世界の国々のぞき窓　第15号　The Window to World Countries No.15 [まぐまぐ！]

2006/03/24

世界の国々のぞき窓　第15号　The Window to World Countries No.15

世界の国々のぞき窓　第15号　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2006,3,24(Fri.)
The Window to World Countries  No.15

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　　　　　　　　　　　満州---日本敗戦へ至る道の起点
　　Manchuria---the starting point of the road leading to Japan's defeat
　～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～・～

満州は中国東北地方の呼び名で、多くの年配の日本人には特別な感慨を覚える場所だと思う。

中国（当時清国）の朝鮮進出に対抗して約110年前（1894年）日清戦争が起こった。そのとき日本軍は初めて満州に足を踏み入れた。旅順も占領した。
それから10年後（1904年）満州を事実上支配したロシアに対抗し日露戦争が起こった。
ロシアの租借地であった遼東半島にある巨大要塞に守られた旅順を、日本軍は壮烈な戦いの後占領した。
＜写真：激戦のあった203高地（爾霊山）にある記念碑。日本軍の戦死者は1万5000人＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/102314115342f1.jpg

そのあと37万人弱のロシア軍と25万人の日本軍が奉天（今の瀋陽）で対峙し、激闘の末奉天を占領し戦いが終わった。

戦争終結直後のポーツマス条約で、大連、旅順を含む遼東半島の租借権、長春、旅順間の鉄道などの諸権益を、日本はロシアから譲り受けた。
大連、旅順はもとより800キロメートル近くある鉄道の周囲に軍隊を駐屯させることができ、これらが後になって独走する関東軍の前身になった。

1914年第1次世界大戦勃発。日本はこれを機にドイツに宣戦布告し、中国本土のドイツ租借地青島（チンタオ）を占領し、区域外の済南まで占領した。
これに抗議した中国に対し21か条の要求を突きつけ、中国に承諾させた。その中に日本の南満州の権益拡大が７条項入っている。

1931年9月18日、日本の関東軍は柳条湖付近の満鉄線を爆破し満州事変を起こした。それを契機に関東軍は満州のほぼ全土を制圧し1932年満州国建国宣言が行われた。
＜写真：柳条湖事件現場（瀋陽の北の郊外）に中国で建てた「九・一八歴史博物館（暦本碑）」。この日を忘れないように、カレンダーの形をしている。＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/57315131634f1.jpg

この領土拡張政策が1937年に日中戦争を引き起こし、1941年に太平洋戦争（第２次世界大戦）へと突き進み、1945年の日本敗戦へと続いた。

13年に亘る満州国時代の満州では、日本人は、新しい国家建設に燃えている人が多かった。一方中国人は辛い思いをした人が多かった。
しかし、敗戦の年のその月、1945年8月にソ連は突如、満州に侵攻し、日本人社会は大混乱に陥った。避難するために難儀をした人が無数にいた。

その当時満州にいた日本人の数は150万人と言われている。そのうち日本から送り込まれた開拓団の人々は約30万人であった。
特に、開拓団は、農地を現地の人から一方的に取り上げたこともあり、現地人の襲撃に会い、ソ連侵攻後はソ連兵の暴行などにより極度に悲惨な生活を送った。
開拓団員の敗戦による死者は８万余人である。多くの集団自決もあった。
＜ホームページ：開拓団員として悲惨な生活を送った井筒紀久枝さん（85歳）のもの＞
http://www.balloon.ne.jp/453room/index.html

また、戦争終結後であるにも関わらず、軍人を中心にした50数万人の日本人がソ連軍によってシベリア、外蒙古、中央アジアに移送され、強制労働をさせられた。
過酷な扱いのため死亡した人は6万人以上と見られている。

満州国時代に、日本は満州を、壮大な実験場とした。一つは超特急「あじあ号」の開発である。最高時速130kmで冷暖房完備。特急「燕」でも最高時速95kmだった。
＜写真：「あじあ号」＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/4931513636f1.jpg　

またハルビンから大連に至る900Km以上の高速道路の建設に着手した。
戦後は中国に引き継がれ日本の技術協力で戦後45年経って完成した。中国最初の高速道路である。
また世界屈指の豊満ダム（第二松花江）を始めとして、鏡泊湖（牡丹江）・桓仁（渾江）・水豊（鴨緑江）と言った巨大な水力発電用ダムが次々と建設された。

都市のインフラ整備としては新京（今の長春）、奉天（今の瀋陽）、大連などに莫大な投資がなされた。
たとえば、新たに首都となった新京では最初の5ヵ年計画に約3000万円が計上された。これは満州国初年度の予算の４分の１に相当する。
市の中央に造った大同広場（現在人民広場）から、放射線状に都市計画道路が延びている。南北に一直線に走る大同大街（現在人民大街）は100m幅のところがある。
＜写真：当時の大同大街＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/69315144022f1.jpg

