Kyoukou Kikoku (SP) (J-Drama) (2012)

This Special drama is to commerorate 40 years of diplomatic relations of Sino-Japan.

The story is based on the real history of 12 China ladies. They were Japanese citizens originally. During WW2, Japan invaded China and seized it, many Japanese immigrated to the North-East part of China. But in 1945, Japan surrendered and withdrew from China, because they didn’t have enough manpower, the military only helped those male who were 18 to 45 years old and protected them back to Japan but they abandoned the elderly, women and children. In 1958, the report showed that there were 22187 people still trapped in China. In 1959, the Japanese government announced a special measures law on this Unreturned, all the Unreturned who were still in China were considered died in the war and terminated their citizenships. If they wanted to come back, they needed to have a guarantor and get permission from their family in Japan and to pay for the journey back themselves. But because of various reasons, the guarantor would reject to be theirs in the end. In 1989, the govenment permitted the children to come back but on condition that they are blood related to the family in Japan now, so the orphans or step-children who were adopted in China were prohibited. In 1993, there were 12 women (originally Japanese citizens but became Chinese citizens) decided to go back to Japan by force, in the end they were trapped in Narita Airport and this issue raised public concerns and the people were getting angry at the government. Because they were stressed, in 1995, the Japan government announced that it is the country’s responsibility to move the Unreturned back to Japan.