序章　今日なぜ戦争責任を論ずるのかPrologue: Why Discuss War Responsibility Today? 
　本書でいう「戦争責任」とは、抽象的・一般的な意味、世界史的・人類史的な意味としてでなく、１９３１（昭和６）年から日本が開始した１５年戦争におけるIn this book, "war responsibility" is not an abstract or general term, nor does it refer to world or human history. It refers to the 15-year war that began in 1931 (Showa 6)、主として日本の戦争責任を意味し、日本と戦った旧連合国の日本に対する戦争責任もこれに付加するthis primarily refers to Japan's war responsibility, but also includes the war responsibility towards Japan of the former Allied powers that fought against Japan.
　１９４５（昭和２０）年８月に戦争が終ってからすでに４０年の長年月が経過した今頃になって、どうして戦争責任などが問題になるのか、という疑問も出るかもしれないOne may wonder why issues such as war responsibility are being raised now, 40 years after the war ended in August 1945. 私が今日なお戦争責任を論ずる必要があると考えるのは、次のような理由によるThe reason why I believe it is still necessary to discuss war responsibility today is as follows.
　第一に、現在日本の内外には１５年戦争の惨禍のために回復しがたい心身の痛手に悩みながら生きている人々がまだ少なからず見出されるからであるFirst, there are still many people both inside and outside of Japan who are suffering from irreparable physical and mental trauma as a result of the horrors of the 15-year war.
　第二に、日本ではあの「戦争の惨禍」を惹起したことに対する責任のけじめが明確につけられることなく今日にいたっているからであるSecondly, to this day, Japan has yet to clearly take responsibility for causing the "horrific events of war." 連合国軍による戦犯裁判がおこなわれたのみで、日本国民自らの手による戦争責任の追及はほとんどおこなわれなかったし、連合国側の対日戦争責任はまったく不問に付されたまま今日にいたっているOnly war crimes trials were conducted by the Allied forces, and there was almost no attempt by the Japanese people themselves to pursue war responsibility, and the Allied responsibility for the war against Japan has remained completely unquestioned to this day. そのことが、戦後の歴史に好ましくないさまざまの現象を生み出す重要な原因となったThis was a major cause of various undesirable phenomena in postwar history. 国の内外において、第三次世界大戦を誘発しかねない危険な動向の見られるのも、戦争責任の追及が十分でなかったことによるところが大きいのではなかろうかThe dangerous trends we are seeing both at home and abroad that could trigger World War III are likely due in large part to the failure to adequately pursue those responsible for the war.
　再三に、右のような将来への危険を阻止し、世界の平和と人類の安全とを確保するためにも、戦争責任の所在を明確な形で確認することが不可欠の課題と考えられるからであるWe have repeatedly stated that in order to prevent such future dangers and to ensure world peace and the safety of humankind, it is considered essential to clearly identify who was responsible for the war. 特に１５年戦争を開始し遂行した日本国の国民により、国内的にも国際的にも回避できない責務なのではなかろうかIn particular, is this not an unavoidable responsibility, both domestically and internationally, for the Japanese people, who initiated and waged the 15-year war?
　第四に、学問・言論の世界では、戦争責任論が散発的にしばしば論及されているけれど、戦争責任を全体的にとらえ体系的な形で示したしごとがほとんど見当たらないからであるFourth, although the topic of war responsibility has been discussed sporadically in academia and the public opinion, there has been almost no work that has grasped the issue as a whole and presented it in a systematic way. 戦争責任は、本論中で詳述するとおり、実に多面的であるので、異なる面での責任のあり方の相違を正確にわきまえた上で議論を進めないと論旨が混乱するおそれがあり、そうならないためには、戦争責任の全体系の総合的把握が必要なのであるAs will be detailed in this paper, war responsibility is truly multifaceted, and if the discussion is not carried out without accurately understanding the differences in the different aspects of responsibility, there is a risk of confusion; to avoid this, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the entire system of war responsibility.
