Japon, ils ont vu la fin de l'empire

1 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,840 In the 1920s, Japan was poised to progress by leaps and bounds 2 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,440 with the tricks of European industry in hand. 3 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,600 The country challenged itself 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,000 to go toe to toe with the West, if not outperform it entirely. 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,600 Its manufacturing sector and economy boomed, 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,760 attracting global attention and a foreign workforce. 7 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:37,960 This French family was one of them. 8 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:41,760 Emmy and Jean Millot lived in Japan for over 20 years. 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:48,960 They and journalist friend Robert Guillain 10 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,560 would witness a troubled time in Japan 11 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,880 when the country militarised 12 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,560 and colonised parts of Asia, only to suffer defeat in 1945. 13 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,560 Their personal records and photos 14 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,720 tell a unique story of Japan at war. 15 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:14,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 16 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,640 Tokyo, February 1927. 17 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,840 Emperor Taisho had just passed away. 18 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,240 His son, Hirohito, ascends to the throne 19 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:36,800 at only age 25. 20 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:42,000 A trip to Europe when he was 20 had made a deep impression on him. 21 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,040 He saw the scars left in the wake of World War I. 22 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,280 As a token of his pacifism, 23 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,240 he chose the name Emperor Showa, 24 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:51,840 "Enlightened Peace", 25 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,600 to represent the new imperial era. 26 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,400 Emperor Hirohito was the head of state 27 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,280 and Shinto spiritual practice. 28 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,960 The Imperial Palace was a symbol of political and spiritual power. 29 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:16,680 The capital of Tokyo embodied the new regime's modern ambitions. 30 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,840 Japanese people donned Western dress 31 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,680 and began attending cinemas and concert halls. 32 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,960 Transportation modernised overnight. 33 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,000 The first metro line opened 34 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,720 to rave reviews from the Japanese public. 35 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:38,800 To ensure it would keep pace, 36 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,560 Japan opened its doors ever wider to the West, 37 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,680 both Western investment and Western technology. 38 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:48,800 Jean Millot was a young engineer 39 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,240 whose French company sent him to work in Japan. 40 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,920 He helped to lay telegraph lines 41 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:56,840 between Japan and France. 42 00:02:57,880 --> 00:02:59,920 Business was booming. 43 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,560 Jean learned the language 44 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:07,440 working with Japanese colleagues in a telecom centre in Tomioka. 45 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,520 Travelling the country with a Leica, 46 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,640 he captured famous sites... 47 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:25,680 landscapes... 48 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,120 and temples. 49 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,200 The photos he sent back to his parents in France 50 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:43,400 were not those of a mere tourist. 51 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,080 "Peasants wear jackets made of straw from their stubble fields. 52 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,200 The straw garb protects them from the rain". 53 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,760 They told of their experience as they gradually embraced the culture. 54 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,480 Jean was invited to high-society events for foreigners 55 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:10,760 living in Tokyo, 56 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,160 rubbing shoulders with businessmen and diplomats, 57 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,440 all ex-patriots of Western empires 58 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:18,600 with a foothold in Asia. 59 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:23,880 Their roads all crossed at the Imperial Hotel, 60 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,520 a stone's throw from the parliament and the Imperial Palace. 61 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,320 French journalist Andrée Viollis, 62 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,400 then a Japanese correspondent for Le Petit Parisien, said, 63 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,320 "It's the most wonderful hotel in the world. 64 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,680 All Tokyo high society is to be found here. 65 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,840 Embassy officers of all stripes 66 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,080 embody European imperialism in all its beauty and elegance 67 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,520 over cocktails, gossip and witty repartee". 68 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:00,320 Here among the crème de la crème, 69 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,840 Jean and Emmy Imura met each other. 70 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:08,440 Age 26, 71 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,080 the elegant young lady 72 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:12,880 had just divorced Dr Chutaro Imura, 73 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,160 a Japanese psychiatrist whom she met in Europe 74 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,640 and married at age 18, moving to Japan with him. 75 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,000 When Chutaro took up his family practice in Tokyo, 76 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,080 he found himself constrained by traditional culture. 77 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:39,080 That's when Emmy learned that, in Japan, 78 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:41,240 men are masters of the household 79 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,440 and their wives are to act as their servants. 80 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,080 "Only one thing was demanded of me: obedience. 81 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:54,720 I had to live under my mother-in-law's orders, 82 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,120 submissively and abidingly. 83 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,040 I tired of it quickly". 84 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,160 Emmy left Chutaro and lived on her own in Tokyo. 85 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,400 Her longing for independence 86 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,120 was shared by many Japanese feminists 87 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,880 who sought the right to vote and gender equality. 88 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,360 Women were able to get a degree and have careers. 89 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:35,160 Just like in Europe, modern women had men's haircuts, 90 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,240 smoked and demanded women's liberties. 