Hometown Stories
Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.
11. Pioneer Villages: Forgotten Postwar History
0.0May 21, 2017
Before and during World War II, 270,000 Japanese relocated to Manchuria in China, which was controlled by Japan. After the war, the Japanese government created settlements, where returning families could develop farms and help boost the nation's food supply. But many settlers wound up in remote, mountainous areas where life was harsh and crops didn't thrive. As Japan's economy grew, their lives were again thrown into turmoil. We explore a forgotten chapter of Japan's postwar history.