　第一の、今日まで「戦争の惨禍」で心身の回復できない傷痕に悩んでいる人々の実例をいくつか抄出してみようFirst, let me give some examples of people who, to this day, suffer from the irreparable physical and mental scars of the "devastation of war" 

①https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5DT6xmL5HAPolskiーポーランド語→Hibakusha (jap. 被爆者피폭자 hibaku-sha) Хибакуся– słowo w języku japońskim oznaczające „osobę będącą ofiarą eksplozji”. W szczególności jednak odnosi się do ofiar ataku atomowego na Hiroszimę lub Nagasaki.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekUTBrBOPDQ
まず原爆被災者、少しく古い時期に遡ってみるとFirst, let's look at the victims of the atomic bomb、１９６５（昭和４０）年１月１８日、胎内被爆で幼少時から病苦に悩み続けてきた１９歳の若い女性の自殺The suicide of a 19-year-old young woman who had suffered from illness since childhood due to exposure to radiation in the wombが『読売新聞Yomiuri Shimbun』１９６５年１月１９日号に「母の胎内で負わされた原爆症の重荷　力つき　娘さん　自殺　苦しい１９年を生きた末に」という見出しで報道されているが、その後も同じような被爆者の自殺の報道が連年続いて見出されるのであるThe headline on the news read, "Burden of A-bomb disease imposed in the mother's womb: Overwhelmed daughter commits suicide after 19 painful years," but similar reports of suicides by atomic bomb survivors continued to appear year after year. 「長崎で原爆症患者が自殺A-bomb victim commits suicide in Nagasaki」（『読売』６５年３月３０日）、「被爆者が自殺　後遺症苦に？Atomic bomb survivor commits suicide; suffering from after-effects?」（『朝日Asahi』７０年７月５日夕刊）、「被爆者老人が服毒自殺Elderly atomic bomb survivor commits suicide by taking poison」（『朝日』７０年７月２９日夕刊）、「被爆老人また自殺Another atomic bomb victim commits suicide」（『朝日』７０年７月３０日）、「原爆症の女性自殺　悪夢の日前に　転々２５年　疲れ果てWoman with atomic bomb disease commits suicide; exhausted after 25 years of tornadoes before nightmare begins」（『読売』７０年８月４日夕刊）、「長崎の被爆女性自殺Nagasaki atomic bomb victim woman commits suicide」（『読売』７２年７月５日夕刊）、「被爆の老女自殺　広島Elderly woman who was exposed to the atomic bomb commits suicide in Hiroshima」（『読売』７２年１１月９日）、「『あの日』の傷消えず　被爆女性が自殺　『働く気力を失った』Wounds from "that day" remain; woman who was exposed to atomic bomb commits suicide; "I lost the will to work"」（『朝日』７４年８月７日）、「原爆病の老女自殺Elderly woman with atomic bomb disease commits suicide」（『読売』７４年１２月１４日）、「長崎で被爆者自殺原爆忌目前、病苦の８０歳Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor commits suicide, 80 years old, suffering from illness, just before the anniversary of the atomic bombing」（『毎日』７６年８月７日夕刊）、「被爆主婦が焼身自殺A housewife who was exposed to the atomic bomb commits self-immolation」（『朝日』７８年９月９日夕刊）、「被爆主婦、顔のケロイド苦に〔自殺〕A-bomb survivor's wife suffers from keloid scars on her face (suicide)」（『読売』７９年５月１４日）、「安らぎは永眠だけか　闘病に冷たい役所　手当申請放置され　『原爆の子』３５年後の自殺Is eternal rest the only peace? Government offices unkind to those fighting illness; benefits application ignored; "Child of the Atomic Bomb" commits suicide 35 years later」（『朝日』８０年７月２９日）、「ある母親の自殺　顔のキズ跡重くA mother's suicide leaves her face with severe scars」（『朝日』８１年７月２９日）、というように私の気のついたかぎりでも、これほど原爆のために苦しみ悩んだ末に自ら命を断った人が多いのであるAs far as I have noticed, there were many people who took their own lives after suffering so much from the atomic bomb.

