Ukishima Maru

Last updated

Ukishima Maru
Ukishima Maru.JPG
History
Naval ensign of the Empire of Japan.svgJapan
NameUkishima Maru (浮島丸)
OwnerOsaka Shosen Kaisha Lines
Operator Imperial Japanese Navy from Sep. 1941
Port of registryOsaka, Japan
Builder Mitsui Tama Shipyard
LaunchedMarch 1937
FateSank 24 August 1945
General characteristics
Tonnage4,731  GRT
Length108.43 m
Beam15.70 m
Depth9.75 m
Capacity219 tons; 677 passengers
Crew89

Ukishima Maru was a 4,731-ton Japanese naval transport vessel originally built as a passenger ship in March 1937. On 24 August 1945, while on a trip to repatriate Koreans in the wake of World War II, it exploded and sank in the harbor of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture. The sinking caused controversy in Korea and became the subject of documentaries films years later, such as the 2000 the North Korean film Souls Protest. [1]

Contents

Service prior to sinking

The vessel was originally used as a passenger transport between Osaka and Okinawa. The Imperial Japanese Navy requisitioned it in September 1941 and primarily employed it on a routing between Aomori and Hakodate, connecting the main islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. [2]

Final voyage and sinking

Japan surrendered to the United States on 15 August 1945. Seven days later, on 22 August, Ukishima Maru departed Ominato in Aomori Prefecture, bound for Pusan. The number of people aboard the ship is disputed. Although the Japanese government officially recorded 3,735 passengers and 225 Japanese crew, there have been estimates of as many as 10,000 Koreans on board. [2]

Detour to Maizuru

Two days before the ship's departure, General Douglas MacArthur, still in the Philippines, ordered all Japanese ships over 100 tons to report their positions to the nearest Allied radio station and proceed to the nearest Allied port no later than 6:00 p.m. on 24 August, following which the Japanese government issued an order declaring it illegal for Japanese ships to be out of port after 6:00 p.m. on 24 August. According to the ship's communication officer, Ukishima Maru did not receive this message until the morning of 24 August. Other accounts maintain that the ship's captain received the order prior to departure from Ominato. [2] Ukishima Maru arrived at Maizuru around 5:20 p.m. on 24 August.

Explosion

The harbor at Maizuru had been extensively mined by the United States in the final weeks of the war, and after its surrender Japan had the responsibility to clear the harbor of mines. Although at least ten other vessels safely entered the harbor on 24 August, the harbor was not declared completely safe from mines until 1952. [2]

The Japanese government officially reported that Ukishima Maru struck an American mine in Maizuru Harbor and exploded, but the accuracy of the report was contested by numerous Koreans including the survivors from the incident, [1] who viewed the explosion as a deliberate action by the Japanese imperial government. [3]

According to eyewitness accounts from seven Korean survivors, Japanese marines threw documents and other items off the ship, and some marines left the ship in a smaller boat before the explosion. [4] Survivor Jeong Gi-young also stated that he overhead the Japanese marines, who were looking at the woman feeding her baby on board and said it was such a pity that the baby was going to die soon at young age without ever fully blooming. [4] Kang Yi-sun, also the survivor from the incident, stated that he witnessed many Japanese marines on the ship strangely running to the engineering room and disappearing prior to the explosion. [5] Survivor Jang Yeong-do recalled that the rumor, which said that the ship was going to explode if it was to change its course from Busan, was already circulating around the vessel. [6]

In 2016, a team from the Research Institute of Korean and Japanese Cultural Studies led by Kim Moon-gil obtained the document of the Japanese government instructing ships including Ukishima Maru to discard loaded explosives less than three hours prior to the departure. With neither witness accounts nor records of the explosives ever being discarded from the ship, Kim and others suggest that Ukishima Maru likely left with the explosives on board. Kim also argued that only 25 out of 300 Japanese crews on board died compared to the thousands of the Korean passengers who were never officially reported, suggesting that many Japanese crews were aware of the planned explosion and escaped by boats as the Korean survivors witnessed. Meanwhile, the Korean passengers were unaware and thus killed in much large number by the sudden explosion. [3]

