Original subtitles

Grandpa Yang

I heard you been seized by the Japanese.

- Yes - Where?

In Guandong. Northeastern China.

- Why did the Japs seize you? - No reason at all

- You have difficulty in walking. - Japanese did that to me.

- Why? - Japanese accused me of being in the 8th Route Army.

Others were dead. Except me.

Tell me something about the military prisoners' camp

How did you escape?

Mt. Grand Xingan, Northeastern China. August 1945

Aug 9, 1945 USSR declared war on Japan.

The 6th Tank Group Army of USSR

charged forward against Japan's Guandong Army in Mt. Grand Xingan

Russian tanks were moving towards our army.

Ready!

Fire!

Fire!

Ready!... Fire!

Ready!

Ready!

Fire!

Lieutenant colonel! Only one alive.

What's your name?

Are you Korean or Chinese?

Take him to the base.

Should he be tied up?

What do you think?!?

Let's go.

Moscow Broadcasting Station July 26, 1945.

The Heads of USSR, USA and UK signed an announcement in Potsdam.

in the names of USSR, USA, UK and China

demanding Japan to surrender at once with no negotiations.

Xinhua Broadcasting Station

C- in-C Zhu De issued an order

to attack the Japanese at once on all fronts.

Victory should be here soon.

Shakov, can you tell what tanks they are in front of us?

I can't see clearly But this road leads to our base.

Go faster. otherwise he can't make it.

The visibility is poor and I can't see anything.

Russian army has occupied Hailaer.

Every Japanese should fight hard to protect Manchuria and Japan.

Youngsters must join the front line, elders and children have to dig trenches.

We've got 800,000... the strongest Army in the world...

Russians! Russians have surrounded us from the back!

Into the forest. Japanese troop will cover you all the way to Japan.

Najia, he would only be a burden if we take him along.

He'll be killed if Japanese get him.

Must leave at once.

You go first.

Shakov, we're in Japanese territory.

Release her? She'll report to the Japanese troops and they'll come after us.

We can't leave the forest without a guide.

Thus

we walked on - fleeing for life with a captive.

The Russians made a mistake in thinking a kid would surrender to a gun.

What is this area? Are there any Japanese here?

Stand still!

Go! You lead the way!

You've brought us in here

now you go first.

If there are mines here, you'll die first.

Move faster! Move faster!

You're the man.

Soldier Imamoto, step forward.

What do you want from us? We haven't done anything wrong. We are innocent civilians.

Ready to charge forward

Ready! Charge forward!

Charge forward!

We haven't done anything wrong.

Charge!

Charge forward!

What do you want?

Dammed it, you devils!

Charge at me if you dare. Damn you!

Dammed it, you devils!

Bayonet charge!

Bastard!

Bastard!

You are no warrior if you can't kill.

Useless!

Every new soldier must undergo courage training.

Imamoto! ready to charge forward

You bastards!

Bayonet charge!

Najia's food bag was our hope to survive

But there is only enough for two people

and not enough for three

In June 1945. Northeast of China.

Americans, British, Chinese, Canadian

and Russians joined together to fight against us.

This important Asian Battle is now at the final critical stage.

Your fathers were sacrificed on the battlefield

Who can protect Japan?

You! You are the last hope of Yamatos!

Our government has issued a nationwide request for Mandatory Military Duties.

All girls over 17 should join the troops.

All boys over 15 should join the army or navy.

Long live Japan!

Help me. I am not dead.

"Help me. I am not dead. "

On the 3rd day we had walked out of the forest

But we could see right away endless forest still awaiting us.

Najia believed that Russian troops were there to the north

We would come to a grassy marshland if we headed north.

We had no other choice but to stay with that bag of grain she had.

No war news

but we could hear the gunshots.

Oonishi...

Wait!

Well, it's better to walk on our own.

Stand still!

Are you going to shoot me?

Go ahead.

Don't try to scare me with that lousy gun

I have nothing to fear.

You go your way. I go mine.

We can go on our own.

Forget the grain. I can live on grass.

I am a man.

Wait for me. Don't leave me behind...

Don't stand still! Run!

Stand still!

We can't outrun the wind. We can't run faster than the fire.

Do as what I'm doing Or you'll be burned to death.

Come over here!

Hurry!

You can speak Chinese.

"Then we learned her name. Akiyoko. "

We also learned many stories about her.