91 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,680 Emmy made a number of friends in the Japanese-feminist crowd. 92 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,080 "I lent Makiko Western clothing. 93 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:54,960 In exchange, she taught me how to put on a kimono. 94 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,640 It's a long and arduous process. You can't do it unaided". 95 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:06,960 Emmy's life was unencumbered. 96 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,960 She did not hide her glee with the ex-pats she came across. 97 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,640 Jean became smitten with her lively anti-conformity. 98 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,320 Emmy fell for Jean's optimism and sense of humour. 99 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,200 Jean introduced her to his parents in a photo. 100 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:27,680 "Emmy in Japanese dress. 101 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,520 With the sun shining bright, Emmy's hair appears very blond 102 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,680 when in fact her hair colour is auburn, and do note 103 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,560 she measures up to her fiancé's ear lobe in height". 104 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,280 Jean and Emmy moved to the foreigner's district. 105 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,360 They frequented French Embassy garden parties 106 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,440 and Wednesday luncheons with fellow ex-pats. 107 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,400 Robert Guillain described the meals thus: 108 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,920 ROBERT GUILLAIN JOURNALIST 109 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,240 "From a number-two Embassy officer to the local barber 110 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:09,320 to the ancient Christian missionary, some thirty Frenchmen gather 111 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,800 at a grand table for fine dining and conversation". 112 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,800 Jean was beloved at these gatherings. 113 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,000 "His face is always glowing, 114 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,800 his conversation always spirited and optimistic. 115 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,600 I consider him one of the kindest men I've ever known". 116 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,440 In the late 1920s, Emmy gave birth to two boys, 117 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:36,160 Louis first, then Marc. 118 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:39,480 They grew up between Tokyo, 119 00:08:39,680 --> 00:08:42,160 Hakone in the shadow of Mt. Fuji 120 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:43,640 and Karuizawa, 121 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,440 a popular destination for Westerners starting in the late 1800s. 122 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:51,040 Emmy wrote to her family: 123 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,320 "I really enjoy our life here. 124 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,200 Life is easy, the countryside breathtaking. 125 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,320 We have as many European as Japanese friends 126 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:03,400 and the children feel at home". 127 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,560 While their photos give a rosy impression, 128 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,840 they hide the fact that Japan was plunging into political turmoil. 129 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:24,960 Since the dawn of the century, 130 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,960 Japanese society had been making democratic progress. 131 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:35,800 Then Communism began to spread. 132 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,480 Labourers and farmers began to unionise. 133 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,320 In 1925, 134 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,600 parliament was voted in by universal male suffrage. 135 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,480 All men 25 and older could vote. 136 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,040 While this may have seemed like progress, 137 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,400 violent repression took place in secret. 138 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,440 A domestic security law was likewise passed 139 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,560 targeting political adversaries and anti-capitalists. 140 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,280 Three years later, on 15 March 1928, 141 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:10,480 the political police made their presence felt. 142 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,840 Socialists got voted into congress 143 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,800 and some 1,600 suspected communists and communists alike were arrested. 144 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,200 The workers' unions were disbanded. 145 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,240 Young communist writer 146 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,040 Kobayashi Takiji 147 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,080 wrote a book decrying police brutality. 148 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,720 After it was published, 149 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,840 he was imprisoned and tortured to death in an interrogation. 150 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,240 His book remained banned until after World War II. 151 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,280 The Great Depression heightened anti-government sentiment 152 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,840 when the crisis reached Japan in spring of 1930, 153 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:57,440 six months after the Wall Street crash. 154 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,000 Nearly two million Japanese people were laid off. 155 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:08,400 The government could do nothing to save its people from poverty. 156 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:15,560 Farmers abandoned silkworm farming as a source of complimentary revenue 157 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,320 after silk prices plummeted. 158 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:20,080 In the mountains of Nagano, 159 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,240 families sold their daughters to tea houses 160 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,920 where they became servers or geishas. 161 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,680 The army was a saving grace for many Japanese men. 162 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,360 It offered destitute farmers a regular wage 163 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:54,240 and two square meals a day. 164 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,320 Farmers enlisted in their hundreds and thousands. 165 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,720 The influx of new recruits changed the army's stature. 166 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:08,480 As an antidote to poverty and unemployment, 167 00:12:08,680 --> 00:12:11,560 the army set out across Asia, conquering new lands 168 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:14,840 beyond territories Taiwan and Korea, 169 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,920 both Japanese colonial territories since 1890. 170 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:20,680 Japan was set on expanding its empire 171 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,240 with no regard for Western presence in the region. 172 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,520 Starting in 1930, 173 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,000 Japan entered a war that would last 15 years. 174 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,080 Its first target was China, 175 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:48,920 in a shambles after its civil war 176 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,680 and under the occupation of several Western powers. 177 00:12:57,880 --> 00:12:59,760 In September 1931, 178 00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:02,960 the Japanese infantry invaded Manchuria in northern China. 