Why Were These Japanese Schoolboys Forced to Blow Themselves Up in WW2? (Tekketsu Kinnotai)

All about the Tekketsu Kinnotai, Japanese schoolboy soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa.
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SOURCES
🔸 Divergent Memories: Opinion Leaders and the Asia-Pacific War
🔸 mainichi.jp/english/articles/...
🔸 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahid...
🔸 de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekkets...
🔸 apjjf.org/-Steve-Rabson/2667/...
🔸 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201...
🔸 Military Government in the Ryukyu Islands 1945-1950
🔸 www.nytimes.com/2005/06/20/wo...
🔸 apjjf.org/-Satoko-Oka-Norimat...
🔸 mainichi.jp/english/articles/...
🔸 www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...
🔸 www.scmp.com/week-asia/societ...
🔸 www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ne...
🔸 www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa....
🔸 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
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#JapaneseHistory #HistoryOfJapan #Linfamy

[@Linfamy]

Schoolgirl nurses in WW2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baLGkmSDn7emo6M Please consider supporting the channel =) 🔸PATREON (blog, art): www.patreon.com/Linfamy 🔸MERCH: teespring.com/stores/linfamy (shirts, stickers, phone cases, and more!) 🔸DONATE: www.paypal.me/Linfamy

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Your videos are always Kami tier

[@Linfamy]

And you are everywhere :O

[@prometheus7387]

Nah I'll do that when I get some actual money.

[@MrPlaylist1991]

You're moving on up with the sponsorship.

[@Linfamy]

@@MrPlaylist1991 gotta pay the bills somehow :D

[@illidan124825634]

I’m Taiwanese, my grandfather was a college student in Japan during WW2, he was a volunteer firefighter, and he was on a mission one time during a bombing, he was the person who was at the front of the hose, and that he felt the hose going heavier, only when he turned his head did he realize all the other firefighter had abandoned the hose and ran away. After the war, his landlord offered him to stay and get marry in Japan since so many young Japanese man died, but he refused and came back to Taiwan (to the family’s surprise, they thought he was dead) and became a mid-school English teacher.

[@prometheus7387]

Interesting story!

[@Linfamy]

I'm glad he survived!

[@MaeljinRajah]

@conan263 um ok.... Nope. Youre thinking of racial nationalism...

[@Chriscraft-ug3sz]

@conan263 no you probably aren’t

[@constantine9142]

@@MaeljinRajah explain, cause you don't make sense. You do know in China they stab even doctors if they don't get the results they want to the point it's actually common so yea I can see a teacher being stabbed 💯.

[@latoyathunderstar9585]

I would be heartbroken if I had to watch my child be shot at by soldier in the caves. 🥺

[@Linfamy]

Yeah, everyone would be. It's terrible :(

[@Crosshill]

i'd be even more messed up had i killed my own child out of fear for torture which had no doubt become quite vivid considering the baseline of misery at the time, only to find myself sitting alone, lollipop in hand

[@maikoe7198]

i don't think they shot the children, they probably killed them in other ways which is way more cruel.

[@jrhoadley]

@@maikoe7198 They didn't have bullets, so they often bludgeoned their relatives to death.

[@kal-muzel875]

@@maikoe7198 they did poison the girls so maybe they did something similar to the boys they suspected

[@Jobe-13]

Imagine being just an ordinary high school kid and suddenly getting a knock on your door and a soldier telling you you’ve been drafted for WW3.

[@Linfamy]

"sorry i have hw"

[@Jobe-13]

Linfamy 😂

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

You’re also 12

[@yanuchiuchihaanimegamesand3907]

Meh, where I live that is happening every 100 years or so

[@totallycrazystudios1801]

I can't imagine that.... I am literally am tearing up thinking about it. I hope no more world wars happen.

[@reecopolis2248]

"1/3 of the population perished, thats up to 1 in every 3 people" lol highschool essay vibes

[@stephhhie17]

1/3 of the population perished, that's up to 1 in every 3 people, or 33.33333333333333333333% of residents perished, that is to say they died, in other words they were no longer alive"

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

@@stephhhie17 in another sense, their heart stopped, and started decomposing, in other words, they couldn’t come back

[@RabidlyTaboo]

"and in their final moments, that is to say their passing; death: The End, rather - it was over"

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

@@RabidlyTaboo This was the end. The bitter, bitter end...

[@mbe7222]

Lol

[@Itried20takennames]

“Having to stab a straw figure before entering the school,”. My dad went through bayonets practice drills as part of basic trading in the 1950s. Having done the course a few times, he decided to show off for the watching instructor, and gave the last dummy an extra big jab, but unfortunately it was on top of a small dirt hill, and my dad lost his footing, tripped, and dropped his practice rifle/bayonet. The Drill sergeant instructor yelled “(Last name)!! That is the first time I have EVER seen someone dis-armed by the bayonet practice dummy!” My Dad has a great sense of humor and would tell that story a few times over the years.

[@Linfamy]

😂

[@badnamewolfie7789]

That should be a lesson for those glorifying the war. The war is hell and no sane person should support it.

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

Darkey VilKulak you aren’t wrong but this level of war is the exception, not the rule

[@andezong9565]

NCR Master Race to be fair, would I be insane if I support us going to war against people who would behead people for not giving into their hijacked and perverted variant of Islam? Obviously everyone hates war and if I had my way, wars wouldn’t be a thing but you can’t just play pretend with how the world is.

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

Ande Zong I don’t think you understood what I was saying. I just mean wars aren’t usually anywhere near as destructive as ww2 and ww1 were. Vietnam was pretty bad but no one in that war was drafting kids

[@availablehage]

NCR Master Race all wars are full of blood and lies.

