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DescriptionThis is an original 1949 Japanese government list documenting former Imperial Japanese military personnel and civilian employees whose status was still unknown years after the end of World War II.The title identifies the men as having served in areas including:Manchuria
North Korea
the Kuril Islands
SakhalinThe document was compiled by the Chiba Prefectural Welfare Section and is dated the end of March 1949.For collectors who may be new to this subject, the date is what makes this document particularly powerful.Japan surrendered in August 1945.But for thousands of Japanese servicemen and their families, the war did not simply end on that day.Many Japanese soldiers and civilians remained overseas. Some were eventually repatriated, while the whereabouts of others remained uncertain for years.This list was compiled more than three and a half years after Japan’s surrender, when the status of the people recorded here was still unknown.Inside are numerous individual names together with information concerning their former military organizations and units.Among the entries visible in the document are personnel associated with organizations such as the Kwantung Army Headquarters in Hsinking (Shinkyo), infantry units, aviation forces, and various military service units.These are not simply names printed on old paper.Behind every name was a real person—and potentially a family waiting for news.Were they alive?Were they being held somewhere overseas?Would they ever return to Japan?For the families involved, these were not questions of history. They were questions they were still living with.Importantly, “status unknown” does not necessarily mean “killed in action.”This is not presented as a casualty or death list. It records people whose status remained unconfirmed as of the end of March 1949. This document alone does not establish what ultimately happened to each individual.The cover also bears a handwritten reference to a repatriation organization, adding another interesting connection to Japan’s enormous postwar effort to locate and bring home former servicemen and civilians from overseas.There are no swords, medals, or dramatic battlefield photographs here.Instead, this document preserves another side of war:what happened after the fighting stopped.It is a remarkable surviving record connected with Manchuria, North Korea, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the Japanese military, and the difficult process of postwar repatriation.Due to its age, the document shows staining, toning, folds, wear, edge damage, and other signs of age and use. Not every page or individual entry has been fully researched. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition and contents.This would make an especially interesting historical artifact for collectors and researchers of the Imperial Japanese military, the Kwantung Army, Manchuria, the Soviet-Japanese War, postwar repatriation, and the broader human history of World War II.World War II did not end for everyone on the day Japan surrendered.In March 1949, the people recorded in this document were still listed as unaccounted for.Their names remain here today.Own a Piece of History.Shipping
FedEx or Japan Post
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