179 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:08,120 After six months, 180 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,400 it took control of the region, which was twice Japan's land mass. 181 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:19,960 Japan turned the Chinese territory into a puppet state 182 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:22,480 called Manchukuo. 183 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:24,440 Heading the state 184 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,200 was the heir to the Chinese throne taking orders from the Japanese. 185 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,320 Andrée Viollis, Le Petit Parisien journalist, 186 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:39,800 described it thus: 187 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:45,440 "The army controls public services: defence, finance, policing, etc. 188 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,320 Its hand is in everything. 189 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:52,680 It pays workers to move there and help build up its presence. 190 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,000 Manchuria is a fiefdom in Japan's clutches 191 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,040 and it will never let go". 192 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,400 The army sapped the region's resources, 193 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,280 with Manchuria supplying a third of Japan's iron 194 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,400 and becoming the top soy producer in the world. 195 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,520 It was manna from heaven for Tokyo, 196 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,800 a perfect way to escape economic crisis at home. 197 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:27,160 Japan began to prepare a broader-scale colonisation effort. 198 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,520 One million Japanese people moved to Manchukuo. 199 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:37,880 Western states had stood idly by while Manchuria was taken, 200 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:39,280 but now they worried. 201 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:44,280 Japanese expansionism could threaten their foothold in China. 202 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:57,560 A new line was crossed 203 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,760 when, in March of 1932, 204 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:03,120 the Japanese navy went rogue 205 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:04,920 and bombarded Shanghai 206 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,160 and Western concessions there. 207 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:12,600 Andrée Viollis wrote: 208 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,240 "I was there for over a month, 209 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,200 witnessing bloody street battles and fires, 210 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,640 listening to and fleeing from naval and air bombings. 211 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,720 Sixty years ago, Japan was an obscure Asian kingdom. 212 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:36,920 Now, 213 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:42,080 it wages war after war in the Far East to expand its hegemony. 214 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,800 Thousands of ex-patriots were killed in Shanghai. 215 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,200 Western states got directly involved and negotiated a ceasefire. 216 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,120 England, the US, France, Italy and Germany 217 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:04,840 wouldn't change tack in China. 218 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,400 To stem the tide of Japanese expansionism, 219 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:15,320 the West backed Chiang Kai-shek, 220 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,440 who condemned Manchukuo 221 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:19,640 at the League of Nations. 222 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,160 China's nationalist president 223 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,400 called for immediate Japanese withdrawal 224 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,680 and an inquiry into Japan's invasion. 225 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:28,840 In March 1933, 226 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:32,000 the League of Nations deemed the invasion illegal. 227 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,280 The chairman announces the result of the ballot: 228 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:36,680 42 nations out of the 44 present 229 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,040 condemn Japan's Manchurian policy. 230 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,520 The report is ratified unanimously. 231 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:49,160 Japan, however, 232 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:50,240 YOSUKE MATSUOKA JAPANESE PARLIAMENTARY REP 233 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,880 finds it impossible to accept 234 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,560 the report adopted by the Assembly. 235 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,720 Japan unceremoniously split from the League. 236 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,880 It chose instead to become a rogue state, 237 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:14,280 free to continue its expansion throughout Asia. 238 00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:26,960 Far-right army officers in Tokyo used violence to garner influence, 239 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,040 assassinating business leaders, politicians 240 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:31,800 and even the Prime Minister. 241 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,760 The army was becoming a state within a state. 242 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:42,720 The country was gripped by fear. 243 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,920 Jean and Emmy knew that where they'd lived for over a decade 244 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:54,200 was now becoming something different. 245 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,680 Jean watched it all happen first-hand. 246 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:10,360 On 26 February 1936, he was inside the Havas building 247 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:13,800 when far-right military officers 248 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,240 carried out a coup d'état and barricaded the city centre. 249 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,080 Jean sent a wire to Paris. 250 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,520 "1,500 officers and soldiers stand at their outposts 251 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,440 at the Parliament, War Ministry and police headquarters. 252 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,440 The Finance Minister and Public Prosecutor are dead. 253 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,200 The Prime Minister made a narrow escape". 254 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:55,560 The putschists sought to create a military state under the emperor. 255 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,160 Hirohito was against it. 256 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:04,600 "Army units mobilised without our orders. 257 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,000 Call them what you will, they are not our army". 258 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,480 Marshall law was declared on 28 February. 259 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,120 The rebellion was squashed at once. 260 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,360 Fifteen officers were executed. 261 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,320 Despite this, the far-right got what it wanted. 262 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,200 The new Prime Minister was Prince Konoe, 263 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:32,080 who increased military spending 264 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:34,920 and backed the army's imperialistic schemes. 265 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,760 Jean followed the events closely and discussed them with journalists. 