[@nomblob5592]

availablehage While they do, the kids were only informants. I dont see anywhere in that article of how Viet Cong force the kids to suicide with grenade like IJA did

[@tealablu3759]

11:47 this story had me tearing up. It must’ve been kind of confusing but also a big relief to hear an enemy speaking your specific dialect, telling you that they meant no harm. That man was a hero (even though I bet he wouldn’t view himself as one)

[@nerowulfee9210]

This is what "Scraping the Barrel" means.

[@Linfamy]

:(

[@sunnyak4089]

Idk im 6 :P

[@mudman5229]

Hoi 4 in nutshell

[@hijklmnop682]

@@sunnyak4089 no one cares

[@laumiia]

The fact that all of this happened to KIDS breaks my heart, I can't imagine the feeling they had being forced to do such a thing..

[@Linfamy]

Yeah, their childhoods were taken away.

[@NishiMiyamura]

@@Linfamy i too would cry if i was drafted to defend my capital and serving the afp whilst fighting the pla

[@marioksoresalhillick299]

@@Linfamy Teenagers don't have childhoods because they are not children, they are teenagers.

[@pheniox6934]

@@marioksoresalhillick299 Everyone has a childhood, either its the presnent or past.

[@marioksoresalhillick299]

@@pheniox6934 I am not sure what you mean...

[@lkzhang820]

High school students were also been seen in the army in Germany in late period of WWII. This was part of the Total War Theory.

[@Linfamy]

Yeah, seems to be a theme.

[@alexg4711]

well when you have no other people left you have to use teenagers

[@fionafiona1146]

@@alexg4711 In (British) India some volunteers had economic pressure or expected Japanese invasion without older people being absent.

[@jamesricker3997]

During the Battle of Berlin the Hitler youth was sent into combat. They gave 10 year olds panzerfaust and sent them tank hunting.

[@SusCalvin]

@@jamesricker3997 Germany starts to ramp up suppression of dissent towards the end of the war as well. Thousands of civilians and soldiers are executed for defeatism. Most people start to see that the war isn't going well when the censorship can't cover things up.

[@cedricf.6900]

This is literally the boys in the Volksturm from Germany. I did not know before that Japan did the same thing. Thanks for this very informative video

[@Crosshill]

germany and japan are such thorough countries, why do something if you're just gonna do it half-heartedly?

[@johndoe5432]

The Soviets did it too, all nations with manpower shortages during war tend to start lowering the age requirements for conscription. So if you're ever at war and suddenly conscription drops from 18 to 16, it's time to escape and surrender.

[@SusCalvin]

@@johndoe5432 The Great War general staffs fear that sometimes. That the pressure on the population will become too great. The french government can't arrest an entire corps for mutiny when they refuse to move.

[@barackobama2968]

@Devine rule?

[@insaneweasel1]

This is why you need to eat chicken tendies until you are 500 pounds and cant be drafted

[@Linfamy]

good plan

[@aidenb3069]

Mama mama give me tendies

[@insaneweasel1]

@@aidenb3069 be they crispy or from Wendys

[@user-ts4ox4gx9g]

Lol😂

[@wahabeez]

even though this is a joke, meat was very rare and unobtainable during the war years, and even if you were able to get to 500 pounds, youd probably still be drafted and get worked harder to be slimmer if you were in the IJP.

[@i_love_crpg]

I love how this channel is honest about japanese history and not trying to sell this image of japan being all good and innocent like the anime and the movies. I appreciate your work linfamy

[@hestiashearth478]

RIGHT! my grandmother always had stories to share about what Japan did here in the Philippines. note: i like Japan, but this is history that should never be forgotten. stories go from, killing male babies using bayonets(extremely legit), my grandmother(child) hiding with other women and children because they would get dragged by Japanese soldiers to serve as "comfort women", basically gang raped. my grandmother in her strongest days back when i was a young teen showed me places where they've hidden in the mountains. those were really small caves, under kubos(wooden houses/thatch roofed). i even found my deceased grandfather's rusty bolt-action rifle hidden on a large vase since he served in PEFTOK, the korean war where Philippines sent soldiers in South Korea to defend against North Korea and Chinese. He was part of the reinforcement force for the fighting Filipinos. anyway, the Japanese back in WWII were really cruel. stories would make you puke. they burned prisoners in their cells because they have to abandon the camp. they tortured Filipinos soldiers because they wouldn't commit ritual suicide. they hanged the bodies on pikes, pillars and pyres on camps to serve as warning. then they forced civilians to give them food and women. according to my grandmother and our textbooks, it was an extremely barbaric act that newspaper/radios stations would downplay the news as to not hurt Filipino morale but rumors travelled fast and when they got to our hometown/my grandmother's childhood village, the rumors proved to be true

[@michaelbutler1619]

My paternal great-grandfather was stationed in Okinawa when he got drafted into WW2. Seeing and hearing about this craziness gave him bad PTSD, which got even worse near the end of his life. War sucks for everyone.

[@alana.dyer.author]

Me: Japan is such a great country. It has anime and culture and history and very friendly people Linfamy:*is about to ruin this innocent dream*

[@Linfamy]

>:D

[@willday9316]

He's just telling it like it is.

[@alana.dyer.author]

@@willday9316 yep lol. It's why he is my favourite when learning about Japan

[@poissony]

Japan IS a great country with anime and culture and history and friendly people. It also had a time where it went utterly insane. The duality of man ;)

[@tat3179]

It is still a great country. But they were ruled by evil people at the time. So was Germany

[@nyctotheory]

The amount of work and research you put into every video is impressive, and in cases like these it's vastly important. We cannot let these people be forgotten, yet I'm certain that's precisely what's happened in many cases for them. Much of Japan's involvement in WW2 isn't taught either in Japan or the States for reasons of mutual national shame. You are doing the world a service, grim though it may be, by these essays.

