In 1945, near the end of World War II, the Japanese army was defeated on the battlefield. In order to capture Japan, the Allies had to seize Okinawa first, thus using it as a supply base for the war. So in April 1945, the Battle of Okinawa officially began. For the Japanese army, the situation of defeat could not be reversed, and the battle at this time was only to delay the landing of American troops on the island. As a result, the Japanese army began a dehumanizing atrocity in Okinawa. In their eyes, Okinawa originally belonged to Ryukyu and was very different from the descendants of the Yamato nation. Therefore, the lives of the people of Okinawa are not worth mentioning in their eyes. Before the Battle of Okinawa began, the Japanese army launched propaganda on the island, thus uniting the civilians on the island and resisting the American offensive.
Japanese soldiers declared to the civilians of Okinawa that if the U.S. military landed on the island, it would inevitably massacre the civilians on the island. Men are killed uniformly, and women are uniformly defiled. After hearing the army's propaganda, Okinawan civilians could not suppress their feelings of repression, and then a large number of civilians ended their lives by suicide. Not only that, but a large number of Okinawan people were killed by Japanese soldiers as human targets or US spies. What's more, because the food in their hands was robbed by others, they starved to death.
Nanayu Taro, a Japanese veteran, once recorded in his autobiography: At that time, I used to guard some civilians who did not want to commit suicide with several soldiers. Among the civilians, there was a young mother with a young baby in her arms. Because the babies were crying constantly, I was afraid that the cries would attract the U.S. military. So I took a rifle in my hand and threatened the young mother to cover her own child with her hand. I can't imagine that at the age of 19, I would do such a disastrous thing. In addition, he wrote in his diary that in the face of the fierce attack of the American army, the Japanese army began to become manic and restless. They vented all their fears on okinawans.
Seeing who was not pleasing to the eye, he stepped forward and stabbed him to death. If you see women, regardless of age or child, time and place, they are all defiled. If women resist, they are bound to use weapons in their hands to kill them. Even if you don't resist, you will be slaughtered afterwards. More Japanese soldiers suggested that instead of cheap american soldiers, it was better to let others enjoy it first. The atrocities committed by the Japanese army are ironic compared to the actions of the American army. As described in the movie "Song of the Sugar Cane Fields" based on true events, a Okinawan girl meets the U.S. military. Then he asked in English, will you kill me?
The American soldier said with a warm smile on the corner of his mouth, I will not hurt you, and I will ensure that others will not hurt you. American soldiers then took him to safety. Today, the girl at that time is 90 years old. She once told the media that after the surrender to the US military, the events that occurred far exceeded everyone's imagination. After the surrender, the U.S. military did not carry out the maiming of everyone as the Japanese army claimed, but the U.S. military provided food and fresh water for everyone. The Japanese claimed that we were the Emperor's people, and at the same time they mutilated us. Compared with the US military, it is really difficult to express their ugliness in words. If everyone had known this earlier, there would not have been so many civilian suicides. If you were a civilian in Okinawa, what choice would you make in the face of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army?