She came to China at 4.

She stayed in Mt. Grand Xingan and knew a lot about lumber farms.

Her father was a farm owner and just joined Japanese army not long ago.

He told Akiyoko and her sister

to cross the sea and return to Japan before he left.

We ran into them after they got separated from Japanese refugees.

No one lives in this forest. Only one path in and out.

Did you get it?

Here is the Japanese garrison area. No Chinese allowed.

This area is covered by forests.

Over there, we can't find food and we could die.

We could only find food and people in this area.

Our troop came from the north. We must go to the north.

We will be farther away from our troop if we take this direction.

You Chinese and Japanese are all farmers.

I'm a soldier. You must obey me.

I'm a 2nd lieutenant. understand!?!

She knows these forests well and what do you know?

Can you get us out of the forest alive?

Not again! I can't go along with you.

Najia got angry but she followed us

Because only one could get us out of the forests alive.

Najia thought we could get out of these forests by taking other directions.

If we had followed her direction

we would have died in the forest.

But we didn't know if we could ever find the way out of the forests

and there wouldn't be stories to tell.

Up till now, she still can't forgive me.

You mean Najia is still alive?

Yes... she lives in Moscow.

How are you, Aunt Najia?

Do you remember this toy?

Yes

It was an incredibly beautiful autumn.

To us, the war was lasting forever.

We have been battling from Moscow to Berlin;

then from Prague to Mt. Grand Xian

The war would come to an end soon.

But we still had to walk on.

We didn't want to die just before the war ended.

And finding something edible was our main focus everyday.

There wasn't much to be found but we did have some luck.

Akiyoko was still a girl especially when she was laughing.

We can communicate with our eyes sometimes.

It's hard to believe what happened to her later.

June 1945. Northeastern China.

From now on you are no longer students. You are soldiers.

No matter you are soldiers or volunteers.

You will fight for Japan on the front line.

Our Empire wants you to kill more enemies.

To kill Chinese, Russians and Americans;

kill them all who are against Japan.

Najia!

Najia!

Najia!

Fire! Gunshots can be heard faraway.

You try to attract Japanese here, do you?

Didn't you say it is a Japanese military garrison area?

Mother

We won't be able go out of this forest if we continue waiting.

I can't leave her behind here.

There are many beasts here.

Yang didn't know how to use guns but he wouldn't let Akiyoko touch the gun.

And didn't want to tell her that he didn't know how to use guns.

They both waited for me there for 2 days.

If it wasn't for an accident

I would have been stuck in the forest forever.

Who is there?

Najia?

We are over here. Najia

Quick. fire!

Fire the gun

Fire!... It doesn't work.

- Give it to me. - No.

Release the safety lock

What?

Release what?

Fire!

So you don't know how to use it.

What did you tell me to release?

It wasn't Japanese like Yang had been worrying about

but his stubbornness almost got me killed.

Should I be angry at him or should I thank him?

Our lives depended on one another from that point on.

Yang became curious about my gun.

He's quite clever although his curiosity

brought us troubles.

It seemed the forest never ended.

It seemed we were the only 3 left on the earth.

We could only see the sky beyond the forest

and there weren't Japanese airplanes flying in the sky.

But it didn't help us much.

Look at the sun. It's so beautiful!

We should be able to reach villages with people tomorrow.

I think so.

Look. What a purple sun it is!

It means the sun is setting.

We weren't sure where Akiyoko was leading us to

although I felt that we were circling around in the forest.

I told Yang what I thought. but he couldn't understand me.

It became very clear to us shortly after.

So, you circled us around and led us back to where we started.

No one had ever got out of that forest alive. So we must come back.

Thank you for leading us here.

You said there is only one path in and out of these forest.

I guess this is the path.

Don't worry; I would explain to them that you are harmless people.

I guarantee I won't let them hurt you

You can get food and be set free.

Set us free?

They will believe me. I'm a Japanese.

What is your next plan?

I'll take you to surrender.

Alright.

Yang?

Don't waste your energy. All of them are gone.

You knew it already.

No dogs barking here. Couldn't you tell?

Yang!

Xin Hua Radio Station

During the past days

Chief commander Zhu De led our troops

and heavily attacked the Japanese Army in Zhang Jiakou & Cheng De;

our troops liberated over 60 cities, wiped 130,000 enemy soldiers;

and will soon join forces with the Soviet Army at Doulun.