[@Linfamy]

Thanks! Forgot to include that in all of these survivor accounts, a common theme is the survivors' hatred of nationalism. They all want to warn future generations of the dangers of nationalism and militarism.

[@John77Doe]

nyctotheory World War II wasn't taught at all in Japan after World War II. In the 1970's, NYC was allowed to use Japanese steel and Austrian cement to build the water tunnel from upstate New York. My father's office mate was sent to Japan for steel inspection and married a Japanese woman and brought her back to NYC. She thought the Japanese were only fighting in Korea and China during World War II. 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

[@Linfamy]

@@John77Doe wow!

[@sennaka]

I remember reading a very interesting news article some years ago on how this lack of education in Japan is going to affect them on the global stage when the current generations enter politics, particularly when it comes to their relationships with China, Korea, heck, the entire region there. They haven't been taught about what they did during the war, thus a lot of them really don't *know* why those countries are not happy with them...and that ignorance makes the problem worse. Diplomacy is going to be such a headache...

[@nyctotheory]

@@John77Doe Oh wow. I've been told my my Japanese friends that it's not a topic, but I didn't really get just how true that was. That's terrifying.

[@Zeverinsen]

Really the only difference between the actions of Japan and Germany were the scale and the infamy of their leaders. I don't think a lot of people know about what the Japanese did, not only to their own citizens but also to the Chinese especially. Everyone remembers Hitler, the SS, Hitler Jugend and the monstrous Mengele experiments, but most people don't remember these child soldiers, the treatment of the Okinawans, the Japanese allegiance to the emperor or even the horrible doings of Unit 731, because they simply never knew about them. Maybe the language barrier contributed to it, but it's important to remember so the lives of those who died won't go to waste. So they can remind us that war should never be an aspiration, being a solider in battle is NOT what we should want and that we should never encourage nations to go into battle. This is why I've always scoffed at the American "Solider coming home" videos. It's not right, not because the soldiers aren't brave, but because the country that has sent them is failing them in the first place and that's glossed over by the sentimental videos.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I normally don't have an opinion about those videos though my heart did melt at one where a guy surprised his husband with his return and the entire family was there and so supportive. Kind of made me cry, lol. However, that same military has very clearly also failed its vets. Linkin Park has a great line in their song "Hands Held High" protesting the Iraq/Afghanistan wars in the early 2000's which says "When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die", and sadly...that's never been truer. The ones ordering these wars will never step onto a battlefield. Their loved ones won't be drafted, even if they're of age. We still have large-scale weapons manufacturers and still after events like the murder and sawing of Khashoggi (oh wow, I'm actually happy Google has his name as a recommendation when I tried spelling it!), we're giving weapons to the Saudi military. Lives mean nothing...only profit. And when those lives return, broken physically, mentally and emotionally, there's barely any support for them. Gee, it's almost like waging war means a massive influx of hurt people that are going to strain the country! I wonder how we resolve this? Hmm...maybe abstain from war?

[@SusCalvin]

In Germany, the number of executions for "defeatism" run higher and higher towards the end of the war. Thousands of civilians and soldiers are shot as it sinks in that the war isn't going terribly well.

[@merchantfan]

Definitely- the only advantage the Chinese and Koreans had was numbers compared to Jews and Roma. The main difference is I think Nazi Germany's scientific developments may have been more significant in the long run than Japan's (for a long time Western doctors at least were still using anatomy textbooks modeled off dissected victims of the Holocaust) and the West scrambled over itself to grab Nazi scientists. But at least modern Germany has apologized for the Holocaust, Japan still won't apologize about comfort women

[@christianweibrecht6555]

I believe the main difference is that while the nazi government was completely dismantled, japan's government was left mostly intact If the nationalists won the Chinese Civil War, I doubt America would of been so lenient

[@thevioletskull8158]

"The war wasn't going well for the Japanese" Anzacs: *Sips tea awkwardly*

[@dakotamartinez8310]

I can imagine that the survivers were scared of the Japanese soldiers more. Their own people made things worst for them because they were desperate either to live or for their emperor. I am American, and I am just now learning more of the Japanese during World War II, and empathizing them because of your videos of the high schoolers during that time.

[@redlandz1977]

It wasn’t “their own people”, the Okinawans were linguistically, historically, and culturally a different people from the Japanese. The Japanese looked down on them, partly because they were a conquered people (they had been conquered over a hundred years earlier). Okinawa had been the Ryukyu Kingdom, recognized by the Chinese as a trading partner generations earlier.

[@neoqwerty]

Japan's looked down on "their own" for as long as they've existed as a nation. In adition to redlandz1977's comment, go read up on the Ainu-- another group who once lived in Hokkaido amongst other areas, and had their own culture and language and history just like Ryukyuans. They were forcefully assimilated, treated like second-class citizens, and their own culture is considered "shameful" for most of the mixed-ancestry people, to the point a lot of children don't even know they're not fully Japanese. And that's just *one* of the other ethnic groups that Japan tried to destroy.

[@codyshi4743]

Tell another Okinawa story about the girl with the white flag. This story is based off the Grave of the Fireflies story.

[@Linfamy]

That DOES look like an amazing book

[@noahdutel535]

Omg I have that book it’s so sad

[@codyshi4743]

Is the author of the book still alive? Also do they have a English copy.

