On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, as early as the Cairo Conference in 1943, US President Roosevelt said that China could militarily occupy Japan after victory, and the subsequent Potsdam Proclamation also directly stipulated that the Allies could send troops to occupy Japanese key areas. After weighing the international situation, the United States signaled that China send 50,000 people to Japan, and the Nationalist Government, with the assistance of the United States, sent advance troops to Japan, but finally gave up its military occupation of Japan, just because of a major event occurring at home. In this issue of the video, we will talk about the Chinese occupation force in Japan after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, before that, please click on the like button at the bottom of the video to support this video
On July 26, 1945, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom jointly issued the Potsdam Proclamation, declaring that the Allied Powers would impose a military occupation of Japan before it established a government without any threat of war. As the main participating countries in the anti-fascist war, China has fought against Japan for the longest time and paid the greatest price, and naturally has the right to disarm the surrendered enemy and occupy Japan.
After Japan's surrender in August, the United States sent a telegram to the Nationalist government saying that China should send 50,000 troops to Japan to carry out a military occupation. But the United States had its own ambitions, and in order not to make Japan the second Korean Peninsula, the United States strictly guarded against the large-scale occupation of Japan by the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Navy entered Japan from Hokkaido, it was strongly rejected by the US military, and the Soviet Union could only helplessly abandon its plan to garrison Japan.
The Nationalist government was naturally very active in proposing to station troops in Japan. Japan's aggression against China, killing tens of millions of Chinese soldiers and enslaving hundreds of millions of Chinese people, is a good opportunity to wash away The shame of China's aggression, punish the evil deeds of Japanese militarism, and suppress Japan's arrogance.
After receiving a telegram from the United States asking China to send troops to Japan, Xu Yongchang, minister of military orders of the Nationalist government, planned a mixed brigade detachment of 5,000 people to enter Japan. After the official documents of the relevant instructions were circulated in the offices of Kuomintang officers, many people were dissatisfied. It is believed that in the war of resistance against Japan in the past eight years, China was the country that sacrificed the most, suffered the most losses and suffered the most. Since 9/18, China has resisted Japanese aggression for 14 years, and apart from a few traitors and traitors, which countryman does not hate little Japan to the point of gritting their teeth. At present, the Nationalist government has only sent 5,000 people to occupy Japan, which is really uncomfortable. Not only did its own officials feel that there were few people, but the United States was also very dissatisfied with this number, hoping that the Chinese government would increase the number to 50,000 and name Sun Liren's First Army.
Because the First Army was fully equipped with American equipment, the commander-in-chief Sun Liren graduated from the Virginia Military Academy in the United States, and not only communicated fluently in English, but also knew many American generals. The First Army was stationed in Guangzhou at the time and could march into Japan at any time. However, Chiang Kai-shek could not have agreed to send such a fiercely effective contingent to foreign countries, and the so-called good steel was on the blade of the knife, and he also planned to use this well-equipped force to seize the northeast.
Moreover, the Nationalist government at that time was anxious to seize the territory of the occupied areas with the Chinese Communists, and it needed troops to be stationed in the vast areas of north, northeast, and east China, and it was impossible to care about sending troops abroad. However, if China cannot send troops to Japan, the OCCUPATION of the Japanese defense zone by the United States by one country will inevitably attract the condemnation of international public opinion, and urging China to send troops has become a top priority. In October 1945, Marshall and others sent a telegram to the U.S. Secretary of State urging the Nationalist government to send troops as soon as possible.
With chiang kai-shek's approval, Xu Yongchang drew up two other plans. First, a complete division headquarters, equipped with diplomatic and administrative personnel and special technical units, about 15,000 people, and second, the backbone of two infantry regiments is directly formed, and then the detachment composed of administrative personnel and technical branches is about 10,000. Chiang Kai-shek chose the second plan, but this was obviously far from the First Army demanded by the United States, and after discussion, the two sides took a step back and finally decided on the first plan.
After the plan is determined, it is necessary to choose to send troops, which must have rich combat experience and capabilities, and also show the excellent appearance of Chinese soldiers. Chiang Kai-shek finally decided to send the Honorary Second Division, composed of officers and men who had recovered from wounds during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and had certain military merits. The entire Honorary Second Division is well-equipped, the literacy rate of officers and men is very high, and the overall quality is relatively good. This unit, which ranked among the best in the Kuomintang army in terms of political consciousness and combat experience, and was equipped with some elite talents from other units, this unit renamed the 67th Division was ordered by the Nationalist government, led by division commander Dai Jian, and set out for Shanghai in April 1946.
In order to show a good international image, the 67th Division made adjustments to the ranks of soldiers. According to the screening criteria, officers and men must be more than 170 in height, and they must not be old, ugly, short, or disabled, and their education level must reach the level of primary school or above. In terms of etiquette, the 67th Division conducted special training in English and Japanese, and trained officers at and above the company level in international etiquette, military appearance and diplomatic customs, so as to make full preparations for the occupation. In order to better cooperate with the US army, the entire equipment and organization of the 67th Division were changed to American style, and the team was assigned to the jurisdiction of the US Eighth Army. Division Commander Dai Jian was full of expectations for entering Japan, and also wrote a military song specifically for the occupying forces: "The national army entered the Eastern Ying, stopped the promotion of martial virtue, laid the foundation for the stability of Asia, and was the dry city of world peace." ”
The Nationalist government sent a military delegation of 20 people to Fly to Japan with Dai Jian, commander of the 67th Division, to discuss with the Allied headquarters the specific matters of the location of the garrison. The United States originally arranged for Chinese troops to be stationed in the Hokuriku region centered on Japan's Niigata Prefecture, but the Chinese side believes that such a place with few mountains and many people, which is neither an important area of Japan nor an industrial zone, is not conducive to carrying forward China's national prestige and damages China's face. However, Shikoku Island had been divided into British garrisons by the United States, and after many deliberations between the two sides, the United States agreed to add two places to the original, Shizuoka Prefecture and Mie Prefecture, and the headquarters of the Chinese army could be located in Nagoya.