Moscow Radio Station

This news will be broadcasted in Russian, English, French, Chinese and Japanese.

The Emperor of Japan

is going to make his speech from Tokyo to the world.

Now we'll relay this important speech.

I'm fully aware of the current development

of the war and the present conditions of our Empire.

I have decided to take emergency measures to end the mess.

I am here to tell my people that

the Japanese Government will be willing to accept the joint request issued

by USSR, USA, UK and China.

Japan will surrender without negotiation at once.

The news of Japan's surrender spread

all over the place.

Peoples all over were celebrating the end of war.

I'm sorry.

Will you take me along with you?

I am really afraid.

I don't know what will happen for most Japanese.

I would like to go to the sea.

I could re-unite with Oonishi. since the war is over.

Re-unite?

Who would re-unite with me?

It was like a nightmare

but it's all over now.

All over...

Is it really over?

Japanese came to China and killed innocent people for no reason.

For no reason!

Why?

Why come here to kill innocent people?

Why kill innocent people? Is it really over?

I'm sorry.

Sorry!

Too many innocent lives!

I'm sorry! I didn't kill anyone!

But you did try to get us killed.

You took us to the mine field;

you led us to the Jap's military camp;

and you were almost going to fire at us minutes ago!

I wasn't going to fire at you.

You are good people and I can't.

I only took you to surrender.

Took us to surrender?

I am a man.

A Chinese man. I won't surrender!

Perhaps you should surrender to us now.

Don't you realize that?

I don't understand. I don't understand!

My people told us to kill our enemies

but all our enemies want to kill us in the end.

Swindlers! My people are all Swindlers!

You... a young girl... why kill?"

Mammy!

Have you ever been to the sea?

I heard that Japan is on the other side of the sea.

Go back to Japan and live happily and peacefully.

Thank you very much!

I learned a lot in the last few days.

I'll tell Oonishi and other people

that you are good people.

I'll come with Oonishi to visit you.

May I ask you a question?

I have lost my mother.

I have lost my sister.

I hope you could be my brother.

Please don't mind my question.

Go back to Japan and have a happy life.

I learned much later

that Oonishi was sacrificed in the last navy team.

"August 16, after Japan's surrender"

the last navy team received the sacrifice order.

August 16, 1945. Kyushu, Japan

Japan has lost the battle

but soldiers will sacrifice our lives to prove our loyalty to our empire.

You are all new members and it is your first mission.

It's very simple. Just aim and crash directly into the battleships

and I'll join you to attack them.

August 16, 1945. Okinawa sea battle. "

Let's go.

American airplanes!

Forget enemy planes... crash directly into the battleships.

Long live Japan.

Very good! Another one. Go.

Marshal Wasilievsky cabled Commander Yamata

and ordered all Japanese troops to drop arms and weapons.

After Japan's surrender

Commander Yamata has ordered all troops to stop fighting

and drop arms and weapons.

Officer, my father and I, we were fishermen.

Now my family members are all dead. Nothing left.

Please let me join them in heaven.

It is a shameful moment for our country

We can only sacrifice our lives

so that we don't shame ourselves.

Let's meet in Jinja.

Please!

But I am Japanese too.

Japan surrendered.

Japan surrendered...

They don't know yet.

They didn't hear the news. They have no radio.

Stop it! The war is over. No need to die.

The war is over and we can all go back home now.

Moscow Radio Station

USSR, USA, UK and China will send delegations

to take part in the ceremony at Tokyo Bay

to receive Japan's official surrender.

Look at the sun!

It's a purple one

After the inhuman war, peace returns to the world.

All races... the whites, the yellows and the blacks of all beliefs"

can live together peacefully to build a new world.

In that world people will respect one's life and dignity.

All brutalities and terrors will be prohibited.

All wars of aggression will never happen.

In that world

people on earth are friends.

According to Yang Yufu's will

this music box was sent back to Daxing'anling on 2 Sept. 2.200

The total war casualties in whole world was 740000

England - 37 thousand man

The U.s. - 40 thousand man

France - 60 thousand man

Yugoslavia - 170 thousand man

Japan - 200 thousand man

Poland - 600 thousand man

Germany - 700 thousand man

The Former Soviet Union - 2000 thousand man

China - 2600 thousand man

Subtitle by Arif chandio

The End