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

@@codyshi4743 they have an animated on YT

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

@@codyshi4743 girl with white flag kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZLNeKaeqsigepY

[@remiliyu]

Wow, I just finished seeing how the schoolgirls had it, I’m not expecting the boys to be worse- well, they both had it bad in their own ways, but I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t expect the schoolboys to have it really bad, if not worse than I expected. Also by this comment, I’m not trying to discuss who suffered more, just an observation.

[@Linfamy]

:/

[@army310]

boys tend to always have it worse

[@yurineri2227]

let's not discuss who suffers more when talking about a WAR please

[@filipeamaral216]

@Jon Goat Well, buddy. You just proved men have it worse. Congrats.

[@chrysanna8896]

@@filipeamaral216 lol task failed successfully

[@ckn3481]

This is horrifying yet not surprising when you know a bit of linfamy content

[@Linfamy]

I make horrifying content? 😂

[@ckn3481]

@@Linfamy well maybe not all the time, but the content about japanese folklore and history does have a lot of dark moments xD

[@Linfamy]

@@ckn3481 melon princess XD

[@indianyoyoer]

@@Linfamy I guess your voice is a bit horrifying.. My brother lover to watch your videos... But never prefer watching it during bed time..XD Scared of getting scolding from mum ..,😂

[@StMyles]

Sad but true stories. My father served with the 100th Battalion, intelligence unit. He was on Okinawa during the occupation and saw and heard a lot of these stories. Thanks for sharing Lin.

[@Linfamy]

He must have heard some amazing things.

[@StMyles]

Linfamy Sadly, Lots of things he took to his grave and was unable to talk about.

[@Nyctophora]

Thank you for remembering these boys, too. I watched the video on the girls and they are both so tragic. There was a degree of moral bankruptcy present in some of the military that is hard to understand, no matter the propaganda. I like how you report with seriousness and compassion what happened, so that we can put historical matters in context.

[@dallasdelay3468]

This is tragic. Please do a video of the last civilian child to surender. She was tough

[@Linfamy]

Hah, someone else mentioned that too.

[@dallasdelay3468]

@@Linfamy another YooToob channel called tare earth did one. Yours would do better

[@happyweek11]

What was they called? Wanna read up on it

[@kimberlycooper4170]

For snother interesting story, look up Guy Gabaldon, the Pied Piper of Saipan.

[@iexist2217]

Polish boy scouts: *FINALY A WORTHY OPPONENT! OUR BATTALE WILL BE LEGENDARY!* (But they weren't forced.)

[@John77Doe]

Pierogi UwU The Polish Boy Scouts fought against the Wehrmacht?? 😐😐😐😐😐

[@iexist2217]

@@John77Doe The uprisings . Expecially the Warsaw ones . Most of the time they just helped with the supply. But they fought sometimes too.

[@SusCalvin]

@@John77Doe A bunch of the european powers start doing a bit of preparation for partisan warfare. You can have a cadre of people with stashed stuff and orders to try jump-starting a partisan group behind the lines.

[@nutrinogirl456]

God the mom who killed her daughter only to be treated well by American soldiers... Can't imagine how she even felt

[@prometheus7387]

I'm going for military service in 2 years wish me luck.

[@Linfamy]

Good luck! Really.

[@remiliyu]

Good luck! Hope it goes well

[@prometheus7387]

@@Linfamy Thanks! The fact that the food is said to be horrible is my only lingering worry (I won't die like the kids because I'm not actually sent to a warzone, what a relief).

[@Linfamy]

@@prometheus7387 where will you be serving?

[@John77Doe]

S Vengat Luck. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@magilunedecelestia]

A history that should not be forgotten. Thanks for the vid :)

[@Figgy5119]

Okinawa dialect is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, there is a dialect, as in Japanese with differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, but what is often called by Japanese as Okinawan dialect is actually an entirely different language. There are a number of distinct Ryukyuan languages in the Japonic language family.

[@Figgy5119]

@steve gale .........Kansai is the region where Kyoto and Osaka is........

[@Figgy5119]

@steve gale .........Kansai.......is a REGION............

[@Figgy5119]

@steve gale Okinawan can't be a KANSAI dialect because it's not in KANSAI. I do live in Japan. I got my degrees in Linguistics and Japanese language. If you won't listen to others more qualified than yourself, at least do some research. Google something for five seconds.

[@Figgy5119]

@steve gale hahahahahhahahahahahhahaha oooh boy, you are too funny. Get a life, Steve.

[@neoqwerty]

@@Figgy5119 I wish steve there didn't delete effin' everything like a coward, your side of this comment chain contains the ghost of an amazing weeaboo "expert".

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

So glad Japan went from a warmonger to an anime making machine after the war

[@Linfamy]

It was a logical progression

[@prometheus7387]

They tried guns and bombs to take over the world. It failed. Then they tried anime. It worked a little too well.

[@aresgood1]

this is what japan whats you to think

[@TeRenner123]

Nukes have that

[@alexg4711]

japans transformation is pretty sad. they were willing to do everything for their country and emporerer to another capitalist consumer nation

[@tokenstandpoint93]

I just found your channel yesterday. While I brought a few books it's very overwhelming in trying to find a good place to start learning and understanding Japanese history. 5 of the videos I've watched has helped understand and better comprehend aspects in learning the history especially where to start.

[@Linfamy]

Glad you're interesting in learning about Japanese history! Where would you like to start (certain time periods?), maybe I can recommend some books.

[@tokenstandpoint93]

@@Linfamywell I'm curious about pre Edo period. I know it begins with an "m" just forgot what it's called (I'm not one who pretends to know things by searching Google) the time right before Heian period. Finally while this one is easier to learn and get books on; I would still like your recommendations for books on the Meji period.

