Delaying repatriation: Japanese technicians in early post war China

Research on the Japanese living in Manchukuo in August 1945 has

generally fostered the assumption that all Japanese there wanted to return to

Japan as soon as possible. Yet, some made the conscious and voluntary decision

to stay, at least for the short to medium term. Among those who chose to delay

repatriation were a number of technicians employed by Mantetsu’s (South

Manchurian Railroad Company) Ch¯uo Shikenjo. This paper looks at the political

and personal realities faced by these technicians when making their decisions as

whether to stay or leave in terms of the concepts of voluntary and involuntary

repatriation. It shows that the circumstances faced, and consequently the decisions

made by the technicians, differed over time. It argues that there were three

main reasons behind any decision to stay: pragmatism, a sense of responsibility

for Japan’s activities during the war and a sense of loyalty.