②https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLlClEvaAckFrançaisフランス語→Le syndrome de la bombe atomique原爆症원자폭탄 증후군Atomic bomb syndromeСиндром атомной бомбы fait référence à des problèmes de santé physique anormaux causés par les radiations nucléaires provenant de l’explosion d’une bombe atomique. Les tumeurs malignes courantes comprennent : la leucémie (cancer du sang), le cancer de la vessie, le cancer du sein chez la femme, le cancer du poumon, le cancer du cerveau, le cancer de la thyroïde, le cancer de l’intestin, le cancer de l’œsophage, le cancer de l’ovaire, le cancer de l’estomac, le cancer du foie, le cancer du pancréas, etc. De plus, les risques de développer de multiples cancers et un syndrome myélodysplasique (SMD) augmentent également.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7fT6Mur6Gg
　もちろん苦痛に堪えながら生き続けている人々にも、悪魔の爪痕は深くくいこんでその人々をいつまでも悩ませ、そのあげくのはてに連年原爆症のためおおぜいの人々が死んで行くOf course, even for those who continue to live while enduring the pain, the devil's claws dig deep into their bodies, tormenting them for all time, until eventually many people die from radiation sickness every year. 今度は逆に新しい時期の報道からNow let's look at some newer reports.「傷いえず　その朝被爆老女の死　身寄りもなくひっそりThe death of an elderly woman who was exposed to radiation that morning, still unable to heal from her wounds, and who died quietly without any relatives」（『読売』８３年８月９日夕刊）、「原爆症の不安消えず　生きるのがイヤにFear of atomic bomb disease lingers, making me hate life」「ある被爆者の３２年間　つきまとう病気A disease that has haunted an atomic bomb survivor for 32 years・・・職なく　妻去り　娘の結婚にも不安Unemployed, wife leaves, worried about daughter's marriage」（『朝日』７７年７月１７日）、「生活苦と病気がち　被爆者の悩み今も　就職、結婚Hard times and frequent illnesses: A-bomb survivors still struggle with finding a job and getting married・・・消えぬ差別Discrimination never fades」（『毎日Mainichi』７７年６月１５日）、「被爆者の不安消えず　併発が招く家庭崩壊　、アル中やスモン　必要な心の相談所　ケースワーカーが事例報告Anxiety of atomic bomb survivors remains; complications leading to family breakdown, alcoholism and SMON: Case workers report on mental health counseling centers needed」（『朝日』７６年７月２７日）など。被爆者のうちには、出生後まもない年齢の人々がいて生涯を被爆の重荷を負って生きるのであるが、さらに悲惨なのは胎内被爆のために原爆小頭症児として生れてきた人々であるAmong the atomic bomb survivors are those who were only a short time after birth and will live with the heavy burden of their exposure for the rest of their lives, but even more tragic are those who were born with microcephaly as a result of being exposed to radiation in the womb. 原爆小頭症児は、１９６８（昭和４３）年に全員１８人がようやく原爆症と認定されるまで、不幸な障害が原爆によるものと確認できない状態で世の一隅に隠れるように生きてきたのであるがThe children with microcephaly suffered from the atomic bomb and lived in hiding in a corner of society, unable to confirm that their unfortunate disabilities were caused by the atomic bomb, until 1968, when all 18 of them were finally recognized as having suffered from atomic bomb disease、その一人H・Yは３３歳になった１９７９年でもOne of them, H.Y was 33 years old in 1979「体格は小学校五、六年生、知能は三歳程度」、Yの母親も『次第に原爆症の兆候が現れ』、骨転移ガンを宣告されて７８年Yを遺して世を去ったHe had the physique of a fifth or sixth grader and the intelligence of a three-year-old," and Y's mother "gradually began to show signs of radiation sickness," was diagnosed with bone metastasis cancer, and passed away in 1978, leaving Y behind」（『朝日』７９年１２月２３日テレビ番組ドキュメント’７９「聞こえるよ、母さんの声が」紹介記事Introduction article for TV program Document '79 "I can hear you, mother's voice"、きのこ会Kinoko(Mushroom) Club『原爆が遺した子たち　胎内被爆小頭症の記録Children left behind by the atomic bomb: Records of microcephaly caused by exposure to radiation in the womb』、『未来Mirai(Future)』１９７６年７月号所載大牟田稔Minoru Omuta「＜反原爆思想＞を求めてIn search of anti-atomic bomb ideology（３）ー胎内被爆小頭症と歩いた１０年Ten years of living with microcephaly caused by radiation exposure in the wombなど）。