[@Linfamy]

The period before Heian is Nara. I think it's harder to find books on that period, actually. There are many on the Meiji. Some good ones: The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori (amzn.to/2xepX9i) - It's about Saigo Takamori, but covers the events leading up to the Meiji Restoration, and Japan's modernization. A good starter. The Making of Modern Japan (amzn.to/2vDyfY8) - Up-to-date and covers Edo and Meiji Periods, and touches on the contemporary era. Jansen was a leading historian. He actually died soon after publishing this book.

[@tokenstandpoint93]

@@Linfamy thank you. Any recommendations on the time right before the Edo period?

[@ahblyat4296]

Nobody: Japan when they win: *WE WILL CONQUEROR MORE* Japan when they lose: *OOPPS, We lose all good soldiers because stupid desison, YOU will be a soldier*

[@Linfamy]

You are *great historian*

[@ahblyat4296]

@@Linfamy WITH LOVE FROM ĐÔNG LÀO:)))

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

Empires in general, really.

[@duchi882]

*Schoolboys Then:* * Joins in War * *Schoolboys Now:* Takes on Strangers in an Arm Wrestling contest

[@morsch2028]

What changed?

[@yoremothra9838]

That's Over the Top.

[@cv4809]

Schoolboys today: I don't know what gender I am

[@xeaurora1709]

@@cv4809 😐

[@Dablooner]

@@cv4809 😐

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

Kinda related. During the siege of Budapest, the Germans rounded up a bunch Hungarian kids and gave them rifles. Two days later, they were sent to fight the soviets with little training (they were pretty much just taught how to use a gun but not tactics or anything)

[@randomcow505]

pretty much whats happening in ukrain now

[@VickyShawcooksalot]

Before even WWII they drafted children. When my grandfather was 13 it was announced no American birth certificate boys as young as 13 were being drafted. My great grandparents found all birth certificates but my grandfather's. He didn't make it home. My great grandfather got him on the way home from school, and they took the first boat leaving Japan. It's a story I can't forget.

[@Itried20takennames]

“1 in 3 civilians died…”. The US military was aware of the huge civilian loss, and this actually part of the calculation of whether it was better for the US to use the atomic bombs or invade. Applying the Okinawa civilian casualties figures, but applied to most of Japan during a full US invasion, the calculation was that there would actually less civilians killed by the 2, or hopefully just 1 if the Japanese government was reasonable, atomic bombs than, instead of an invasion.

[@eo7097]

I wonder if the Gundam series titled "Iron Blooded Orphans" was a reference to this aspect of history. Haven't watched the anime, but the title reminded me of this.

[@Raph575]

Perhaps

[@LadyCoyKoi]

Normally I hate ads in the videos themselves from hosts, but I actually love this curiositystream idea. I'm a teacher and I'm always looking for web sites and ideas to assist and amplify my lessons, so thank you. ^_^ Keep on being awesome!

[@Durahan82]

7:25 Emperor Hiroito was just a Puppet in the Hands of the Military .

[@rangergxi]

Kindof. It's hard to know since he was a private person. He personally signed plenty of warcrimes and many of his family members lead armies. His uncle was the general that order the Nanjing Massacre.

[@campkira]

no differnt o shugu back in war age.... they all just warlord...

[@kamikazefilmproductions]

Hirohito wanted to oppose the bombing of Pearl Harbor, if he did he would of been assassinated

[@user-os2vu7nr6i]

@@kamikazefilmproductions And be replaced by one of his relatives. It's just a "usual" court politics.

[@SusCalvin]

@@kamikazefilmproductions A lot of these guys believe the emperor truly is the divine son and an almost mythic national symbol. People get appointments from him, they get called up to his office. A lot of what they do is about truly protecting the imperial line, people will literally hang during the Tokyo Trials before they shift the slightest blame on the emperor. Japan has their "government by assassination" but it targets the civilian government. Relatively junior officers kill off some minister and get light sentences when they claim it was out of patriotic inspiration. Ex-military guys who take the position can get assassinated.

[@Trish_Carmichael]

Wow... those poor children...I feel very sad about the one who recruited his friend, but they were raised to think that way, poor man :(

[@kikufutaba1194]

Your information while greatly summarized is still very good. I thank you for showing it to all who do not know of Japanese history in a way that makes it exceeding enjoyable. Thank you so much for your work.

[@chellib3533]

I really appreciate tue content produced by this channel. Thank you💗

[@thedreadtyger]

my friend, Okinawan is a language and not a dialect of Japanese. this is too sad. may there be mercy and peace.

[@YochevedDesigns]

Linfamy, you have such a soothing voice. It really is a pleasure to listen to you. You don't over or under emphasize anything to get clicks, you just give the subjects the treatment they deserve.

[@thomasdavies5061]

During the siege of Buda as the Soviets closed in on the pocket the Germans handed rifles to highschool boys and sent them into Soviet gun positions. Thank you for putting information out there about this, I really love your videos

[@realrhetoric]

"This view of Okinawans as different persists to the modern day." Thank you for mentioning that Ryukyuans today are still perceived somewhat differently by some Japanese. However, you might also have phrased it as, "The view that Ryukyuans are Japanese never took hold completely." Why the difference? Well, if your initial encounter with Japan includes a map that shows the former Ryukyu Kingdom as part of Japan, when you later encounter data -- like the persistence of the view of Okinawans as different -- you need to account for that. However, if you approach the geography historically, the incorporation of the Ryukyu Island chain into Japan seems more the anomaly. Unfortunately today, the only other option viable wouldn't be Ryukyuan independence, only incorporation into the Chinese motherland, which would be even more anomalous.

