Chinese historian battling prejudice to honor Japanese settlers who perished in war

FANGZHENG COUNTY, China--Amid all the rancor in China over Japan's war responsibility, local historian Guo Xiangsheng comes across as a lone voice in the wilderness.

He is campaigning to preserve the memory of thousands of Japanese settlers who died in China after the Imperial Japanese Army abandoned them in the chaotic close of World War II.

The seeds of his quest lie in Japan's military occupation of northeastern China. Many Japanese were sent there as farmers to raise productivity after Tokyo established its Manchukuo puppet state in 1932.

Later, the settlers were dragooned to defend its northern borders against the Soviet Red Army, which overran the region in August 1945.

The settlers were left to fend for themselves after the Japanese army fled....