Kodama Yoshio
Kodama Yoshio ( Japanese 児 玉 誉 士夫 ; born February 18, 1911 in Nihonmatsu ; † January 17, 1984 in Tokyo ) was a politically committed Japanese criminal who had close contacts with the Japanese ruling class before and after the Second World War . From the 1950s to the 1970s, Kodama was the Kuromaku ( 黒 幕 ) of all yakuza because of his close ties with the politicians of the Japanese ruling party LDP .
Life
Kodama was the fifth son of a bankrupt Nihonmatsu businessman. In 1920 he was sent to live with distant relatives in Korea and spent three years in the Japanese colony . He was treated badly, suffered from isolation and had to do child labor in a steel mill.
At the age of twelve he fled to Japan and came into contact with Yakuza, who adopted him as a protégé. His first tasks were, for example, to beat up trade unionists who organized demonstrations against unworthy working conditions. For this reason he practiced karate . In this milieu he got to know the Japanese secret societies and ultra-nationalist parties whose aim was the expansion of Japan to all of East Asia.
In the late 1920s he joined the secret societies Gen'yōsha and Kenkoku-kai ("Society for the Foundation of the Nation"). In 1929, during a parade, he tried to give Emperor Hirohito a self-written appeal for increased patriotism. But he was intercepted by the security forces and then detained for six months. During this time he wrote his first book, a primer for fanatical Japanese nationalists. After his release, Toyama Mitsuru sent him to Manchuria , where he was involved in the suppression of the anti-Japanese resistance under Doihara Kenji . A few months later, Kodama returned to Japan.
Ultra-nationalist terrorist and yakuza
In 1933, Kodama formed his own paramilitary group called “Independent Youth Organization” ( 独立 青年 社 , Dokuritsu Seinen-sha ). Their main activity was to export opium from Japan to Korea and Manchuria in order to break the resistance of the local population against the Japanese rule.
His group, in collaboration with the group Tenkōkai ( 天 行 会 , "Society for Heavenly Action") was responsible for the murder of three Japanese politicians who advocated the peaceful coexistence of Japan, Korea and China . In 1934 Kodama was involved in planning an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Saitō Makoto . The attack was prevented by the Japanese police and Kodama was arrested. Three and a half years later, at the instigation of Doihara Kenji, before the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in April 1937, he was released from Fuchū Prison.
Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War
After his release, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army . His position within the Japanese military apparatus is often unclear, as he has been an irregular member of all branches of service at various times .
After the conquest of Shanghai by Japanese troops, he was stationed there and worked with Doihara Kenji. Among other things, he was bodyguard in 1939 for the Chinese collaborator Wang Jingwei won by Doihara . During his work he met the vice admiral and later founder of the Kamikaze units Ōnishi Takijirō know, with whom he built a good friendship.
From 1939 to 1941 he traveled through China as a Japanese spy and built up a network that comprised various triads collaborating with the Japanese . Like other Japanese secret service agents, he founded his own Kodama special department (Kodama-Kikan), which, thanks to his relationships with Admiral Ōnishi, had an exclusive contract with the aviation forces of the Japanese Navy for the use of aircraft.
Because of these prerequisites, Kodama was able to plunder on a large scale in Manchuria and China with the help of his gang, which he himself referred to as “self-sacrificing youth” , and sell the stolen property in Japan at a high profit. Kodama himself later saw his activity as purely idealistic and patriotic. Thanks to his idealism , he became one of the richest Japanese by 1945, with a fortune equivalent to US $ 175 million . Kodama was very brutal in his raids. Whenever he came to a Chinese village, he personally murdered the headmaster or other important person in order to expedite the return of all valuables.
Towards the end of the Pacific War, Kodama was promoted to Rear Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy . He made the acquaintance of Ichiro Kono , a politician who later belonged to the LDP, who explained to him the system of party politics in Japan and who was to be responsible for the organization of the Tokyo Summer Olympics in the 1960s .
Pretrial detention in Sugamo Prison
The defeat of Japan initially represented an enormous setback for Kodama. Shortly after the announcement of the unconditional surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, he witnessed the ritual suicide of Admiral Ōnishi, but was subsequently unable to bring himself to commit seppuku himself.
