan and the other in China

To speak the truth

I also have hatred

The sufferings brought by war will always be remembered

…

Though I have returned to my native land

I miss all the more my home in China

Without Chinese foster parents

Who would have taken care of me and brought me up？

I will never forget you， my Chinese mama

The familiar melody and the lyrics that reflect their true feelings brought tears to the Premier’s eyes， and to the eyes of all those present.

The Japanese orphans are an unfortunate as well as fortunate group of people. Their existence stands witness to the cruelty of war as well as human kindness and warmth. Most of them are in their 70s now. Their life experiences will eventually become history， but this story of Sino-Japanese friendship will be a much told tale and be always remembered by all peace-loving people of the world.