＊小頭症（しょうとうしょう소두증、英: microcephaly、近世ラテン語: microcephalia、古代ギリシア語: μικρός（小さい）+κεφαλή（頭）に由来）Микроцефалияは、正常より小さい頭部を伴う医学的状態である。

　被爆の災いは、原爆投下時まったく影も形もなく戦後に被爆者を親として生れた「被爆二世」にまで及ぶThe disaster of the atomic bombing extends even to the "second generation of atomic bomb survivors," those who were not even a trace of the time of the bombing but were born after the war to parents who were atomic bomb survivors. １９６９（昭和４４）年被爆者の父と被爆者でない母との間に生れた五歳の男子が白血病で死亡したA five-year-old boy born to a father who was a survivor of the atomic bomb and a mother who was not a survivor died of leukemia（『読売』６９年９月２９日）。
＊白血病（はっけつびょう백혈병、英語: Leukemia）ЛейкозLeukämieは、遺伝子変異を起こした造血細胞（白血球系細胞）が骨髄で無限に増殖して正常な造血を阻害し、多くは骨髄のみにとどまらず血液中にも白血病細胞があふれ出てくる血液疾患である。別名「血液のがんBlood cancer」ともいわれる。
広島でこなわれた被爆二世の健康調査ではA health survey of the children of atomic bomb survivors conducted in Hiroshima、全員２８１人の内、２１３人７２％は健康良好、死亡した六人を含め５７人１９％が原爆症に類似した健康上の以上・苦痛を訴えているというof the 281 people, 213 (72%) are in good health, while 57 (19%), including the six who died, are complaining of health problems and suffering similar to those caused by the atomic bomb（広島記者団被爆二世刊行委員会編Compiled by the Hiroshima Press Corps Atomic Bomb Victims' Second Generation Publication Committee『被爆二世Second generation of atomic bomb survivors』）。この人たちには、その上に世間から差別の目で見られることも多く、しかも被爆者としての援護をなにも与えられず、重荷を負って生きているのであるThese people are often discriminated against by society, and are not given any support as atomic bomb survivors, so they live with a heavy burden. 一人の「被爆二世」はこう訴えているOne "second generation atomic bomb survivor" complained:
　中学三年の時、異常が見つかり、父の被爆を知った。（中略）疲れやすい、体力が続かない、貧血がひどく、注射や薬の世話にならなければならぬWhen I was in the third year of junior high school, the abnormal symptoms were discovered and I learned that my father had been exposed to the atomic bomb. (Omitted) I got tired easily, had little stamina, suffered from severe anemia, and had to rely on injections and medicine. 知らない人には、なまけ病ともとれるこの体。恨んでも仕方がないが、産んでくれなければよかったのに・・・と時々思うTo those who don't know, this body may be interpreted as laziness. There's no point in resenting it, but sometimes I wish I'd never been born.（『読売』８３年８月１４日投書、主婦、匿名希望Housewife, Anonymous、３６歳）

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUWRZbYLGwI＊Deutschドイツ語→Die Atombomben, die 1945 auf Hiroshima und Nagasaki in Japan abgeworfen wurden, töteten viele Koreaner. Die genaue Zahl der koreanischen Opfer ist aufgrund verloren gegangener Aufzeichnungen unbekannt, Schätzungen reichen jedoch von 20.000 bis 70.000.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FN4Yo822jU