満州国の各種機関の立派な建物は現在も残っており、これらの建物が中国政府または省によって使用されている。
＜写真：中国人民銀行吉林省分行。当時は満州国中央銀行。＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/106315145544f1.jpg

私は終戦前３年ほど新京に住んでいた。今になって驚くのだが、当時市街はすでに電線が地下を通っており、電線も電信柱もなく街がすっきりしていた。

東北地方（満州）は三つの州に分けられている。南から遼寧省（首都は瀋陽）、吉林省（首都は長春）、黒竜江省（首都はハルピン）である。

瀋陽は清朝建国の祖ヌルハチが首都に定めた。王宮だった瀋陽故宮博物院がある。人口は700万で、中国で上海、北京、天津に次ぐ大きさである。
＜写真：瀋陽故宮鳳凰殿＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/100315185538f1.jpg

1986年に日本総領事館が開設された。2002年の脱北者の総領事館への駆け込み事件はニュースに取り上げられた。
先週の新聞で１ページ全面に瀋陽のことが載っていた。急速に発展した上海などに遅れを取ったが、その前はこの町の重工業が中国経済を牽引していたとのこと。
よくも悪くも日本との関係が深く日本語熱が盛んだそうだ。東北育才学校の卒業生は大半が日本の有名大学に行く。6年間に43人が東大、55人が京大に進んだそうだ。
北京よりずっと北部に位置しているので、1月の気温が平均マイナス13度と厳しい。長春はもっと厳しく、ハルピンは更に厳しくなる（１月平均マイナス20度）。

ハルピンは松花江（スンガリー）[大量の化学薬品流入問題が今ある]河畔にあり、帝政ロシアの時代に建設された町で、今でもその時代の面影が濃く残っている。
＜写真：ロシア正教の礼拝堂、ソフィア教堂＞
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/193151948f1.jpg

私が新京にいたときは、白系（共産主義を嫌い国外に脱出した）ロシア人がハルピンにかなり住んでいましたが、今はほとんどいないようです。

＊ご意見、ご感想、外国の紹介などを寄せてください。

　編集者　　誠　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　            　mako2050@hotmail.com
  http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/mako2050                             　　　　　  　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Manchuria is the other name of the Northeast of China. I think it is the area many elderly Japanese people feel some deep nostalgia for.

About 110 years ago (1894) Japan competed against China, which advanced into Korea, and the Sino-Japanese War broke out.
Then Japanese army advanced into China for the first time. It occupied Lushun too.
Ten years after that (1904) the Russo-Japanese War broke out, Japan competing against Russia, which ruled over Manchuria practically.
After fierce battles Japan occupied Lushun guarded by a gigantic fortress in the Liaodong Peninsula leased by Russia.
<Photo:The memorial on 203-meter Hill, where fierce battles were fought. It caused 15,000 deaths of Japanese army.>
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/102314115342f1.jpg

After that Russian army of a little less than 370,000 and Japanese army of 250,000 stood face to face at Fengtien(Shenyang now).
Japanese army occupied Fengtien after fierce battles and then the war ended.

As Treaty of Portsmouth required after the war, Japan took over the lease right of the Liaodong Peninsula, including Dalian and Lushun, from Russia.　
In addition Japan took over the interest of the railway between Changchun and Dalian
and other interests.
Japan could station her army not only in Dalian and Lusun, but also around the railway with a length of nearly 800km.
The army was a predecessor of Guandong army, which had its own way.

In 1914 World War I broke out. Japan declared war against Germany, taking advantage of the occasion.
Japanese army occupied Qingdao, a German leased territory in mainland China, and occupied as far as Jinan outside the jurisdiction.
Japan forced 21 demands on China, who protested over the occupation, and made her accept the demands.
Among them there are 7 articles about expanding Japanese interest of South Manchria.

On 18th of September, 1931 the Japanese Kwandong army exploded a section of the railroad owned by South Manturia Railway near Liutiaoqiao.
Then the Manturia Incident broke up.
Taking advantage of the occasion, the Kwandong army occupied nearly all Manturia and declared the independence of Mantuguo in 1932.
.<Photo: The ‘Memorial Museum of 9.18 Incident’ built by China, situated at the scene of Liutiaoqia Incident (in the suburbs of Shenyang).
It is in the shape of a calendar not to forget the day.>
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/57315131634f1.jpg

This expansionism caused the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and Japan rushed into the Pacific War (World War II) and it led to the war defeat.

Many Japanese in Manchuria in 13 years of Manchuguo were burning with the construction of the new state while many Chinese had hard times.
But in the month of the year of the war defeat, in August of 1945, Soviet Union invaded Manchuria suddenly.
It made Japanese society thrown into great confusion. There were numerous Japanese who suffered hardships while they were taking refuge.