[@jessicahay9305]

When my Gramps was in Vietnam parents would strap bombs to toddlers and tell them that the American troops had chocolate bars, forcing them to choose between shooting a baby or dying with them. That was the only thing he ever said about the war, but it really messed him up.

[@noahdutel535]

I’m not okinawan but miyakan (miyako is a small island in the prefecture) but grandma and her siblings were excused from fighting because their father fought but died

[@ReyhanDW]

Now I know where the “Iron-blooded Orphans” Gundam series got its name

[@jhilamadhikary5551]

Thank you so much! I never imagined my favorite channel would come forward to help me with my summer assignment!! You are really unpredictable! Doumo Arigato Gozaimasu Linfamy San!

[@Linfamy]

Haha what's your assignment?

[@jhilamadhikary5551]

On WWII! And I can use the Testimonies you mentioned as quotes too!! I'mma so happy! Thank you! 😄

[@Linfamy]

@@jhilamadhikary5551 ah then I'm glad you find the vids helpful! Good luck with the assignment 👍

[@jhilamadhikary5551]

Haii! Onegai! Motto motto World War II no video o upload shite kudasai!! 🥰

[@MrKIMBO345]

Great content!!!

[@ahmadsamman3992]

Other amazing video man, good job!! ❤❤❤💕💕

[@Linfamy]

Thanks for watching 💗

[@mdlahey3874]

I'm enjoying all your videos, but this one really packed a punch. 😢

[@lisalorenzo7451]

Oh my goodness the photo of the 2 little boys. Its SOOOOO sad I can't even imagine. Their so young.

[@dropkickcorpse]

Any thoughts on making a video about the other schoolgirl "Chiran Nadeshiko Unit"? It's really depressing and the full story can be read in "Blossoms in the Wind" by M.G. Sheftall and "Tokkou no Machi: Chiran" by Sanae Sato.

[@John77Doe]

dropkickcorpse According to Wikipedia, they just waved off the Kamikaze Pilots at Chiran Air Force Base. That's not as dangerous as being nurses in Okinawa. They were in Kyushi. They weren't even invaded. I want a web link to the Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese women that were used as infantry in the Philippines. I can't find any reference to it, but when my Dad took off the uniforms of some Japanese soldiers looking for souvenirs, he found out that they were women with military crew cuts. 😐😐😐😐😐

[@Linfamy]

Thanks! That does sound interesting, I'll look into it

[@dropkickcorpse]

@@John77Doe Yeah, the story of the Himeyuri nurses definitely take the cake. I was just interested in the part where the Imperial Japanese government emotionally manipulated and guilt tripped many young men into suicide bombing themselves by threatening to publicly shame their family and using Chiran girls. Just wanted to see another view of the suicide pilots besides crazed fanatics and more like puppets in an unfeeling war.

[@sennaka]

@@dropkickcorpse reminds me of the White Feather movement in England during WWI.

[@hannahpak1442]

I recently moved to Okinawa and visited where the war took place. It's really sad to hear what happened. I saw a lot of older folks out there writing in small journals. I wonder if they wrote about the after math of the war...

[@ninjahombrepalito1721]

Half of those boys died... I can imagine many of those who lived did not get out unscathed.

[@Linfamy]

No doubt :(

[@meetaverma8372]

if I had money, I'd sing up with CuriosityStream, I don't need you to bribe me with love ;_;

[@Linfamy]

Pssst, sign up for a free trial, no money needed ;) But I love you either way 💗

[@meetaverma8372]

@@Linfamy okay ;_;

[@user-ki8ef2uj1r]

Meanwhile theres anime where there are skilled highschool girls killing highly trained soldiers...

[@nomblob5592]

PenguinInvasion37 Alpha I guess now we know the morbid origin of that trope

[@mumblingmercian3386]

It’s very sad what people do to children in times of total war. Your channel has come so far. Great vid, keep on spreading the knowledge.

[@Linfamy]

And you've stuck around the whole time, thank you! =)

[@mumblingmercian3386]

Linfamy I come and go, been a busy few months. Just realised there was a messaging part of Patreon. Apparently I was your first Samurai 😂

[@Linfamy]

@@mumblingmercian3386 true 😁

[@mehmeh3894]

It would be great if you could do an episode on the Japanese occupation of Singapore, a part of WWII that is vastly overlooked.

[@billsummy2412]

Another GREAT video ....

[@Linfamy]

:D

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Okay, this sound like the perfect plot to an anime

[@buff9267]

Just Some Guy without a Mustache agreed.

[@Linfamy]

Oh god, grave of the fireflies devastated me

[@sennaka]

@@Linfamy Don't watch *any* of the live action versions then. That'll hit you worse than the animated, I bet.

[@Linfamy]

@Emily Barclay there there Emily, we'll get thru it together. *we both die*

[@Linfamy]

@@sennaka there are live action versions? I'll pass 😑

[@1Maklak]

Every country loosing a war does this to some extent. In Poland, using child soldiers in the battle of Lwow (Lwow Eagle Chicks) and during the Warsaw Uprising (Gray Rows) is to this day considered patriotic and glorious.

[@andro7862]

The difference is that in Poland those kids were actual volunteers. Also unlike the Americans, nazi Germans really viewed Poles as subhuman and brutalised them regularly.

[@1Maklak]

@@andro7862 You're missing the point, which is that every country in a war of attrition will resort to throwing younger and younger boys into the fray once it starts running out of manpower, volunteers or not (authoritarian states will just do it faster). Poland is a notorious example of doing it repeatedly over multiple uprisings while fetishising this sacrifice, but it happened all over the place. Child soldiers in Africa, using kids to clear landmines in Iran-Iraq war, Japan, Hitlerjugend, Soviet pioneers and the list goes on. Young recruits to armies often lied about their age to get in.