266 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:59,200 They felt the far-right was inspired by Hitler's example 267 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,560 and his influence would continue to grow. 268 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:12,000 Emmy was concerned about the political tide turning 269 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,600 and longed to flee the shockwaves coursing through Japan. 270 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,360 She travelled to Manchukuo for a few weeks. 271 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,280 "Dear Jean, 272 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,600 I'm now on the boat and everything's going as planned. 273 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,920 I'll meet my friends in Harbin. 274 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:33,680 Take good care of the kids. 275 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:35,920 Write to me at the Hotel Moderne". 276 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,840 The Japanese army used Harbin as window dressing for tourists. 277 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:56,120 It was a city made for rich foreigners looking for a good time. 278 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,040 Emmy spent her time with jazz musicians 279 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,000 and partied till dawn. 280 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,040 The Imperial Japanese Army had its sights set 281 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,040 on conquering China and its capital at Nanjing. 282 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,560 In July 1937, Beijing fell within a few days. 283 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:36,560 Shanghai fell a few weeks later. 284 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:42,440 After months of fierce fighting, the Japanese entered Nanjing, 285 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,840 Chiang Kai-shek's capital of nationalist China. 286 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:54,360 In Nanjing, Japanese soldiers were famished and without orders 287 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,920 and so burned everything in their way. 288 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:02,240 They murdered Chinese civilians in droves. 289 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:07,000 Their commanders let it happen. 290 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:11,920 Civilians were killed by bayonet. 291 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:13,600 Women were raped. 292 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,840 Children were not spared. 293 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:29,920 In three months, nearly 200,000 were massacred. 294 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,800 LIFE Magazine brought the world firsthand accounts and photos 295 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,520 and disgruntled public opinion 296 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,680 while the Japanese government censured news of the events. 297 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,080 The Japanese people didn't learn of the massacre 298 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,720 until after World War II ended. 299 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:06,840 Japanese propaganda celebrated conquest in China 300 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:07,960 as a return to peace, 301 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,040 claiming the Chinese had been liberated. 302 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,000 A Japanese correspondent for newspaper Asahi Shinbun said: 303 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,120 "What better pay-off for our war effort 304 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,000 than taking the enemy capital 305 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,040 and command of all of China 306 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:28,960 where we've laid the groundwork 307 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,520 to create prosperity across all of eastern Asia?" 308 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,480 In Tokyo, the government mobilised the population. 309 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,600 Fundraisers for the army became commonplace. 310 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,360 Jean Millot witnessed popular opinion unify. 311 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,120 "To support the war effort, 312 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,800 the people gather in fundraising centres 313 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,000 and donate their money, pots and pans, 314 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:08,920 and valuable jewellery 315 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:10,960 to pay for the building of canals". 316 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,440 The press and radio were under censure. 317 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:18,440 Journalists couldn't criticise imperial ideology. 318 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,080 All of Japan had to fall in line. 319 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,040 The traditional mindset Emmy rejected when she left Chutaro 320 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,080 became the standard once more. 321 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,840 Western lifestyles, once representing modernity, 322 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:45,640 became repressed. 323 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:52,600 In these hard times, 324 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,360 the family wondered if they should return to Europe, 325 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:57,560 but decided against it. 326 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,640 "Jean's work is here, and so are our friends. 327 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:07,800 The children speak Japanese, 328 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,920 English and a bit of French with their father. 329 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,000 They've had a cosmopolitan education, 330 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,360 but their homeland is Japan, as is ours. 331 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:21,600 Besides, the situation in Europe is no better than here". 332 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:40,640 On 1 September 1939, 333 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,480 the Third Reich invaded Poland. 334 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,960 World War II had begun. 335 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,160 That didn't behove Japan's strategy 336 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:55,800 as it weakened Western presence in Asia. 337 00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,960 All French men were mobilised, even those abroad. 338 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:04,440 In Tokyo, Jean was summoned by France's military attaché, 339 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:06,640 Commander Thiébaut, 340 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,520 who sent him to Yokohama 341 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,640 where he was to follow the orders of Consul Arsène Henry. 342 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,200 MY FELLOW PATRIOT... 343 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:16,400 But there were no orders. 344 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:19,560 War became a laughingstock in Tokyo. 345 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,720 French ex-pats treated it like a vaudeville show. 346 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:26,520 Robert Guillain wrote: 347 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,920 "One fine day, a telegram came from military authorities in Paris: 348 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:36,600 'Send us a report of your duties within your reconnaissance unit.' 349 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,080 Commander Thiébaut was embarrassed. 350 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:40,880 There was no reconnaissance unit. 351 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,440 'Well!' Thiébaut thought. 'We'll have to make one!' 352 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,520 He summoned some 15 Frenchmen in secret. 353 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,760 We had to pick a leader and Jean Millot was chosen, 354 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:54,920 but Emmy told her friend Anne-Françoise, 355 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:57,920 the wife of Reuters correspondent Jimmy Cox, everything, 356 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:01,080 who then shared the information with another French ex-pat. 357 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,440 Thiébaut found out and in the same day 358 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,520 poor Millot lost his secret job". 