According to the incident report the team also found in 2019, a Japanese naval admiral told the officers of the ship to sacrifice their lives by completing the duty when the officers protested that they did not want to sail through the dangerous area. [6]

The explosion and sinking killed 524 Koreans and 25 Japanese on board according to Japanese government figures. [1] Unofficial estimates of the death toll vary and are as high as 6,000. [7] Part of the reason for the discrepancy, according to historian Mark Caprio, is that the official numbers did not count bodies that sunk with the ship. [2]

Around 900 survivors returned to Korea after the incident by traveling to Yamaguchi Prefecture and boarding other repatriation ships there. [1]

Legacy

Official response

The sinking was first reported in the Korean press on 18 September, and in the Japanese press on 8 October. [2]

The United States occupation authorities collected several Korean accounts in the wake of the incident which described it as a "wholesale killing of Korean civilians," but dismissed them as hearsay. [1] In July 1946, the US authorities concluded that there was not enough evidence to carry the investigation further. [2]

Shortly after the incident, the Japanese government offered compensation of up to 1,550 yen to families of victims, but at the time they were only capable of paying this compensation to families living in Japan as there was no means of transferring money to Korea. [2] An internal Japanese foreign ministry document in 1950 described the explosion as an accident, characterized the repatriation mission as an act of "goodwill" by the Imperial Navy and stated that "any moves to seek compensation by accusing the navy cannot be accepted at all." [8]

In 1965, Japan and South Korea signed a Treaty of Basic Relations that established a $364 million compensation fund for victims of colonial occupation. After this treaty was signed, Japan stopped accepting compensation claims from victims, but the South Korean government offered compensation payments of 30,000 won from the fund in the mid-1970s. [2]

The Japanese government interred the remains of 521 victims at the temple of Yutenji in Meguro, Tokyo in 1971. Some of these remains were returned to Korea in the early 1970s, but the remains of 280 victims remained at Yutenji as of December 2022. [9]

Eighty South Koreans, including the survivors and relatives of the incident's victims, filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government in 1992 seeking monetary compensation, an official apology, and return of nineteen victims' remains from Japan to South Korea. In 2001, the Kyoto District Court ordered the Japanese government to pay ¥45 million to 15 South Koreans, including the survivors and relatives of the victims from the incident, ruling that the Japanese government had failed in its duty to transport passengers safely, but rejected the demands for official apologies and return of the victims' remains. The entire decision was rejected on appeal in 2003 by the High Court of Osaka, and the rejection was upheld by the Supreme Court of Japan in 2004, resulting in no legal redress for the plaintiffs. [9]

The Roh Moo-hyun government investigated the incident between 2004 and 2008 as part of its truth and reconciliation efforts. [2]

In December 2022, citizens' groups from Tokyo, Maizuru, and Aomori petitioned the Japanese government to return the victims' remains at Yutenji to Korea. [10]

Salvage

Incomplete salvage attempts were carried out in 1950 and 1954, which recovered some remains from the shipwreck. [7]

Memorials

An annual memorial service was held in Maizuru starting in 1954, and a monument to the tragedy was sculpted by a local Japanese schoolteacher between 1977 and 1978. The monument now stands in the Ukishima-maru Victims Memorial Park. [7]

Annual memorial services at the ship's departure site in Ominato have been held since 1994, and a permanent information board was erected at the site in 2012. [7]

Media

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Tautog</i> (SS-199) Tambor-class submarine of the US Navy

USS Tautog (SS-199), the second Tambor-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tautog, a small edible sport fish, which is also called a blackfish. She was one of the most successful submarines of World War II. Tautog was credited with sinking 26 Japanese ships, for a total of 72,606 tons, scoring second by number of ships and eleventh by tonnage earning her the nickname "The Terrible T." Of the twelve Tambor-class submarines, she was one of only five to survive the war.