　いっそう悲惨なのは、内地に強制連行されて広島で労働させられていた朝鮮人被爆者の陥れられた境遇であるが、これについては、第三章第１節一の７を見ていただきたいEven more tragic was the plight of the Korean atomic bomb victims who were forcibly taken to the mainland and made to work in Hiroshima. For more information on this, please see Chapter 3, Section I, Item 1, Paragraph 7. 国際人権擁護韓国連盟は、韓国人被爆者の治療を日本政府にくりかえし要求しているThe Korean Federation for International Human Rights has repeatedly called on the Japanese government to provide medical treatment for Korean atomic bomb victims（『毎日』８４年８月１５日）。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nkgIsDSDWY＊Беларускаяベラルーシ語→Сахалінскія карэйцы (таксама карэйцы Сахаліна; кор. 사할린 한인Sakhalin Koreans, 庫頁島韓人 Сахалін ханін) Сахалинские корейцы— субэтнічная група карэйцаў колькасцю каля 45 000 чалавек. На долю сахалінскіх карэйцаў прыпадае каля 10 % карэйскай дыяспары былога СССР (карэ-сарам). У большасці сваёй гэта нашчадкі паўднёвакарэйскіх па сваім паходжанні працоўных, прывезеных у якасці працоўнай сілы на Паўднёвы Сахалін у перыяд анэксіі Карэі Японскай імперыяй (1905—1945).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEjXAoOkwPw

　同連盟はあわせていまひとつの要求をしているThe federation also has one more demand. それはサハリン残留の韓国人の問題であるThis is the issue of Koreans remaining in Sakhalin. 広島の被爆韓国人と同様に、強制連行されて当時日本領であった南樺太で労働に従事させられていた朝鮮人が約４万３０００人いて、日本人が引揚げたあとにも朝鮮人はそのまま取り残されたLike the Korean victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, approximately 43,000 Koreans were forcibly taken to South Sakhalin, which was then Japanese territory, and forced to work in the area. Even after the Japanese withdrew, the Koreans were left behind. ソ連政府の方針に従いソ連国籍・朝鮮人民共和国籍を取得した人々が多いが、大半の人々は朝鮮南部出身であって、国籍を取ると韓国へ帰りにくくなると考え、無国籍のままでいるMany people acquired Soviet or Korean citizenship in accordance with the policies of the Soviet government, but the majority are from southern Korea and believe that obtaining citizenship will make it difficult for them to return to South Korea, so they remain stateless. 彼らの間ではBetween them「生きているうちに故郷の土をもう一度踏みたいという望郷の念にかられ、孤独感にさいなまれている者が多いのが実情のようでThe reality is that many of them are plagued by a sense of loneliness, yearning to set foot on their hometown soil once more while they are still alive」、１９７５年（昭和４９）年から７７年までにまとめられた樺太韓国人帰還者名簿には９７０世帯、３５６３人の帰還希望者が載っているThe list of Korean repatriates from Karafuto compiled between 1975 and 1977 lists 970 households and 3,563 people who wished to return（『朝日』６６年２月２日夕刊、『朝日』７５年７月６日、『朝日』１２月２５日論壇泉博Hiroshi Izumi「サハリンで泣く置き去り朝鮮人Left-behind Koreans Cry in Sakhalin」、『朝日』８３年８月２２日田中了Ryo Tanaka「サハリンの朝鮮人問題The Korean Problem in Sakhalin」、『毎日』８３年８月１３日「記者の目Reporter's Eyes」欄西村晴雄Haruo Nishimura「サハリン残留朝鮮人Koreans left behind in Sakhalin」など）。日本政府は帰還促進にきわめて消極的な態度をとりつづけており、問題は裁判所にもちこまれたが、訴訟要件に欠けるという理由で帰還請求が一審で却下されたThe Japanese government has continued to take an extremely negative stance toward promoting repatriation, and the issue was taken to court, but the request for repatriation was rejected at first instance on the grounds that it lacked the grounds for prosecution（『毎日』７４年６月２０日夕刊）、二度目の「樺太裁判」が今なお審理中であるThe second "Sakhalin Trial" is still ongoing（『読売』７７年１２月３日、『毎日』７９年７月２６日、『朝日』８１年９月１０日、『毎日』８１年１１月２８日、『朝日』８３年６月１８日大沼保昭談話Statement by Yasuaki Ohnuma「樺太裁判と国際法The Sakhalin Trials and International Law」など）。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g24SR0fER7M＊遺華日僑，又稱遺華日本人、滯華日僑、滯華日本人、遺中日僑、遺中日本人或遺中日僑중국 잔류 일본인(일본어: 中国残留日本人 주고쿠 잔류 니혼진, 중국어: 遺華日僑, 영어: Japanese orphans in China)Les orphelins japonais en ChineРусскийロシア語→Японские сироты в Китае в основном состоят из детей, оставленных японскими семьями после японской репатриации из Хулудао после Второй мировой войны. По данным китайского правительства, около 4000 японских детей остались в Китае после войны, 90% во Внутренней Монголии и северо-восточном Китае (тогда Маньчжоу-Го). Их усыновили сельские китайские семьи.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SS8V9hwK2Y