359 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,480 Nothing went unnoticed by the Japanese, 360 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,320 who carried out surveillance on all foreigners. 361 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,880 Their conversations were rehashed in detailed reports. 362 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:23,840 As usual every Wednesday morning, the group met, 363 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,760 François Chevalier and Robert Guillaume from Havas, 364 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,600 Jean Millot from the French Telegraph Company. 365 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,040 They talked about a new car and gas prices... 366 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:40,520 In May 1940, 367 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,640 Nazi troops invaded France after conquering Belgium and Holland. 368 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,960 Jean got enlisted in the battalion of telegraph workers abroad 369 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:58,800 and was shipped to French Indochina. 370 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,160 On 24 June 1940, 371 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:11,240 Jean landed at Haiphong. 372 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:12,760 France had been sacked, 373 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,560 signing an armistice with the Reich two days prior. 374 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:20,480 France's Third Republic drew to a close, 375 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,200 replaced by the Vichy regime. 376 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,600 The Japanese government took advantage of France's vulnerability 377 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:31,400 and sent their demands to Paris: 378 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,360 open northern French Indochina to the Japanese army 379 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,120 and let it carry out a military campaign there... 380 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:42,360 FRENCH INDOCHINA 381 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:44,840 and stop selling arms and fuel 382 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,960 to Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese nationalists. 383 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,320 Governor General Catroux had no choice but to agree. 384 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,280 GENERAL GEORGES CATROUX 385 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:03,000 The French colony didn't have a single tank to defend itself. 386 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,560 Vichy appointed his successor, Admiral Jean Decoux, 387 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:09,200 who didn't change policy. 388 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,160 GOVERNOR GENERAL OF FRENCH INDOCHINA 389 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:12,840 On 29 June, 390 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,800 a Japanese inspection crew arrived in Hanoi 391 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:18,040 to monitor the Chinese embargo. 392 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:20,720 That night, 393 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,840 Jean Millot attended a dinner with a head of the Japanese group, 394 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:26,720 one General Nishihara, 395 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:31,080 and Commander Thiébaut, whom he knew well already. 396 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,880 Jean spoke fluent Japanese 397 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:37,640 and was hired by the Japanese as an interpreter and liaison officer. 398 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:40,240 For two months, 399 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,960 he followed the Japanese officers through the Cao Bang Province 400 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,240 to monitor railroads, bridges and border outposts. 401 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,160 Jean's photos tell the story of their work. 402 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:54,120 "August '40. 403 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,840 War spoils Chiang Kai-shek will never see. 404 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,280 From Cao Bang to Tru Khan Phu, 405 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,000 we seized hundreds of gas barrels". 406 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,520 Nishihara's mission wasn't just about sealing up the border. 407 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:11,480 Reconnaissance was part of the mission. 408 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,360 The Admiral voiced his concerns to the Vichy government. 409 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:17,840 "The Japanese army wastes no effort 410 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,600 gathering information in every region they traverse. 411 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:23,960 Clearly, they have an ulterior motive". 412 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:29,520 The Admiral was right. 413 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,840 The Japanese army wanted a foothold in Indochina. 414 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,400 It too could use the resources the West syphoned from its colonies: 415 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,160 rice and rubber from French Indochina, 416 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:46,440 oil from the Dutch colonies of Sumatra and Borneo, 417 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:49,960 the British territories of Hong Kong and Singapore 418 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,760 and iron and sugar from the US-run Philippines. 419 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,080 As justification for expansion, 420 00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,880 Minister of Foreign Affairs Matsuoka 421 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,440 announced the Greater East Asia 422 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:06,920 Co-Prosperity Sphere on 1 August 1940. 423 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,360 On the border with China, 424 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,320 Jean realised that the Japanese troops in China 425 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,200 were preparing to invade French Indochina. 426 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,880 His photos with accompanying captions show the tension. 427 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,160 Japanese troops need only cross this bridge to invade Indochina 428 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,240 and are awaiting a simple order from their superiors". 429 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,680 On 22 September, Japanese diplomats tore up an agreement 430 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:46,880 giving France permission to station 6,000 soldiers in the north. 431 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,200 The next day, Japanese infantry crossed the border, 432 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,080 but French troops hadn't been made aware 433 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:00,960 and tried to push them back. 434 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:10,880 Three days of combat ensued 435 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,800 and the Japanese army took control of the border outposts. 436 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,160 Jean watched it all play out. 437 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:23,520 An Asian nation was invading a Western colony. 438 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,080 A few days later, 439 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,480 Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with the Third Reich 440 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:43,200 and fascist Italy to bolster its upper hand. 441 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:45,920 SABURO KURUSU JAPANESE AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY 442 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,560 Tokyo's control of the Pacific Rim was guaranteed. 