Philippine E-Journals

From Hunter to Prey: The Japanese Account of the Liberation of Negros Island

Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope

 

Abstract:

Seventy-two years ago, the Japanese Occupation of Negros Island during World War II ended with the surrender of the Japanese forces on 22 September 1945 in Nasig-id, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. This paper aims to present the version of the Japanese soldiers who were assigned to Negros Island. Two personal accounts that were recently translated to English offer narratives of how the Japanese forces coped with the combined efforts of the resistance movement and the joint Filipino and American Army Forces to liberate the island from Japanese control. 1st Lt. Komei Fujitomi of the 174th Independent Infantry Battalion and Cpl. Kyuji Yamada of the 31st Educational Flying Corps of the Japanese Imperial Navy, who were assigned in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and were part of the Japanese forces who made their last stand deep in the jungles of the Cuernos de Negros Mountains, wrote these accounts. In the popular narratives of the liberation of the Philippines, the stories of those who were defeated are seldom heard. Moreover, the documents about the interrogation of the Japanese soldiers during the trial for war crimes will also be used to corroborate the war story of the Japanese soldiers. It is hoped that this project will contribute to an enlightened understanding of the war. It is about time to know the version of the “enemy” notably when they became the prey of the people they used to hunt.