Paper short abstract:

This study focuses on children born of Japanese fathers and Chinese mothers who had consensual relationships in China during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War and who migrated to Japan after 1972. It explores the life-long impact of their origin on their experiences, identity and belonging.

Paper long abstract:

While children born of war―children born of local women fathered by enemy soldiers, occupation forces and peacekeepers in various locales and historical contexts―have received academic and media attention in recent decades, the issue of children born of Japanese fathers and Chinese mothers in China during and in the aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War (Sino-Japanese CBOW) has long been neglected in both China and Japan. Some Sino-Japanese CBOW were born of rape, and others were born of marriage as a result of intimate encounters and consensual relationships during the war. This study focuses on the latter who migrated to Japan after the normalisation of Sino-Japanese relations in 1972, based on oral history interviews and unpublished legal documents. These individuals were born in a state of legal limbo and were profoundly affected by repatriation measures, a series of political campaigns under Mao as well as post-war geopolitical conditions. They developed a strong attachment to their absent father's memories and country, and some eventually acquired Japanese nationality and―in their own words―'returned to their ancestral homeland'. This study is the first investigation on the life-long impact of their origin on their experiences, identity and sense of belonging as well as on how they responded to various policies that were adopted at different post-war periods. This paper focuses on the factors that drove them to 'return' to Japan and on their identity and sense of belonging in their old age after their 'return' to Japan.