Wataru Kaji

Wataru Kaji in 1952

Wataru Kaji (鹿地 亘 Kaji Wataru, 1903–1982)[1] or (1901-1982) was the nom de guerre for Mitsugi Seguchi, a Japanese writer, literary critic, and political activist.[2]

Early life

Wataru Kaji was born in Kyushu in 1903 to a prosperous family. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, Kaji joined the Workers and Peasants Party. His activities brought him to the attention of the authorities, where he was imprisoned multiple times. He fled to China disguised as a samurai actor in a traveling drama company in January 1936. He arrived in Shanghai, where he married Yuki Ikeda.[3] Kaji studied and translated the works of Lu Xun, and[4][5] met Hu Feng.[6]

Activities during the Second Sino-Japanese war

Kaji and his wife in Hankow circa 1938

Kaji and Ikeda fled to Hong Kong following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. He wrote articles for Chinese newspapers and magazines. According to Andrew Roth, while in Hong Kong, the Chinese allowed him to come into the interior. After escaping Japanese agents, he reached Hankow, then the capital, in March 1938. He was attached to the propaganda section of the Chinese Army Political Department as a "psychological adviser", and worked under Kuo Mo-jo. Kaji re-educated Japanese POWs, who were sent to the front lines to broadcast propaganda to Japanese soldiers. He was replaced as "psychological adviser" by Kazuo Aoyama. Kaji continued to write propaganda for the Chinese Army.[7] Kaji returned to Chongqing, where he helped organize study groups focused on analyzing conditions in Japan, and studying the Japanese military. He kept a small research office in Chongqing, and wrote and collected documents pertaining to the war. The OWI invited Kaji to their headquarters in Kunming to create propaganda.[8]

During the war, the Japanese targeted Kaji. According to Andrew Roth "The Japanese military police offered generous rewards for his head. The Japanese air force twice attempted to pinpoint his residence in China."[9] A 1944 St. Petersburg Times article reported that Japanese militarists put a $50,000 price on Kaji's head.[10]

During the war, Kaji met journalist Edgar Snow, and[11] U.S soldier, and labor activist Koji Ariyoshi.[12] In December 1939, Kaji founded the Japanese People's Anti-war Alliance.[13]

Post-war kidnapping

Kaji was kidnapped in 1951 by U.S intelligence, and was held for more than a year. He was suspected of being a Soviet spy. He was allegedly tortured while in captivity. When the affair came to light, the Japanese were outraged because Kaji's detention lasted past April 1952, when Japanese sovereignty was restored.[14]

Death

The Miami News reported that Wataru Kaji, whose real name, Mitsugi Seguchi, was stated in the article, died of cancer in a Tokyo hospital. He was 79 years old.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Library of Congress Name Authority File. Accessed 19 January 2014
  2. ↑ Derek Challis (2002). The Book of Iris: A Biography of Robin Hyde. Auckland University Press. p. 542.
  3. ↑ Roth, Andrew (1945). Dilemma in Japan. Little, Brown. p. 234-243.
  4. ↑ Koshiro, Yukiko (2013). Imperial Eclipse Japan's Strategic Thinking about Continental Asia before August 1945. Cornell University Press. p. 100.
  5. ↑ Empire of Texts in Motion Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese Transculturations of Japanese Literature By Karen Laura Thornber Page 75
  6. ↑ Literary Societies of Republican China edited by Michel Hockx and Kirk A. Denton Chapter 13 Page 458
  7. ↑ Roth, Andrew (1945). Dilemma in Japan. Little, Brown. p. 234-243.
  8. ↑ Kushner, Barak. The Thought War: Japanese Imperial Propaganda. p. 142-143.
  9. ↑ Roth, Andrew (1945). Dilemma in Japan. Little, Brown. p. 234-243.
  10. ↑ "Japs, Despondent Over War, Reported Ending Lives". St. Petersburg Times.
  11. ↑ From Vagabond to Journalist: Edgar Snow in Asia, 1928-1941 By Robert M. Farnsworth Page 326 -327
  12. ↑ From Kona to Yenan: The Political Memoirs of Koji AriyoshiBy Koji Ariyoshi, Alice M. Beechert, Edward D. Beechert page 104-105
  13. ↑ Empire of Texts in Motion: Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese Transculturations", Karen Laura Thornber, Page 75
  14. ↑ Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld By David E. Kaplan, Alec Dubro Page 47
  15. ↑ "Political writer Kaji died at 79". The Miami News.