USS <i>Bowfin</i> Balao-class submarine of the US Navy

USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), is a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy named for the bowfin fish. Since 1981, she has been open to public tours at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.

USS <i>Balao</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Balao (SS/AGSS-285) was the lead ship of the United States Navy's Balao-class submarines during World War II and named for the balao, a small schooling marine fish.

<i>Tōya Maru</i> 1948–1954 Japanese train ferry

Tōya Maru (洞爺丸) was a Japanese train ferry constructed by Japanese National Railways (JNR) which sank during Typhoon Marie, known locally as the Tōya Maru Typhoon, in the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Hokkaidō and Honshū on September 26, 1954. JNR announced in September 1955 that 1,153 people aboard were killed in the accident. However, the exact number of fatalities remains unknown because some victims managed to obtain passage on the ship at the last minute, and others canceled their tickets just before the incident occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ōminato Guard District</span>

The Ōminato Guard District was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in northern Honshu before and during World War II. Located in Mutsu Bay at the present-day city of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, the Ōminato Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaidō and for patrols along the Hokkaidō, Karafuto and Kurile Islands coastlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell ship</span> Japanese ships infamous for poor treatment

A hell ship is a ship with extremely inhumane living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew. It now generally refers to the ships used by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army to transport Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and rōmusha out of the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong and Singapore in World War II. These POWs were taken to the Japanese Islands, Formosa, Manchukuo, Korea, the Moluccas, Sumatra, Burma, or Siam to be used as forced labor.

<i>Ehime Maru</i> and USS <i>Greeneville</i> collision 2001 maritime collision

On 9 February 2001, about nine nautical miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, the United States Navy (USN) Los Angeles-class submarine USS Greeneville (SSN-772) collided with the Japanese fishery high-school training ship Ehime Maru (えひめ丸) from Ehime Prefecture. In a demonstration for some VIP civilian visitors, Greeneville performed an emergency ballast blow surfacing maneuver. As the submarine shot to the surface, she struck Ehime Maru. Within ten minutes of the collision, Ehime Maru sank. Nine of the thirty-five people aboard were killed: four high school students, two teachers, and three crew members.

<i>Hikawa Maru</i> Japanese ocean liner

Hikawa Maru (氷川丸) also known as Cordoba after leased to Nicaraguan shipping company Lloyd Nicaragüense in 1952 is a Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha. She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She is permanently berthed as a museum ship at Yamashita Park, Naka-ku, Yokohama.

<i>MV Asama Maru</i> (1928)

Asama Maru was a Japanese ocean liner owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). The ship was built in 1927–1929 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Nagasaki, Japan. The vessel was named after an important Shinto shrine.

<i>Souls Protest</i> 2000 North Korean film

Souls Protest is a 2000 North Korean film directed by Kim Chun-song.

Japanese destroyer <i>Kamikaze</i> (1922) Destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy

The Japanese destroyerKamikaze was the lead ship of nine Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. At the beginning of the Pacific War in December 1941, the ship was assigned to the Ōminato Guard District. She remained in northern Japanese waters until mid-1942 when she participated in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Kamikaze continued to patrol northern Japanese waters until early 1945 when she was transferred to the Singapore area.

<i>Tatsuta Maru</i> Japanese ocean liner

Tatsuta Maru (龍田丸), was a Japanese ocean liner owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). The ship was built in 1927–1929 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Nagasaki, Japan. The vessel was named after Tatsuta Jinja an important Shinto shrine in Nara Prefecture.

Scuttling of SMS<i> Cormoran</i>

The Scuttling of SMS Cormoran off Guam on April 7, 1917 was the result of the United States entry into World War I and the internment of the German merchant raider SMS Cormoran. The incident was the only hostile encounter between United States and German military forces during the Pacific Ocean campaign of the war.