In addition, the United States promulgated the laws and regulations of the Allied occupation of Japan, including that the United States enjoyed exclusive control over Japan, and all the materials and expenses of the occupying powers during their time in Japan had to be borne by their own countries, and they could not take any grass and trees from Japan. For example, fuels such as timber used in the houses of our army cannot be requisitioned or purchased in Japan according to the regulations of the Allied Headquarters, and can only be transported by sea from China, which requires about 4.5 million tons per year. The United States naturally has to abide by this agreement, but it is very convenient for the US military to use aircraft to transport daily necessities and military supplies, and if the Chinese military buys from the United States, it is a big expense. The 67th Division, as a complete division headquarters, has a total of 15,000 people, including three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, one transport team, one tank battalion, one communications battalion, one special agent company, and a field hospital. The fifteen thousand men were paid $500,000 a month, and together with other expenses, they cost about $2 million a month.
The Nationalist government has run out of oil in the previous war, relying on a large amount of economic assistance from the United States to support it so far, and there is simply not enough balance to give to the "overseas garrisons". Of course, as long as Chiang Kai-shek is fierce, he can still get it, but Chiang Kai-shek still vainly tries to preserve his strength to eliminate the Communist Party, and naturally will not take the initiative to pay this account. The Nationalist government painstakingly invoked the previous Lend-Lease Act to negotiate with the United States, and finally the United States promised to bear the military expenses of the Chinese occupation forces in Japan between 1946 and 1949, after which the U.S. government and the Chinese government settled and repaid.
At the end of June 1946, China and the United States signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Chinese Occupation Forces in Japan, and MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the Allied occupation forces, expressed the hope that Chinese troops would arrive in Japan before the end of August.
Liao Jiwei, staff officer of the 67th Division and colonel and staff officer of the Chinese delegation to Japan, recalled that they waited in Yokohama, Japan, until mid-July without any news of the occupation forces leaving for Japan, but in late July they received a call from the Chinese delegation in Tokyo asking them to move the advance troops of the occupying forces stationed in Japan to Tokyo. The Chinese occupation forces would not come again, and Liao Jiwei was transferred to the embassy. This was tantamount to a thunderbolt on a sunny day, Liao Jiwei was shocked and asked why the occupying forces did not come, the other side's reply was that the specific reason was unknown, but it could be seen in the newspaper that the Kuomintang and the Communists had started a civil war.
In June 1946, Chiang Kai-shek sent troops to attack the Suluyu Liberated Area, and the 67th Division, which was originally intended to be sent to Japan, was divided into the 65th Division and the 69th Division to fight against the Central China Field Army of the People's Liberation Army because of its well-equipped and personnel integration. Before the war, Chiang Kai-shek also vowed that as long as the Nationalist army won a battle in Lunan or Jiangsu, the 67th Division could sail to Japan according to the original plan, but unfortunately, the 67th Division was severely damaged by the Central China Field Army and was almost completely wiped out, leaving the Japanese delegation in Japan, which was eagerly awaited.
Watching the US troops successively stationed in the Japanese defense zone, the Chinese occupation force delegation in Japan waited bitterly on the other side, only to welcome the steamship of the Nationalist government to pick them up and return to China, and the plan to occupy Japan for many days was in vain, which was not only a major blow to the 67th Division, but also a great regret for the Chinese people who were looking forward to the occupation forces to carry forward their national prestige.
Is Chiang Kai-shek really so short of troops that even the 15,000 people stationed abroad have to make the most of it? Before the start of the War of Liberation in 1946, the total number of Kuomintang troops was still more than four million, and more than 10,000 people was naturally not the key to Chiang Kai-shek's vain attempt to win the civil war.
The reason why the United States invited China to set up an occupation force in Japan together was because it was afraid that the Soviet Union would accuse him of monopolizing Japan's wolf ambitions, and the United States would not allow Soviet troops to enter Hokkaido. But later, the Soviet Union gave up its garrison and no longer pursued this matter, and China's shield was naturally not needed. Chiang Kai-shek also understood the situation between the United States and the Soviet Union, and he was even more afraid that taking sides with the United States would make the Soviet Union increase its support for the Communist Party, and make the Communist Party, which had already collected a large amount of materials in the northeast and greatly expanded its strength, even stronger, which was not conducive to his dictatorship.
On the other hand, the military expenses required to support one division of the occupying army can feed ten divisions at home, and the National Government naturally does not want to do this "loss-making business", and after the United States has clearly expressed its desire to monopolize Japan, it will not be worth the loss to send symbolic occupying forces to Japan. However, from the perspective of today's international public opinion, Japan obviously does not realize that its aggression against China is an unjust war, let alone regard China as a victorious country. On the contrary, the United States has been stationed in Japan for decades, and now it is the only country in the world that still has troops stationed in Japan, and the deterrent effect on Japan is self-evident. The no-fly zone set up by the United States in Japan has so far not been touched by Any Japanese aircraft, which is a huge blow to Japan's aviation industry and the development of the Air Force.
No matter how far Chiang Kai-shek thought about it, he still did not understand that China, as the victorious power, sending occupying forces to Japan not only reflected China's national prestige and washed away the shame of China's enslavement by aggression, but more importantly, suppressed Japan's arrogance and made them attach importance to the fact that China was the victorious country and Japan, as an aggressor, was defeated.