A Japanese in the Philippines : an autobiography / by Kiyoshi Osawa ; translated by Tsunesuke Kawashima ; edited by Ruthie Aquino
Title
A Japanese in the Philippines : an autobiography / by Kiyoshi Osawa ; translated by Tsunesuke Kawashima ; edited by Ruthie Aquino
Subject
Japanese--Philippines.
Osawa, Kiyoshi, 1906-.
Philippines--History--1898-1946.
Description
Unique autobiography of a Japanese who went to the Philippines after seeing advertisements about the South Seas.
Arriving in the Philippines in 1925 at the age of 19, he found work in Zamboanga and Basilan before moving to Manila in 1929. He became prominent as a respected Japanese businessman. When the war started, he was interned with other Japanese, but released upon the entry of the Japanese Army. The Japanese Army placed him in charge of the Fuel Distribution Union, responsible for rationing gasoline and fuel oil to Filipinos; he tried to intercede in behalf of his Filipino friends but the Japanese soldiers and especially the Military Police undid his actions. When the Americans had landed in Leyte, Osawa, along with the bulk of the Japanese Army in Manila withdrew to the mountains. Osawa was run over by a truck and almost lost his legs; he was rushed to Philippine General Hospital and was treated by Filipino doctors and nurses who he had befriended before the war. At the height of the Battle for Manila when Japanese soldiers committed atrocities, Osawa was hidden and kept safe by the Filipino staff of the hospital. Forced to return to Japan in 1945, he returned to the Philippines as soon as it was safe and legal for him to do so. He lived and worked in the Philippines until his death in 2002.
Arriving in the Philippines in 1925 at the age of 19, he found work in Zamboanga and Basilan before moving to Manila in 1929. He became prominent as a respected Japanese businessman. When the war started, he was interned with other Japanese, but released upon the entry of the Japanese Army. The Japanese Army placed him in charge of the Fuel Distribution Union, responsible for rationing gasoline and fuel oil to Filipinos; he tried to intercede in behalf of his Filipino friends but the Japanese soldiers and especially the Military Police undid his actions. When the Americans had landed in Leyte, Osawa, along with the bulk of the Japanese Army in Manila withdrew to the mountains. Osawa was run over by a truck and almost lost his legs; he was rushed to Philippine General Hospital and was treated by Filipino doctors and nurses who he had befriended before the war. At the height of the Battle for Manila when Japanese soldiers committed atrocities, Osawa was hidden and kept safe by the Filipino staff of the hospital. Forced to return to Japan in 1945, he returned to the Philippines as soon as it was safe and legal for him to do so. He lived and worked in the Philippines until his death in 2002.
Creator
Osawa, Kiyoshi.
Publisher
[Manila? : s.n.], 1981.
Date
1981
Format
22 x 16 cm.
Type
Hardbound
Call Number
DS 666 J3 O8213 1981
Accession Number
16254
Pagination
x, 298 p.
Files
Collection
Citation
Osawa, Kiyoshi., “A Japanese in the Philippines : an autobiography / by Kiyoshi Osawa ; translated by Tsunesuke Kawashima ; edited by Ruthie Aquino,” FHL-Roderick Hall, accessed July 17, 2026, https://fhl.omeka.net/items/show/237.