A little later he acted as an advisor to the Japanese interim government of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko . Since Kodama feared the confiscation of his property by the US occupation authorities , he gave parts of it to the Yakuza chief Karoku Tsuji, other parts were kept on the grounds of the imperial palace in Tokyo.
In March 1946, Kodama was arrested by the US occupation authorities and as an alleged total of 644 war criminals in the Sugamo Prison admitted to Tokyo. Here he met all of the major war criminals later convicted and charged in the Tokyo trials from May 1946 . Since he had a lot of time, Kodama was able to keep himself up to date on current events and far-reaching political changes in East Asia in all available daily newspapers. He realized that the new democratic forces in Japan were weak:
“And in the midst of all this rapid change, there is one thing which is lagging behind. This is parliamentary power. "
“And in the midst of all of these rapid changes, there is one thing that remains. That is the power of Parliament. "
Kodama saw this power vacuum as an opportunity for his future advancement. During his imprisonment he established important relationships with political and economic figures that were to be very useful to him after his release from Sugamo. These acquaintances included, for example, the businessman Ryōichi Sasagawa , who later described himself as the "richest fascist in the world", the later Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke and other politicians of the Japanese party LDP, which was founded a few years later .
Like many other alleged Japanese war criminals, Kodama was recruited from the US G-2 Section under Charles Willoughby while in custody . The charges against him were dropped on the condition that he would support all anti-communist activities of the G-2 CIC branch. The property stolen in China remained in his possession. He left Sugamo Prison a free man on December 24, 1948 and was never to be incarcerated again for the rest of his life. Kodama spent a total of six and a half years of his life in prisons.
Kuromaku
After his release from Sugamo, Kodama quickly demonstrated that he could count on the support of the yakuza. In 1949 he let the Meiraki-Gumi gang take action against the unions in the Hokutan coal mine. By 1950, Kodama had largely secured its position as an intermediary between the Yakuza and the G-2 intelligence agency. Through him, G-2 tried to organize espionage missions into China, which had become communist in 1949 . The ship "Choshu Maru", hired by Kodama for this purpose, was arrested by Chinese security authorities in the port of Shanghai.
A little later, the operations of G-2 and thus also the contact with Kodama were taken over by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This did not happen without friction, since a little later Kodama defrauded the secret service of 150,000 US dollars and a shipload of tungsten, which he was supposed to smuggle out of China on behalf of the Americans. Nevertheless, the contact was maintained and cultivated, as he repeatedly warned the US secret service of the danger of a communist infiltration of Japan. As a result of this collaboration, the Japanese democracy was transformed into a yakuza democracy with the approval of the CIA.
In 1955 the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was founded by the union of the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party. (→ Hoshu Gōdō ) The party leader and Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Ichirō owed his political ascent largely to Kodama. The entire leadership of the party was in close contact with Kodama. Organized crime became the de facto government of Japan, and Kodama had taken the position of Kuromaku, the Eminence Gray of Japanese politics. Together with all the other greats of the Japanese right, he was a member of the "All-Japanese Conference of Patriotic Associations" ( 全 日本 愛国者 団 体 会議 , Zen-nihon aikokushadantai kaigi , or Zen'ai Kaigi ).
On behalf of his Yakuza colleagues, Kodama arranged hundreds of bribes and black deals with the Japanese authorities and alliances between different Yakuza factions because of his influence. Conversely, the Japanese politicians turned to him if they had problems. An example of this is the planned state visit by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960, which was in connection with the ratification of the Treaty on Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America . The left Japanese opposition launched massive protests in conjunction with student organizations. (→ Zengakuren ) Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke asked the Yakuza through Kodama to help secure the state visit. As a result, around 28,000 yakuza from different gangs organized a security service on their own and in cooperation with the police . Nevertheless, the protests led to the resignation of the Japanese prime minister and the cancellation of Eisenhower's visit because an employee of Emperor Hirohito pointed out that the monarch could possibly be injured in the rioting.
