Ishinosuke Uwano
Encyclopedia
is a former soldier
in the Japanese Imperial Army who came to media prominence in April 2006 after it was found that he had been living in Ukraine
for six decades after the end of World War II
. He had been officially recorded as dead in official Japanese databases.
Uwano was stationed in the Japanese half of Sakhalin Island at the end of the war, and had been in contact with his family as late as 1958. He subsequently married a Ukrainian woman and settled in Kiev
where he had three children. However, his lack of contact with his family led to the declaration that he was legally dead
in 2000; as a result, when he returned to Japan to visit family in 2006, he had to enter his homeland on a Ukrainian passport.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in the Japanese Imperial Army who came to media prominence in April 2006 after it was found that he had been living in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
for six decades after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He had been officially recorded as dead in official Japanese databases.
Uwano was stationed in the Japanese half of Sakhalin Island at the end of the war, and had been in contact with his family as late as 1958. He subsequently married a Ukrainian woman and settled in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
where he had three children. However, his lack of contact with his family led to the declaration that he was legally dead
Death in absentia
Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person...
in 2000; as a result, when he returned to Japan to visit family in 2006, he had to enter his homeland on a Ukrainian passport.
External links
- "Japanese WWII soldier found alive", BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 18 April 2006 - "Missing WWII vet returns to Japan", BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 19 April 2006 - "Mr Uwano comes back from the dead to say 'Good Day'", The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 20 April 2006 - "Japanese WWII veteran found in Ukraine has reunion with family", The Associated Press in USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, 20 April 2006