In the novel "The Deep blue fleet" (
) by
ALAMAKI Yoshio (
), there is a passage where
Japan, during the World War II, attempts to construct a state, in
Southern Sakhalin, for the Jewish victims of Nazi anti-Semitic persecution,
which was to be called "Republic of Eastern Jerusalem". This fictional
republic had a real model. The Japanese Government had actually tried to
construct a state for the Jews, not in Southern Sakhalin but in Manchuria.
This essay will clarify the intent, extent and content of this attempt that
failed.
In 1917, due to the Russian Revolution, the Imperial Russian regime that
had driven Japan in two wars (Sino-Japanese, Russo-Japanese War) collapsed,
and was replaced by a Communist regime. As this revolutionary force was lead
by a Jewish Russian, Lenin, and consisted of many Jewish Russian members,
many Europeans felt that "The Protocols of Elders of Zion" (* a propaganda
document made
by the imperial Russian secret police, aiming to drive the Russians against
Jews by making them believe that the Jews were planning to gradually take
over the world) had been proven right. This fear of the 'Jewish Threat',
and the resulting anti-Semitic atmosphere was exploited by the Nazi, and was
developed into an anti-Semitic fever and persecution.
The Russian Revolution had not just collapsed the imperial regime but
also driven many Russians out of Russia for various reasons. Amongst these
Russians were Jewish Russians. One of their destinations was Manchuria.
Eventually, as the inclusion of Manchuria into the Japanese sphere of
influence and defense against the Communist completed, and as the Nazi
anti-Semitic persecution intensified, Japan faced the need to determine how
they were to deal with the Jewish refugees. The Japanese Government had
refused to apply the Nazi anti-Semitic policy because their national policy
supported racial equality. So how was Japan to deal with the Jewish refugees
in Manchuria?
The Manchurian Incident (1931) had turned many of the influential
countries further against Japan. Japan had to find a way to withstand the
anti-Japanese pressure, maintain its independence and sovereignty, defend
its territory and survive. The combination of this need to survive and the
need to deal with the Jewish refugees in Manchuria produced the plan to give
these Jews a state of their own in Manchuria. Project "Fugu" (globefish) was
its code name.
The Project "Fugu" consisted of establishing in Manchuria a Special Autonomous
Province for the Jews. The Jewish Province would be given very high
autonomy, high enough to be considered as an autonomous country. This project
aimed to solve the Jewish refugee problem, to obtain Jewish investment into
Manchuria, and to get Jewish help in ameliorating the Japanese relationship
with influential countries, especially with the USA. The USA procured Japan
with many essential resources including oil. In order for Japan to maintain
its national health, to withstand the conflict with China and to maintain
its defense against the Russian threat, Japan depended on the resources
provided by the USA and nations under Anglo-Saxon control. By aiding the
Jews in Manchuria, they sought to get the aid of the Jewish lobby in the
USA, and especially of Rabbi Steven WISE in softening the American
anti-Japanese position and to avoid a possible war against the USA. WISE was
the president of the World Jewish Conference, and was an advisor of
President F.ROOSEVELT. He was known to be an anti-Japanese but the Japanese
thought that the project would be convincing enough to persuade WISE to change
his mind.
The project was driven forth by Army colonel YASUEH Norihiro
(
1888-1950 Chief
of the Special Duty Agency in Talien) and by Navy captain
INUDSUKA Koreshige (
Chief of the "INUDSUKA" Special Duty Agency in Shanghai).
In September 27th 1940, the Triple Alliance was concluded. The next day,
colonel YASUEH was discharged from his position as chief of the special duty
agency in Talien, and was enlisted into the reserve men. With this, colonel
YASUEH's and his Jewish collaborator KINDERMAN's effort to realize a
direct negotiation between Japan and the USA for an amelioration of their
relationship came to a halt. On December 9th 1940, Japan declared war
against the USA and the UK. This made the successful realization of the Project "Fugu" an impossibility. The entire project was doomed to failure.
The Project "Fugu" failed but the Zionist dream for a Jewish homeland
remained. So where they going to construct their state? The Zionists had
several candidates in mind, out of which Palestine was chosen for its
historic link with the "Jewish people". Many Jews were already established
in Palestine, and the Zionists were increasingly buying Palestinian land and
pressuring the British in favor for a Jewish Palestine. The British promised
both the Palestinians and the Zionists, for Palestine as their homeland. To
avoid the division of Palestinian land, the Israelis
and the Arabo-Palestinian force fought four wars. The Israeli State survived
all four wars and remains today. But the "Palestinian Problem" also
remains.
If the Project "Fugu" had succeeded, or if the British had not made the double
promise for independence, maybe there would have been neither Middle Eastern
Wars nor the Palestinian Problem. It is somewhat regretful that the Project "Fugu" did not succeed, for it could of maybe prevented the Pacific War, the
Middle Eastern War and many other wars and problems that came out of them.
But on the other hand, its success may have brought other misfortunes. if
only we could know better...