<i>Chichibu Maru</i>

The Chichibu Maru (秩父丸) was a Japanese passenger ship which, renamed Kamakura Maru, was sunk during World War II, killing 2,035 soldiers and civilians on board.

SS <i>Cap Finisterre</i> Former German ocean liner

The steam ship Cap Finisterre was a German transatlantic ocean liner of the early 20th century, which was transferred to Japan in 1920 as German war reparations, and renamed Taiyō Maru (大洋丸) on trans-Pacific routes. She was sunk on army service by an American submarine in 1942, during World War II, with the loss of over 800 lives, mostly civilians.

<i>Aikoku Maru</i> (1940) Armed merchant cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Aikoku Maru (愛国丸) was an armed merchant cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The ship entered service in 1940, the ship was later converted to an ammunition ship. She was sunk in February 1944 during Operation Hailstone.

USS <i>Woodpecker</i> Bluebird-class minesweeper

USS Woodpecker (AMS/MSC-209) was a Bluebird-class minesweeper of the United States Navy, that saw service during the Vietnam War, and was later sold to the Republic of Fiji where she served as HMFS Kikau (MSC-204).

<i>Sōya</i> (PL107)

Sōya (宗谷) is a Japanese icebreaker that serves as a museum ship in Tokyo after a long and storied service spanning some of the 20th century's historic events. It is named for Sōya Subprefecture in Hokkaido.

Japanese escort ship <i>Nōmi</i> Mikura-class escort ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Nōmi (能美) was a Mikura-class escort ship of Imperial Japanese Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JMSDF Maizuru Naval Base</span> Installations in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

The Maizuru Naval Base, also simply known as the JMSDF Maizuru Naval Base, is a group of ports and land facilities of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), which are scattered in multiple districts of Maizuru City, Kansai region, and where the Maizuru District Force, etc. are located. It is not officially called a base, but it is used as a common name.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bull, Jonathan; Ivings, Steven (1 October 2021). "Investigating the Ukishima-maru Incident in Occupied Japan: Survivor Testimonies and Related Documents". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Caprio, Mark (2019). "Investigating Tragedy at Sea – The Ukishima-maru Incident and its Legacy". European Journal of Korean Studies. 18 (2): 81–104 via ResearchGate.
  3. 1 2 Kim, Sang-hyun (8 August 2016). "해방귀국선 우키시마호 폭발물 싣고 출항했다" [The liberation ship Ukishima departed carrying explosives]. YNA News (in Korean). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Jong-gil (28 September 2019). "해방 직후 조선인 대량 학살, 74년간 단서 감춘 일본" [Japan hid clues to mass murder of Koreans immediately after liberation for 74 years]. Asia Kyungjae (in Korean). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. Lee, Young-ju (12 August 2005). "조선으로 간다던 일본배가 갑자기 쩍 갈라진 거야" [The Japanese ship that was supposed to be heading to Korea suddenly split apart]. OhmyNews (in Korean). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  6. 1 2 Moon, Ye-seul (15 August 2019). "발굴, 우키시마호 고의 폭침 정황…日 승무원 출발 전 항의시위" [Excavation, circumstances surrounding the intentional bombing of the Ukishima… Japanese crew protests before departure]. KBS News (in Korean). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Bull, Jonathan; Ivings, Steven (1 November 2020). "Korean Repatriation and Historical Memory in Postwar Japan: Remembering the Ukishima-maru Incident at Maizuru and Shimokita" (PDF). The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus. 18 (21).
  8. "Ukishima Maru victims lost redress in '50". The Japan Times. 28 September 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 "浮島丸訴訟と遺骨返還とは" [What is the Ukishima Maru lawsuit and the return of the remains?]. Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  10. "死ぬ前に祖国へ…祐天寺に眠る朝鮮人遺骨の返還を市民団体が要請 終戦直後の「浮島丸事件」遺族が切望" [Return to your homeland before you die... Citizen groups request return of remains of Koreans resting in Yutenji Temple Desired by the families of the Ukishima Maru Incident immediately after the end of the war]. Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 January 2023.