[@williamgates2996]

Linfamy, thank you for making this video. I have always wonder about if there was more stories about Japan and WW 2...It's a shame that even here in Florida, I don't know about the other stories except when I took history lessons in primary school.

[@Linfamy]

Yeah I'm not surprised. It's usually not taught in primary school.

[@fruitlquid4325]

I have a friend that was in a military family and he ( and my other friends that were military family ) talked about how they loved Okinawa but there was a lot a protest about every week he said.

[@WildBillCox13]

Liked and shared. Folks should understand the consequences of waging war, nation against nation. Insanity is not an admissible plea when your crime is abuse of those you have pledged to protect. You're not even a War Criminal. You're a murderer.

[@cristianvillanueva8782]

Anytime you you resort to using children you know it's a desperate situation Edit:feel like throwing up at the thought of mothers and children killing themselves

[@liesandy291]

I can't even imagine what the mother who killed her daughter felt before the us soldier come and treat them humanely.

[@Solcitse]

of all your vids, this one i felt tears stream down my face. I know that I need to know this if only to prevent it repeating, as do all of us, but damn if my heart dont hurt

[@ColonizerChan]

>imagine if a battle erupted in your town >lives in Virginia I don’t have to imagine seeing the cannonball holes yanks shot at the church being used as a field hospital

[@noticemesenpai69]

Good! Your place was on the wrong side

[@ColonizerChan]

Notice me Senpai There isn’t really a wrong or right side when war only bring misery to those it comes to. If you’re seriously saying that because the elites had a terrible practice of slavery that the people died and who’s lives were ruined just by living in the wrong place that it’s okay to do this shit...then honestly, your home and loved ones are the ones who didn’t suffer enough. Fuck this mentality that there are good guys and bad guys in war. Everyone suffers. Stop being an asshole trying to justify war crimes

[@RageTyrannosaurus]

@@ColonizerChan The Confederacy was born of states that seceded because they believed that new states would automatically be free states, which would reduce their political power and possibly lead to the end of slavery. There isn't always a wrong side in a war, but the American Civil War very much had a wrong side.

[@rfbite]

Didn't expected to ever cry in one of your videos...but gosh, so brutal.

[@Linfamy]

Sorry :/.. here, have a heart 💗

[@idapilchowska805]

Early luv your vids

[@Linfamy]

Very early

[@indianyoyoer]

You'll soon hit million subs bro.. That's my gut feeling (mostly never wrong) The process is kinda slow because u only focus on a specific type of *informative* content (people don't love informative content while chewing food lol) But.. Ur hard work is awesome broo.. Well where r u from

[@Linfamy]

Hope your gut is right ;) I currently live in California 👍

[@okimimitsuko2735]

"Imagine a war raging right in the middle of your town or city" Me who is a Syrian who lost thier house and lived 10 years of constant nightmares: Yes.. I understand it very, very well 💔

[@schizoidboy]

I do know that Japan put their students through pre-military training before having them drafted into the Army. I remember reading part of the biography of manga artist and animator Otomo (I can't remember his full name but I believe he created Metropolis) where he describes the courses he was forced to take, which sounded more like basic training than having students parade and drill. I also know these students were issued blank firing rifles for training. They certainly were serious about having them fight in the war.

[@H250V]

Dang...this was pretty rough. (Also, interesting choice of name to give to this corp, considering a certain series about the horrors of war did have a similar name and did implement child units into their ranks. I wonder if it's a way to like bolster the spirits of the "Iron-Blooded Orphans" considering they probably weren't expected to come back home.)

[@Terminator1O1]

4:39 "Woops! *We must have left that out of the history books"*

[@yakkityyak9336]

I was stationed there, what a marvelous place.

[@marr1379]

Wow, got to it within a minute of it being posted! Love videos about WW2, and you did an amazing job at it!! Keep up the good work! 頑張ります！！

[@Linfamy]

Woohoo glad you liked

[@unitunitglue5143]

We had 12 year olds fight in the civil war here in the US. John Clem achieved the rank of lieutenant, he was shot, walked with a crutch & we named a high school after him in OH.

[@38-jishjilson89]

Well, Okinawan (沖縄口、うちなあぐち in Okinawan ) is a separate language from Japanese. Okinawa only became a part of Japan in 1868. Though closely related to Japanese, it is unintelligible to Japanese and is different from Okinawan Japanese, which is a dialect of Japanese (Okinawan : Uchinaa Yamatuguchi(lit. Okinawan Japanese) , Japanese : Okinawa-ben). Currently, most Okinawans speak only Okinawan Japanese and Okinawan is an endangered language.

[@38-jishjilson89]

@steve gale I'm not talking about Okinawan Japanese but the Okinawan language which is unintelligible with modern Japanese i.e a Japanese speaker can't understand Okinawan. The language which most Okinawans speak today is Okinawan Japanese not Okinawan. Japanese was introduced to Okinawa only after the Meiji government annexed Okinawa (the Ryūkyū Kingdom, 琉球王国,るうちゅうおうくく in Okinawan). Okinawan based on the Shuri (しゅい in Okinawan, the then capital of the Ryūkyū kingdom ) dialect of the language was the official language until Satsuma invaded the Ryūkyūs, after which classical Chinese became the official language. In Okinawan, the Japanese language is called Yamatuguchi, meaning the language of the Yamato people (note that in Okinawan the word kuchi means language) while Okinawan is called Uchinaaguchi. Okinawan dialect of Japanese is called Uchinaa Yamatuguchi.