443 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,160 Then on 29 July 1941, 444 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,440 Japanese made its takeover of French Indochina official, 445 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:10,200 forcing France to let it station 40,000 troops there. 446 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:13,520 In under a year, 447 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,040 France's colonial might succumbed to imperial prowess. 448 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:23,640 French Indochina became a launchpad for Japan 449 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,600 to begin making forays into the Pacific. 450 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,640 RAILWAYS 451 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:33,760 The US felt threatened 452 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,280 and imposed a fuel embargo on Japan 453 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:41,040 in an attempt to force Tokyo to the negotiating table. 454 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,280 Instead, the Japanese drew out talks while preparing a strike. 455 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,040 War with the US was inevitable. 456 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:07,880 In the autumn of 1941, 457 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,880 Jean Millot returned to Tokyo. 458 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:12,920 Daily living was a struggle there. 459 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,320 Food shortages meant rice, miso 460 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,280 and sugar were all rationed, 461 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:20,400 as was charcoal. 462 00:34:22,720 --> 00:34:23,680 Jean and Emmy 463 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:27,640 decided Emmy should live with the children at their holiday home 464 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,680 some 100 kilometres from Tokyo in the town of Karuizawa. 465 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:41,800 Regardless of nationality, all ex-pats were treated as spies. 466 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:44,200 In December 1941, 467 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,040 a dozen French nationals were arbitrarily imprisoned. 468 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:56,600 Like all foreigners, Emmy lived in fear. 469 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:02,240 In the summer of 1940, Jimmy Cox, husband of Emmy's friend 470 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:03,520 Anne-Françoise 471 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:07,000 and Reuters correspondent, was taken into police custody 472 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,480 and killed himself by jumping out of a window during an interrogation. 473 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:16,560 His friends and family believed he was thrown to his death. 474 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:18,360 Emmy wrote to Jean: 475 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,240 "Anne-Françoise feared for her life. 476 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,120 She took refuge at the British Consulate. 477 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,320 I went to her home to retrieve her clothes and papers. 478 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:31,960 She was sent back to London within two days". 479 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,240 The Japanese population 480 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,080 was likewise under surveillance. 481 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,840 Democratic institutions were done away with. 482 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,760 The Konoe government created a single party 483 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:52,200 that was essentially a propaganda mouthpiece. 484 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:57,240 It preached 485 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,560 reverence to the emperor and unconditional service to him. 486 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:02,120 Everyone had a role to play. 487 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:14,160 Neighbourhood alliances helped carry out mass surveillance 488 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:15,480 spying on every inhabitant 489 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:17,680 and turning in anyone opposed to the war. 490 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:24,000 The Japanese army was so ubiquitous it even shaped school curriculum, 491 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:25,400 making it mandatory 492 00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:28,600 for children to receive battle training 493 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:30,880 and teach them the beauty of death. 494 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:33,760 Spurred by propaganda, 495 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,800 all of Japan was on board to join the fight. 496 00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:52,040 Jean felt isolated with Emmy and the boys so far away. 497 00:36:52,240 --> 00:36:56,200 Robert Guillain barely recognised the lively optimist 498 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:57,840 he had known before the war. 499 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:01,720 "Millot spent a lot of time at home, 500 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:04,600 alone, rarely stepping out, only reading indoors. 501 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,960 I'd run into him now and then at classical music concerts". 502 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:13,040 As an antidote to hunger and anxiety, 503 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:16,680 the people of Tokyo were avid attendees of cultural events. 504 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,200 That's when Jean would see Robert Guillain. 505 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,440 "Friday nights at the Hibiya Concert Hall, 506 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,080 we'd go to hear Beethoven, 507 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,880 Debussy, or Stravinsky 508 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:29,640 and forget about the war". 509 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,720 On the morning of 8 December 1941, 510 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,960 the people of Japan turned on the radio to learn 511 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:52,800 about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. 512 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,240 Jean watched how the people reacted. 513 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,640 "Amid the mass morning commute, 514 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,840 a newspaper seller waved a copy of the paper about. 515 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,800 'Senso! Senso! War! War!' 516 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:10,480 No-one in earshot reacted, but knowing them, 517 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,880 they were bewildered and dismayed". 518 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:25,560 The Imperial Army felt victory would be swift 519 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:29,760 and for months the field was theirs. 520 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:34,640 In no time at all, 521 00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:37,040 Hong Kong, Singapore, 522 00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:39,520 the Philippines and Malaysia 523 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:41,760 became occupied by Japanese troops. 524 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,680 The Japanese people were enthralled and hailed their emperor. 525 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:09,440 Robert Guillain watched on. 526 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:15,600 "In Tokyo, droves of people marched to the Imperial Palace. 527 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:18,720 They came alone, in groups, or as whole families, 528 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,240 the men half in khaki combat uniform, 529 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:25,560 women in colourful kimonos and children by the hundreds 530 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:27,680 bowing their heads at the moat. 531 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,000 Drunk with success, 532 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:40,040 Japanese officers believed that the US 533 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:43,200 would come to the negotiating table in short order, 534 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,320 but the Imperial Army's defeat at Midway on 19 June 1942, 535 00:39:50,240 --> 00:39:52,320 only six months after Pearl Harbour, 536 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:55,600 marked the end of Japanese dominance in the Pacific theatre. 