When Hiroyoshi Takizawa was 8 years old, he moved to Manchuria — present-day northeastern China — as part of a pioneer group, but was forced to flee for about three weeks after the Soviet Union invaded.
Along the way, he endured the harrowing ordeal of watching his father fatally shoot his younger brother and sister as part of a group suicide. "We were victims of national policy. Such a tragedy must never be repeated," says Takizawa, now a 91-year-old resident of the city of Nagano.
In March 1943, spurred by his father's ambition to "make it big in Manchuria," Takizawa's family left their home in what is now the village of Kijimadaira in Nagano Prefecture and relocated to eastern Manchuria. They joined the Koshago pioneer group, formed largely in their home region, and the seven-member household — Takizawa, his parents, two elder brothers, a younger sister and a younger brother — settled there. After their arrival, a baby sister was born.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.