That war-torn era, especially about the fate of Japanese student soldiers. Imagine if you lived in Japan 80 years ago, your career choice might directly determine whether or not you want to go to war. Liberal arts students, in particular, seem to have an even more tragic fate. In those days, science students could be left behind because of professional demands, while liberal arts students were likely to be sent on the most dangerous missions. Is this true?
Back in the 40s of the 20th century, when the world was in the midst of World War II, Japan was no exception. In such an era of rising militarism, the fate and choices of young people in Japan, especially university students, were deeply affected by the great wheel of war.
We all know that war is cruel, it is not only a contest between countries, but also a ruthless rewriting of individual destiny. At that time, Japan's military service system was so strict that almost every man of school age could not escape the drafting. Under the Military Service Act at the time, men between the ages of 17 and 29 were required to undergo a medical examination to become a member of the army. However, there are some special rules that give students a chance at life — college students can delay enlisting until they are 27.
As the war continued, especially after 1943, the conscription policy, which had been relatively tolerant of students, was also changed. The Japanese government at the time, under the leadership of Hideki Tojo, began to exert more pressure on university students. They removed the deferment of military service privileges for many students, especially those in the liberal arts.
You may ask, why are you a liberal arts student instead of a science student? There are two reasons for this: science students, due to their professional skills, such as chemicals, machinery, etc., are considered more in need in factories and R&D departments in the rear, and they can contribute to the war effort in other forms. Liberal arts students were considered at the time to be more "useful" on the battlefield – albeit at the expense of such use.
As a result of this discrimination, many liberal arts students are forced to become cannon fodder on the front lines. Many of them were even assigned to the suicidal "kamikaze". What kind of irony is this? A student studying history, literature, suddenly, has to put on a military uniform and fly an airplane to an enemy ship.
The story doesn't stop there. On October 1, 1943, the Japanese government implemented the abolition of the "Temporary Special Exception for the Extension of the Recruitment of Students in School", which meant that no matter what you studied, as long as you reached the age of 18, you could be sent directly to the battlefield. That year, tens of thousands of college students were sent to the front, and many of them never returned.
These young lives, their future could have been bright. They may become poets, scholars, politicians, entrepreneurs, but war ruthlessly deprives them of their choice. In such a context, we can't help but ask: what did these young people's sacrifices get in exchange? Have their dreams and lives been reduced to nothingness?
This manipulation of the fate of the students was especially evident in the final stages of the war. For example, by 1944, as the war in the Pacific worsened, the demand for manpower in Japan reached its limit. Not only were the student soldiers forced to participate in the regular operations of the army and navy, but many liberal arts students were even directly assigned to a special mission that required a high level of sacrifice - kamikaze.
The task of the kamikaze is very brutal, they must fly planes loaded with bombs to directly hit enemy ships. This kind of suicide attack, although to some extent caused losses to the enemy, is more of a demonstration of Japan's desperation in human resources. Why did liberal arts students, young people who were supposed to write about human civilization with a pen, fall victim to this strategy?
The brutality of war is not only physical, but also spiritual and cultural. Many of the surviving student soldiers recalled the experience and expressed deep pain and confusion. They are forced to give up their studies and dreams, and are forced to face the choice between life and death. There were even some people who were unable to adapt to normal social life for a long time after the war, and their hearts were full of trauma and confusion.
Such history makes us have to reflect on the impact of war on the long-term development of a country. When a country sends a large number of young talents to the battlefield, it is not only a short-term loss of manpower, but also a huge waste of the country's future intellectual and cultural potential.
By looking back at this period of history, we can see the profound impact of the war on Japanese student soldiers, especially liberal arts students. These young lives, relentlessly drawn into the war, are a tragedy not only for them personally, but for the whole country.