In April 1961, Kodama formed his own faction within the Zen'ai Kaigi called Seinen Shiso Kenkyu-kai (Society for the Study of Youth Ideology), which represented a hard core within the umbrella organization, which mainly included Yakuza. At the end of the 1960s, the Shiso Kenkyu-kai split from the Zen'ai Kaigi. Its members received military training and were used to intimidate and murder unwelcome journalists and book authors. A victim of this organization was the journalist Hisatomo Takemori ( 久 友 竹 森 ), whose book with the title Black Money was not published after massive threats.
Kodama was able to grow its retained fortune until the mid-1970s. He owned shares in Hisayuki Machii Ginza nightclub empire , a shipping company, a baseball team, a film studio, and several sports magazines. The LDP leadership expressed gratitude and appreciation for his work. Kishi Nobusuke even personally wrote the foreword to Kodama's book Sugamo Diary in 1957 .
Outlawed as a result of the Lockheed scandal and end of life
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Kodama's career was seriously affected by the Lockheed scandal in February 1976 , which was the largest political affair in Japan since the end of World War II. Signs of his decline have increased since the late 1960s. By leaving the Zen'ai Kaigi, he had increasingly lost contact with leading LDP politicians and had to assert his interests through crude bribery. Since the resignation of Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei in November 1974, the Japanese public has had enough of political bribery, and Japanese journalists, despite intimidation, began to expose the yakuza machinations with increasing frequency.
When Kodama became aware of the lockheed bribes through contact with Tanaka, it had unimagined consequences for him. Japanese journalists launched a merciless campaign against Kodama, police investigators carried out house searches and confiscated incriminating papers that he had not destroyed. Kodama became unpopular on the Japanese right. The bribes in the interests of Lockheed-Martin, a US company, were viewed as treason and encouraged to commit seppuku.
On March 23, 1976, the disaffected porn film actor Mitsuyasu Maeno carried out a failed assassination attempt on the Yakuza boss in a small plane in the style of the Kamikaze pilots . Kodama himself suffered a stroke a little later after learning of the incriminating testimony of a former subordinate.
In June 1977 Kodama was brought to trial for bribery , but was repeatedly dragged off until his death. The network of politics and yakuza, which became known as "Kuroi Kiri" (Black Fog) in the 1990s, remained largely unaffected by the scandal.
After the lawsuit was opened, Kodama did not leave his home and pretended to be in poor health. He died naturally from another stroke in his sleep in January 1984.
Publications
- 獄中 獄 外: 隨筆 集 ; Transcription: "Gokuchū gokugai: zuihitsu · shū"; Translation: “In Prison, Outside Prison: Collection of Essays.” ア ジ ア 青年 社 出版 局 (Publishing House of Society Young Asia) 5th edition 1943
- R. Booth, T. Fukuda: I was defeated: A translation from the Japanese . 1951 (Japanese 1949)
- 運 命 の 門 ; Transcription: "Unmei no kado"; Translation: "The Gate of Fate". Rokumeisha 1950
- Sugamo Diary . Radiopress Tokyo 1960 (Japanese 1956)
- 悪 政 ・ 銃 声 ・ 乱世: 風雲 四 十年 の 記錄 ; Transcription: "Akusei, jūsei, ransei: fūun shijūnen no kiroku"; Translation: "Mismanagement - crack of a shot - age of political unrest (Japanese word play): Report on 40 years of constant change in a society". Kōbundō, Shōwa 36, Tōkyō [1961]
- 風雲: 児 玉 誉 士夫 著作 選集 ; Transcription: "Fūun: Kodama Yoshio chosaku senshū"; Translation: "Constant Change of a Society: Selected Works by Kodama Yoshio". 3 volumes. Nihon oyobi Nihonjin sha, Shōwa 47, Tōkyō [1972]
- わ れ か く 戦 え り: 児 玉 誉 士夫 随想 ・ 対 談 ; Transcription: "Ware kaku tatakaeri: Kodama Yoshio zuisō taidan."; Translation: "How I Fight: Occasional Thoughts from Kodama Yoshio - A Conversation". Kōsaidō Shuppan, Shōwa 50, Tōkyō [1975]