537 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:01,360 Then ensued one defeat after another for the Japanese. 538 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,280 General Tojo, the famed prime minister of wartime Japan, 539 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,760 mandated student enlistment to ensure ultimate victory. 540 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,280 The day has come for you, 541 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:25,920 young men and women 542 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:28,160 of this kingdom, 543 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,480 to take courage as you set out 544 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,920 and honour your ancestors on this mission. 545 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:42,000 Defeat your enemies. 546 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:44,680 Defend and serve 547 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:47,480 the fortunes of the empire, 548 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:51,040 you, the one billion people 549 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:54,720 of Greater East Asia, 550 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,440 for love of morality... 551 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,120 The war room devised a new weapon: kamikazes. 552 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:20,400 These young, elite students were the strength of Japan 553 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,680 and sent to their deaths to honour the emperor. 554 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:42,760 Yet the kamikazes' courage 555 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,880 was no match for US military might. 556 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,680 In November 1944, 557 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:53,960 the US Air Force bombed Tokyo's civilian districts. 558 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:06,440 Millot and Guillain 559 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:09,440 lived through one bombing on a night in February. 560 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:16,720 "In a single night, 700 bombs rained down 561 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,480 destroying thousands of wooden homes 562 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:22,760 whose inhabitants were civilians of little means". 563 00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:34,640 Then on the night of 9 to 10 March 1945, 564 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:35,840 the US Air Force 565 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:39,720 firebombed the Japanese capital city. 566 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:42,520 The result was devastating. 567 00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:54,400 Following Tokyo, US forces wielding napalm destroyed 568 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:55,760 Osaka, 569 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,400 Kobe and Nagoya. 570 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:10,600 Emperor Hirohito came out of his palace 571 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:14,320 to take stock on the damage to the capital. 572 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,280 He could have ended the war then and there. 573 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,720 Instead, he let the commanders have their way and keep up the fighting. 574 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,560 The day after the bombing of Tokyo, 575 00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:35,320 the government evacuated foreign nationals in the capital. 576 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,680 Officially, the purpose was to shelter them, but in reality, 577 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:43,640 it was to keep them from informing their governments of the damage. 578 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:49,800 Jean Millot was sent to Karuizawa alongside other French nationals. 579 00:43:56,160 --> 00:44:00,160 The government was holding nationals of the Axis powers 580 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:01,240 and non-aligned countries. 581 00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:05,560 Swiss, Italians and Germans 582 00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:08,360 were able to live freely, yet under surveillance. 583 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:15,640 Robert Guillain was likewise sent there. 584 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:20,640 The village is crawling with police in civilian dress 585 00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:22,040 and police spies. 586 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:24,360 Their purpose 587 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:25,960 is to ensure nationalities 588 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,160 are kept apart and unable to communicate with one another. 589 00:44:35,720 --> 00:44:37,880 Jean's holiday home was abandoned. 590 00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:41,360 The time apart got the best of his marriage. 591 00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:46,080 Emmy and the children moved to a different district. 592 00:44:46,720 --> 00:44:50,320 Life in Karuizawa was difficult for all present. 593 00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:55,280 "We live within the limits of the commune. 594 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,800 For all living here, we're rationed 595 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,880 a cube of black bread and a bit of soy soup". 596 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,520 Piece by piece, Emmy had to sell her jewellery for food. 597 00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:12,080 "I have to buy everything we eat on the black market 598 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:14,640 run by speculating Japanese 599 00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:16,880 with the blessing of the police". 600 00:45:23,960 --> 00:45:27,360 Beyond the threat of hunger, another danger loomed. 601 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:31,000 The Swiss Embassy 602 00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:33,760 had a radio that picked up US news radio. 603 00:45:34,720 --> 00:45:36,840 US troops landed at Okinawa. 604 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:40,880 They were preparing an attack. 605 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:47,240 All were terrified in the tourist city. 606 00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:49,920 Would they be slaughtered by Japanese 607 00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:52,320 or bombed by Americans? 608 00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:57,720 The concerns of the Swiss ambassador echoed those of everyone else. 609 00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:00,560 "I'd be obliged to you 610 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:03,640 if you would look into protecting the village 611 00:46:03,840 --> 00:46:05,120 of Karuizawa. 612 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:09,400 There's a chance that, under the heavy bombing of Japan, 613 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:13,520 Karuizawa will be collateral damage if we don't contact Washington". 614 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:19,880 Karuizawa was ultimately spared. 615 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:25,320 Europe watched the final weeks 616 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:27,480 of the war with bated breath. 617 00:46:29,240 --> 00:46:31,360 On 27 July 1945, 618 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:33,880 at the Potsdam Conference, 619 00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:37,760 the Allied powers demanded Japan's unconditional surrender, 620 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:40,840 offering no guarantees the empire would survive. 621 00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:44,120 The Japanese government didn't heed the demand. 622 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:46,600 The emperor remained silent. 