After Japan's surrender in 1945, more than 4,000 Japanese children were left behind in China and raised by Chinese foster parents. They share a common name: Japanese "war orphans" in China.
At the age 19, Kunihiro Kanou first learned of his identity as a Japanese orphan. He described his feelings at the time as "shocked," "empty," and "lonely." Rather than struggling to accept his Japanese identity, he was more unwilling to accept that he was not Chinese.
In those years of food scarcity, Kanou's foster mother would go hungry herself to ensure he was fed, sparing no effort to send him to university. The warmth of her love permeated every moment of his life. After his foster parents passed away, Kanou moved to Japan, yet he always felt Japanese society was distant and cold, with "no sense of home."
Kanou now frequently travels to China for tourism and family visits. For him, Chinese culture has long been deeply ingrained in his very blood.
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