It is said that there were 1,500,000 Japanese in Manchuria at that time.
Among them there were about 300,000 people sent from Japan as members of reclamation parties.
Especially the people belonging to the reclamation parties spent extremely tragic lives.
They were attacked by the local people mostly because they took away agricultural land from the local people one-sidedly.
And they were assaulted by Soviet soldiers after the Soviet invasion.
More than 80,000 members of reclamation parties died from the war defeat. There were many group suicides.
<Website:  It is written by Ms.Kikue Izutsu(85 years old). She spent a tragic life as a member of a reclamation party.>
http://www.balloon.ne.jp/453room/index.html

Besides though it was after the end of the war, more than 500,000 Japanese, most of whoｍ were soldiers, were sent to some areas by the Soviet Army.
The areas to be sent to were Siberia, Outer Mongolia and Central Asia. They were forced to labor there.
. More than 60,000 people out of more than 500,000 were said to be killed from hard treatment.

In the period of Manchuguo Japan made Manchuria a magnificent testing area. One was the development of the super express train ‘Asia’
The highest speed of it was 130km, though even the highest speed of ‘Tsubame’ ,the fastest train in Japan, was 95km.
‘Asia’ was fully equipped with air-conditioning and heating.
<Photo: ‘Asia’>
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/4931513636f1.jpg

Then was started the construction of an expressway 900km long between Harbin and Dalian.
It was handed over to China just after the war and the expressway was completed 45 years after the war through Japanese technical cooperation.
It was the first expressway in China.
Starting with the Fengman Dam(the second Songhua River), a world-leading dam, gigantic dams for hydroelectricity were constructed one after another.
They are the Jingbo Yuang Dam(the Mudan River), the Huanren Dam(the Fun River) and the Shuifeng Dam(the Yalu River).

Much money was invested in infrastructure improvement of Xinjing(Changchun now), Fengtian(Shenyang now), Dalian, etc.
For instance 30 million yen was appropriated for the first 5-year plan of the newly constructed capital Xinjing.
The sum is equivalent to one third of the first fiscal year budget of Manchuguo.
City planning streets are radiating out from the open space named Datong Plaza(Renmin Plaza now), which was constructed at the center of the city.
Datong Big Street(Renmin Big Street now) running straight from north to south includes parts as long as 100 meters wide.
<Photo: Datong Big Street at that time >
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/69315144022f1.jpg

Gorgeous buildings of Manchuguo agencies still remain. They are now utilized by Chinese government or the province.
<Photo: China People’s Bank Jilin Branch. Manchuguo Central Bank at that time.  >
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/106315145544f1.jpg

I used to live in Xinjing for about 3 years just before the end of the war.
I am surprised for the first time these days that electric wires were already under the ground in the city streets.
The streets were clear without electric wires or electric poles.

The Southeast area(Manchuria) is divided into three provinces.
They are Liaoning(the capital:Shenyang), Jilin(the capital:Changchun) and Heilongjiang (the capital:Harbin) from the south.

Shenyang is the place Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, made a capital. The Shenyang Palace Museum, the former palace, is there.
The population is 7 million. In China it is the fourth biggest city next to Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.
<Picture: The Chinese Phenix House in Shenyang Palace>
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/100315185538f1.jpg

Japanese Consulate General was opened in 1986. The accident of North Koreans running into the Consulate General was reported in the news.
An article about Shenyang covered the whole page of a newspaper last week.
It says Shenyang is behind Shanghai and some others, which have developed rapidly.
But the heavy industry in the city pulled along Chinese economy before.
Good or bad, it is closely connected with Japan, and the fever for Japanese language is prevalent.
Most graduates from Dongbei Yucai School enter Japan’s famous universities. 43 graduates got into Tokyo Univ. and 55 into Kyoto Univ. these 6 years.
Shenyang is situated much northern than Beijing and the average temperature　in January is minus 13℃.　
It is bitterer in Changchun. It is much bitterer in Harbin(The average temperature in January is minus 20℃).

Harbin is located on the Songhua River[A large number of chemicals flew into the river recently]. It was constructed in the period of Czarist Russia.
It still retains a vestige of the period clearly.
<Photo: A chapel of Russian Orthodox Church, Sophia Chapel>
http://image9.photohighway.co.jp/j035/179/Photos/middle/193151948f1.jpg

When I was in Xinjing many White Russians, who hated communism and escaped out of Russia, lived in Harbin, but now there are almost no Russians.

＊ Please write your opinions or impressions, or write introductions of other countries.

　Editor:  Makoto
  mako2050@hotmail.com
　http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/mako2050