623 00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:55,360 The US decided it was time to show the world its new weapon, 624 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:56,840 the atomic bomb. 625 00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:07,600 On 6 August 1945, 626 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:10,680 the US dropped an uranium bomb on Hiroshima. 627 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,120 On 9 August it hit Nagasaki 628 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:15,160 with a plutonium bomb. 629 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:19,600 The cities were razed and 630 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:22,560 men, women and children died in their tens of thousands. 631 00:47:24,720 --> 00:47:26,160 Jean was beside himself. 632 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:30,560 He kept albums of press photos of Hiroshima's destruction. 633 00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:34,680 His friend Robert Guillain felt a new age had dawned. 634 00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:36,800 He wrote: 635 00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:41,160 "With the bombing of Hiroshima, 636 00:47:41,720 --> 00:47:44,840 new heights of wartime atrocities have been achieved. 637 00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,320 War as a collective crime has shifted. 638 00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:52,440 Humanity has now entered an age of mass murder. 639 00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:55,960 Military operations estimate deaths in the millions. 640 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:01,000 The horror of Hiroshima may be even worse for future generations. 641 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,520 All humanity may suffer poisoning from atomic radiation". 642 00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:20,840 Considering the current state 643 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:23,760 of the world and the empire, 644 00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:27,600 I will take extraordinary measures 645 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,240 to bring the current situation 646 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:32,240 under control. 647 00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:34,960 I hereby appeal 648 00:48:35,160 --> 00:48:40,080 to my loyal subjects, as I am the imperial government. 649 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,360 On 15 August 1945, 650 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:44,760 Japan accepted unconditional surrender. 651 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:49,720 General MacArthur's 8th Infantry assumed governance of Japan. 652 00:48:56,040 --> 00:48:59,600 The Japanese quickly saw the Americans as liberators. 653 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,360 A new day of democracy and peace had dawned. 654 00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:08,800 As a communications engineer, 655 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:11,040 Jean was given a crucial role 656 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:14,640 in the telecommunications bureau of the 8th Infantry. 657 00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:17,600 His two sons, Louis and Marc, 658 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:20,240 age 16 and 15, 659 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:23,240 were trilingual and hired as interpreters. 660 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:35,640 The country was swiftly democratised. 661 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:38,800 The first multi-party elections in the wake of the war 662 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:41,440 were held in April of 1946. 663 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:43,720 The voting age was lowered to 20 664 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:46,520 and for the first time women could vote. 665 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,960 The Japanese were divided on the role of the emperor. 666 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:58,560 Some wanted him put on trial for war crimes. 667 00:49:59,760 --> 00:50:01,800 Others wanted him to abdicate. 668 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:08,440 General MacArthur, however, 669 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:10,880 had a mind to use the emperor 670 00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:12,560 to complete his mission. 671 00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,480 Hirohito was a symbol uniting all Japan. 672 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:19,760 If he got crushed, the nation would crumble. 673 00:50:26,680 --> 00:50:28,400 Under US oversight, 674 00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:32,400 the International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened in Tokyo 675 00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:34,360 on 3 May 1946. 676 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:38,600 The Tribunal lasted over two years 677 00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:42,520 and revealed to Japan's people the imperial army's war crimes: 678 00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:47,120 pillaging in Manchuria, the Nanjing Massacre, 679 00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:49,480 executions of civilians and more. 680 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:51,600 Responsibility for all decisions 681 00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:53,880 fell at the feet of the military. 682 00:50:57,240 --> 00:50:58,760 The emperor was not in attendance. 683 00:50:58,960 --> 00:51:02,280 He would not stand judgement for his role as army commander. 684 00:51:08,880 --> 00:51:11,680 One former soldier wrote in his diary, 685 00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:15,440 "An incredible number of lives 686 00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:17,760 were sacrificed for the Emperor. 687 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:19,920 I hate to say it, 688 00:51:20,120 --> 00:51:23,280 but blame should fall on him more than anyone 689 00:51:23,600 --> 00:51:25,840 since he is the head of state". 690 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:41,560 The Millots wouldn't stay to watch Japan move on 691 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:43,400 without confronting its past. 692 00:51:45,040 --> 00:51:46,640 The family disbanded. 693 00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:02,200 Louis moved to Paris and became an architect. 694 00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:10,640 Marc had a career in the US army 695 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:12,800 as a reconnaissance officer 696 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:15,760 and trained in Japan to fight in Korea, 697 00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:17,520 eventually moving to the US. 698 00:52:18,960 --> 00:52:20,880 Jean Millot moved to Geneva 699 00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:24,560 to work at the International Telecommunication Union. 700 00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:26,760 He started a new family. 701 00:52:28,080 --> 00:52:30,160 Emmy fell in love with a Japanese man 702 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:33,320 and stayed in the country until 1952 703 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:36,320 when she moved to Brighton, England. 704 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:41,560 The family only came together a few times after that. 705 00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:43,560 Every member bore the memory 706 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:47,480 of the happy times and the tormented times. 707 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:58,440 Robert Guillain remained in Japan 708 00:52:58,640 --> 00:53:01,840 and captured the feeling of this people he knew so well. 709 00:53:04,120 --> 00:53:07,480 "We Japanese smile because we are suffering. 710 00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:11,400 Here, a smile is not necessarily a sign of joy. 711 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:16,040 Injury and failure likewise call for a smile. 712 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:19,160 We have a polite bearing facing the worst. 713 00:53:19,360 --> 00:53:21,680 That's how we take revenge on adversity 714 00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:25,840 so as to not give it the satisfaction. 715 00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:30,600 There are millions of smiles around Japanese nowadays 716 00:53:31,280 --> 00:53:33,960 because in Japan 717 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:36,640 millions of hearts have been devastated". 718 00:54:32,080 --> 00:54:36,520 Subtitle translation: Timothy Stone 719 00:54:37,305 --> 00:55:37,740