The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-03-02
A japanese
Regim ent
MutinieS

Ava ~ y T. ~ y < y
(Iranslsted from the '.Rodo shinbunu)
TIE mutiny took place in the most
disciplined army in the world, the
Japanese Army, in the regimental
barracks Of the 18th Regiment at
Takasaki. The entire barracks was
under the control OF the rank and
file for a week, and the officers could
do nothing until the Division came
to their rescue.
How did it happen? 1t was i'll the
spring of 1882, the time the regiment
was going to Shanghai, China. The
active SerVicemen were leaving and
the reserve men were taking their
place. One day, the companies of
the reserve were Standing along the
streets to send off the companies OF
active service who we're going away
to the battlefront. The streets were
crowded with townspeople and 9TH
ers who came to say goodbye to their
sons, brothers, husbands, friends and
fellow workers. All the street corners
were guarded by police, not only the
civil police, but also the military po-
lice--for what?
Suddenly, We saw horse on which
military policeman was mounted
rear up, and a reSeryenan, who was
standing beside the horse, try to push
away the horses hip and the tail
which brushed across his face. He
did this only to protect himself from
the horse and did it quite uncon-
sciously, because his head was full
of thoughts of the men who right
before his eyes we're being sent away
to the battlefield to kill their fellow
human beings, who are not their
enemies but their fellow workers hY-
ing in another country.
BRUTAL DEED
WAS NOT FORGOTTEN
The mounted policeman, after he
had succeeded in stopping the horse,
came running back to the reserve
man in a rage. He caught hold OF
the soldiers coat, threw him to the
ground and gave him several blows
with his fist. His fellow reservemen
all saw this with watchful eyes, but
could not move to help him because
they feared the power behind the
military policeman, and also because
each did not yet know what the other
was thinking. But they saw the
! brutal deed clearly, and marked it
deep in their hearts.
Day by day, the reservemen
learned from similar experiences the
attitude of the officers towards them,
and day by day they also learned
what was in the minds Of their fel-
low soldiers.
One of the men had large neck
30 that the hook OF the coat would
not fasten. The captain had already
excused him from buttoning the col
lar. But this unlocked neck flashed
across the eyes of an M. Pit so
happened that this was the very
same M. P. who had brutally beaten
the soldier on the street a few days
before. Having no knowledge Of the
excuse by the captain, he struck the
thick Knocked soldier in the face with
his fist. But, Immediately, harder
blow was returned by the thick
necked man. And this was the start
ing of the Great Mutiny.
OFFICERS BEG
FOR THEIR LIVES
The bugler blew signal--tne men
all ran towards the Spot-300 of
them gathered in a minute. They
rushed into the officers rooms, the
symbol Of the special privileges for
the officers. The kittens Of a moment
ago now became 300 wild tigers. The
colonel, majors, captains and lieu
tenantS-the rank made no differ
ence to the soldiers now-all the Off
GERS came down on their knees and
begged for their lives.
What sight! Some officers
escaped through the windows and
broke their legs.
After they had bound all their
officers, they began to throw stones
into their rooms. A pile of building
material was found in one corner Of
the yard and all of this the soldiers
threw into the room of the hated
officers. So many stones were piled
III CliCoC 1OOlIlo tAldO J1lGy lll4CO bWO
big wagons when they were later
removed.
The men had carried out their re-
venge, but they had made an enemy
"a very powerful one. The men re-
allied this and began immediately to
prepare themselves against attacks
which might come at any hour.
They, therefore, collected bullets and
powder and set up machine guns on
the gates, and waited. No one went
to bed that night.
Nothing happened that night. The
next day was the same. They saw
not shadow of the enemy for a
week. During this week, the officers
remained in captivity and the regi-
ment was entirely under the control
of the rank and file.
But the mutiny of one regiment
in the whole Of Japan could not
hold out. The day on which they
must surrender came at last-the day
on which the Division came and at
tackled them.
The rest is well known. Some of
the men, after court-martial, were
put i'll jail, while to the others was
given The command not to speak OF
the matter to anyone-that's all. And
the whole story of the great mutiny,
the like Of which never occurred be-
fore in the history Of the Japanese
I A,-Y7,p DC h.triad i'm tho hr1frgeofe