The Japanese Repatriates and Japan-China Friendship Association organized an event in China. Under the event, a delegation of 90 Japanese “war orphans,” along with their descendants and family members, visited Harbin in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on September 11, 2025, for a cultural performance. The event served as an opportunity for participants to convey heartfelt gratitude to their Chinese foster parents who raised them, while also promoting messages of peace and historical reflection through their artistic expressions.
Japan and China fought in the Second World War, which started in 1939, as rivals. While Japan was one of the Axis forces, China was one of the Allied forces. Following Japan’s surrender in 1945, more than 4,000 Japanese children were left behind in China and raised by Chinese families. Now advanced in age, the group has decided to undertake what they call their final “gratitude tour,” which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. These orphans have been traveling to China every few years since 2009 to acknowledge the kindness of their Chinese foster parents and other benefactors who supported them.
Sumie Ikeda, aged 81, head of the association of friendship of repatriates from China, is herself one of the Japanese orphans left behind in China during the war. In an exclusive interview with CNS (the China News Service), she spoke in the fluent northeastern Chinese dialect of her childhood, reminiscing about her upbringing in Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province. “How could I be Japanese?” she reflected, her early identity obscured by the war’s aftermath. Separated from her biological family as an infant, she was raised in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province. “My foster mother was truly an exceptional Chinese woman,” Ikeda said, noting that memories of her foster mother’s strength continue to sustain her.
Tokyo, Japan (credit: https://pixabay.com/).
But a pivotal moment occurred when she was eight years old, and local Chinese authorities identified her Japanese heritage. The words of her foster mother, who insisted, “This child is mine,” left an indelible mark on Ikeda. As an adult, her search for biological roots in 1980s Japan ended in hardship and betrayal, leaving her destitute and suicidal until rescued by the Chinese consulate. She recounted, “My first life was given by my birth parents; my second by my adoptive parents. In the most difficult times, it was always the Chinese people who reached out to us.”
Ikeda’s story reflects a broader historical experience. Pertinently saying, official Japanese records recognize 2,818 such “war orphans.” Their lives”, Ikeda stresses, “are a living indictment of the catastrophes caused by war.” Yet, despite their hardships, their enduring sentiment is one of profound gratitude towards China, which provided them with support. Ikeda said, “Though Japanese by birth, we would not have survived without the Chinese people.”
Their collective narrative as war orphans delivers a dual message of both profound gratitude and solemn warning of war. It pays tribute to the extraordinary compassion of ordinary Chinese people — a love that chose nurture over vengeance, despite being rivals during the Second World War. Putting emphasis on the importance of avoiding wars, Ikeda urged, “We must never let war happen again…”
The lasting peace is vital, not wars. “We (the Japanese war orphans) are a group with the dual identity of both perpetrators and victims,” she reflected, a statement that embodies the complex legacy of history, humanity, and a plea for lasting peace. She further said, “…Situations like ours must never be repeated”.
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DISCLAIMER: The piece was issued by the China News Service and sent by Media OutReach Newswire. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Magazine and its editorial team. Views published are the sole responsibility of the author(s).