[@38-jishjilson89]

@steve gale kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4mVlqaCiKl6nNU An example of Ryukyuan court music, Kajyadifu is a good example of music in the Okinawan language.

[@38-jishjilson89]

@steve gale Again I'm not talking about the Okinawan dialect of Japanese but the Okinawan language. The difference between Okinawan and Tōkyō hogen is far greater than that between Kansai and Kanto dialects of Japanese. Just consider the fact that Okinawa became a part of Japan only in 1868. Till then, they only had trade (and tributary) relations with Japan. For an incredible amount of time i.e from the arrival of Old Japanese speakers to the Ryūkyū archipelago to the Satsuma invasion of the Ryūkyūs, the regional language evolved seperately from Japanese for a very long time. It is too different from the Japanese dialect of the nearest natively Japanese speaking region i.e Kagoshima prefecture and even from Okinawan Japanese, which evolved from the Japanese introduced during the Meiji period. Secondly, whether a dialect is to be called a language or not is largely politics. Historically, the Ryukyuan people always perceived mainlanders as foreigners until the Meiji era. The Japanese language was perceived as a different language. Many still view mainlanders as seperate people.

[@38-jishjilson89]

@steve gale I have no problem with Okinawan being a dialect of Japanese IF IT WERE. Also, I didn't deny that Okinawan is a Japonic language. Okinawan belongs to the Japonic family of languages along with Japanese and other Ryukyuan language.

[@rangergxi]

Mainland Japanese do not respond well to that idea. People say that the Japanese are peaceful but they will literally punch you and spit on you for suggesting that Okinawan or the Ainu are not of the Yamato race.

[@Itried20takennames]

Germany did a similar thing (forced high school kids to fight at the end of the war), and they were a real problem for the allies because although they were young, they were brainwashed, romanticized dying in battle and holding absolutely deadly weapons. There were stories of some Allied troops approaching the kid soildiers kindly at first, only to be shot dead by them. Just an all around a terrible situation.

[@abbyjiang4074]

Good vid

[@ElhPudding]

"What you do if you are in middle school and was forced to fight in the battlefield?" I would ask > Where is my mech!? :D

[@Brandon-bo2wl]

I truly love and enjoy these videos, linfamy is funny but talks about the history that I WANT to hear and know about Japan! Unlike some of the national geographic crap hahah Oh and Gintama Rules BTW!!!!!

[@e21big]

So that's where Gundam Iron Blood Orphan came from

[@whathell6t]

e21big It still not tragic compared to the children, especially the Newtype children, of the Gundam Universal Century. No matter spectrum, be they civilian or child soldier, it’s going to be painful.

[@takaharatanaka8818]

Amanda here on dad's youtube account --> After the invasion of the Ryukyu Islands, March to May of 1609 the Ryukyu people were brutalized and oppressed. Shortly before until the end of WW2 those who spoke the Ryukyu language could be summarily executed by Japanese officers. The Ryukyu people were not regarded as fully human. They were fed propaganda by the Japanese & brainwashed into believing death was preferable to being captured by the American forces. I have been taught that ethnic Ryukyu boys did not need their parents to give consent since they were not considered Japanese, nor fully human, Japanese law didn't apply.

[@nomblob5592]

steve gale Shut it

[@RgxSnowy]

i learn a good history lesson on a Sunday of the ww2 thanks Linfamy for posted it i love to hear a good Japanese history

[@Linfamy]

😁👍

[@fansyuriilham8557]

This nightmare was potrayed on The Pacific TV series. A good one complementary of Band of Brothers.

[@kyoungd]

If they are this brutal to their own people, imagine how they are to those they conquered. They were the Nazis of Asia and just as vicious and evil. It was a different time. Japan today is a peaceful and wonderful nation.

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

Hahgahaha very funn. You think bcs USA has subjugated Japan amd brainwashed her children utterly they somehow destroyed a very conservative and rather old culture? No. Chance. If they lose this second missile scare (and I bet that they will) against Russia, and somehow end up losing Japan... well, we shall see how that turns out, but that shaky peace will be over in the chinese sea.

[@BlackSeranna]

This is just sad. Kids and animals always suffer the worst.

[@scattypetty]

Japan's marketing team is amazing. They did some of the most horrific things in WW2 (only just recently found out about the Nanjing massacre) and barely anyone knows about it.

[@LR-yt2yy]

And to think that 99% of young Japanese don't know about the horrors of WW2... There are young people in Japan who don't even know there was a war.

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

They dont even know USA dropped the bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bcs Japan is occupied by US. Only they capitulated in time and thus have some economic benefits from that (low interest and such). Different from Germoney.

[@jsphfalcon]

I read that Okinawans are closer to the Jomon than the Yayoi. Could the Okinawa local religion be closer to the Jomon religion?

[@Linfamy]

I believe there's some DNA evidence supporting that theory. Ryukyuan women did have hand tattoos, just like the Ainu in the north! Don't know about religion.

[@John77Doe]

Okinawa was returned to Japan on June 17, 1971. I think I was in the 2nd grade and the turn over was in our Weekly Reader. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

[@krealyesitisbeta5642]

We need to mention Higa Takejiro in the history books. Give him a whole chapter, even if it would be short.

[@chadspeaks1162]

Higa should have been given the Medal Of Honor for his service on Okinawa. Maybe he'll receive it posthumously someday.

[@ScandiNinja]

Wow that was interesting. Poor Boys i almost feel like the girls got the Lucky part. Nah they were both a hell. I AM surprized the guy surrendered

[@Crosshill]

everyone is equal beneath the emperor and so they will suffer equally without discrimination