Picture of the Day - Miscellaneous

[Shinpachi]

Interesting stuff Shinpachi. I often wondered about overlaps between the Yakuza and Imperial Japanese forces. I haven't seen any real studies so perhaps there wasn't any such overlap...although I'd be surprised if organized crime didn't leverage the expansion into China and other regions to expand influence and grow business.

Tying up with the Japanese authority, Yakuza like Hajime Satomi and Yoshio Kodama built a huge fortune in Manchuria and China through the opium trade. In the postwar, they supported Japanese nationalists like Nobusuke Kishi to restore the Japanese regime with the fund.

 

[Shinpachi]

Hajime Satomi 里見甫 (1896-1965)
He was called "Drug Lord".

Hajime Satomi as class-A war criminal at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in September 1946.
Found not guilty.

 

[Shinpachi]

Total amount of the opium trade by Yakuza in Manchuria/China is estimated 3K billion dollars in today's value. Satomi also had strong connection with the ROC leader Chiang Kai-shek. This is thought why he was found not guilty.

Satomi (in the white Chinese costume on the left) with Chiang (2nd from the right) circa 1928.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

A very good connection

 

[Shinpachi]

A Chinese boss of an opium den told a Japanese official who disguised as a journalist to research the Chinese society in Manchuria "Japanese may be good merchants but they have no mercy. We don't mind whoever our ruler may be but can't follow the Japanese."

Source:
国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション - 大観園の解剖

Satomi was a very expert of China and Chinese. He could have known the above well.

 

[Shinpachi]

Rebuilding the battleship Musashi into 3D model from Paul Allen's 10 million shots. An attempt by NHK.

 

[Wurger]

 

[michaelmaltby]

"the uploader has made these links unavailable in your geographic region"

 

[Shinpachi]

"the uploader has made these links unavailable in your geographic region"

Direct link to NHK page is embedded in the first image.
This is it - 海底に眠る戦艦武蔵 VFXでよみがえる！ NHKスペシャル

 

[michaelmaltby]

still "not permitted" .... no worry

 

[Shinpachi]

No military secret but probably copyright.

 

[Gnomey]

Good shots shinpachi!

 

[Shinpachi]

The Attu Island in April-May 1943.
These pictures happened to be brought back to Japan prior to the U.S. invasion on May 12.

Source:
【写真特集】：写真特集：特集：読売新聞

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Nice. A rarely mentioned part of the Asian conflict

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots shinpachi!

 

[Shinpachi]

This is what I have been feeling strange as a Japanese for a couple of years.

The flag on the left in the picture is a symbol of historical disgrace for the Japanese people since 1853 like a member of the Japanese delegation on the day pointed it out as "looked bad joke for us." After 72 years, I hear the same flag replica is displayed in a waiting room of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and, if true, I am obliged to wonder how long the two peoples' minds should go parallel not understanding each other better. If Japanese government should advise nothing about it, that would only be convenient for the nationalists to remind the people of disgraceful past forever. Besides, the U.S. troops emblems in Japan also look strange because such symbols like Mt Fuji, swords, trii-gate and rising-sun are sacred ones for the people. They are ones which should not be shared with the heathens.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

The Type 2 Ka-Mi was a Japanese amphibious tank used during World War II and could fight on both land and sea. One hundred and eighty-four were built.