- 生 ぐ さ 太公 望 - 随想 ; “Anglers' Reason for Existence - Occasional Thoughts”. Kōsaidō 1976
literature
- Richard Deacon: Kempei Tai - A History of the Japanese Secret Service . Beaufort Books New York, ISBN 0-8253-0131-9
- Anja Herold: The Power of the Yakuza . Geo Epoche No. 48, Gruner & Jahr, Hamburg March 28, 2011, pp. 142–159; ISBN 978-3-652-00029-1
- David E. Kaplan, Alec Dubro: Yakuza: Japan's criminal underworld . University of California Press, 2003, ISBN 0-520-21562-1
- 社会 問題 研究 会 (Social Problems Research Group): 右翼 事 典: 民族 派 の 全貌 ; Transcription: "Uyoku jiten: minzoku ha zenbō"; Translation: "Lexicon of the Japanese Right: Complete Overview of the Fraction"; Futabasha, Tōkyō, 1970
- Gabriele Kawamura: Yakuza - Social Conditions of Organized Crime in Japan . Centaurus Verlag, Pfaffenweiler 1994, ISBN 3-89085-898-8
- Sterling Seagrave, Peggy Seagrave: Gold Warriors - Americas Secret Recovery of Yamashitas Gold . Versobooks, London, ISBN 1-84467-531-9
- David Southwell: The History of Organized Crime . Carlton Books, London 2006, ISBN 1-84442-177-5
- 竹 森 久 朝 (Takemori, Hisaakira): " 見 え ざ る 政府: 児 玉 誉 士夫 と そ の 黒 の 人 脈 "; Transcription: "Miezaru seifu: Kodama Yoshio to sono kuro no jinmyaku"; Translation: "The Government's Transparent Theater: Kodama Yoshio's Excellent Relationship". Shiraishi Shoten, Shōwa 51, Tōkyō [1976]
- Tim Weiner: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA . Doubleday, 2007, ISBN 0-385-51445-X
- Anonymous author: 黒 幕 ・ 児 玉 誉 士夫: 自民党 に か ら ま り つ く 不 気 気 味 な 影 / 每日 新聞 政治部 編 ; Transcription: "Kuromaku, Kodama Yoshio: Jimintō ni karamaritsuku bukimi na kage / Mainichi Shinbun Seijibu hen"; Translation: "Eminence Gray Kodama Yoshio: The Liberal Democratic Party and the two sides of its sinister Obergurus acting out of the shadows / volume of the Mainichi Shinbun series on politics". Ēru Shuppansha / Yell books, Shōwa 51, Tōkyō [1976]
Web links
- Dirty Gold - The CIA and the Japanese spoils of war
- Yoshio Kodama, le yakusa de la CIA (French)
- Kamikaze Over Tokyo . In: TIME Magazine, April 5, 1976
Remarks
- ↑ The literal translation of the term means "black curtain". This term is used in Japan for a person who controls significant forces and forges relationships out of the dark.
- ↑ However, Ryōichi Kodama also seems to have got on his nerves in Sugamo Prison, as he was very happy about the arrival of new cellmates, "who will curb Ryōichi's ego somewhat."
Individual evidence
- ^ Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 64
- ↑ Seagrave, Seagrave: Gold Warriors , pp. 40-41
- ↑ a b Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 51
- ↑ a b c d e f g Southwell: History of organized Crime , p. 70
- ↑ Seagrave, Seagrave: Gold Warriors ; P. 40
- ↑ Seagrave, Seagrave: Gold Warriors ; Pp. 40-41
- ↑ Hori: Uyoku Jiten
- ↑ Kodama: Sugamo Diary , p. 240
- ↑ Herald: The Power of the Yakuza , p. 155
- ↑ Kodama: I Was defeated , p. ???
- ↑ Seagrave, Seagrave: Gold Warriors ; P. 41
- ↑ Tim Weiner : Legacy of Ashes , p. 116
- ↑ a b Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 67
- ↑ Kodama: Sugamo Diary , p. 23
- ^ Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 66
- ↑ Seagrave, Seagrave: Gold Warriors , pp. 63,108
- ↑ Kodama: Sugamo Diary , p. 158
- ^ Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 87
- ↑ Kawamura: Yakuza , pp. 32,119
- ↑ Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , pp. 88-89
- ^ Kaplan, Dubro: Yakuza , p. 79
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kodama, Yoshio |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 児 玉 誉 士夫 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | politically engaged Japanese criminal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 18, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nihonmatsu |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th January 1984 |
| Place of death | Tokyo |