　サハリンから祖国を恋い慕う朝鮮の人々と相対比されるのは、近年とみに大きな問題となっている中国残留「日本人孤児」であるIn contrast to the Koreans from Sakhalin who yearn for their homeland, there are the "Japanese orphans" remaining in China, which have become an increasingly big problem in recent years. 関東軍に置き去りにされて遺棄された「満州国」居住の日本人は、ソ連軍と現地住民に襲撃されながら逃避行を続けているなかで、あるいは日本への引揚船に乗るまでの難民収容所等で生活しているなかで、幼い子の生命を救うために涙をのんで中国人に渡した母親が少なくなかったMany Japanese living in Manchukuo who were left behind and abandoned by the Kwantung Army continued to flee while being attacked by the Soviet army and local residents, or lived in refugee camps until they could board repatriation ships to Japan. Many mothers swallowed their tears and handed their young children over to Chinese people in order to save their lives. 夫が動員で召集され捕虜となって帰って来ず女手ひとつで食糧もなく寒さを防ぐこともできない難民となった母親がどのような思いでわが子を手離したことであろうかWhat must have been the thoughts of a mother who, after her husband was drafted and taken prisoner of war and never returned, became a refugee on her own, with no food or anything to protect her from the cold, as she gave up her child? 父母を失い、現地ですでに孤児となり、中国人に拾われた子どももいたSome children had lost their parents and were already orphans in the local area, having been picked up by Chinese people. そのなかには、奴隷として酷使され失明しながらかろうじて日本に帰ることのできた少女もいた（第三章２節二の１参照）がAmong them was a girl who had been exploited as a slave and had become blind, but was barely able to return to Japan(Refer to Chapter 3, Section 2, No. 2-1)、多くの子供たちは中国人の養父母に養われて成人したmany of the children grew up to be adopted by Chinese adoptive parents. 日本政府が長期間中華人民共和国との国交回復を拒んでいたために、それらの人々と日本との連絡が絶え、その間中国では文化大革命の余波を受けた事情などもあって日本人であるが故に差別に苦しんだ人々が多かったようであるBecause the Japanese government refused to restore diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China for a long time, these people lost contact with Japan, and during that time, many people in China suffered discrimination because they were Japanese, partly due to the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. 

　日中国交が回復してのち、彼らは祖国日本への望郷の念と帰国した実の親、あるいは日本に住む肉親との再会の望みを抑えることができず、日本からも異郷に残したわが子との再会を切望する父母の声が出てくるようになったAfter diplomatic relations between Japan and China were restored, they could not suppress their longing for their homeland, Japan, and their desire to be reunited with their biological parents who had returned to China or with their relatives living in Japan. In Japan, too, voices began to emerge from parents yearning to be reunited with their children left behind in foreign lands（『読売』６７年８月１５日「わが子と再会祈る阿部さん夫妻　中国人に預け２２年　凍る満州の収容所で餓死寸前Mr. and Mrs. Abe pray to be reunited with their child, 22 years in the care of Chinese parents, near starvation in a freezing Manchurian concentration camp」、『読売』７０年８月１５日「満州置き去りのむすこ一目見て死にたいこの母に戦後は続くSon left behind in Manchuria, mother who wants to die after seeing her son, continues to live after the war」、『読売』７２年１２月２６日「まだ見ぬ日本Undiscovered Japan」中国の戦争孤児　ああ望郷War Orphans in China: Nostalgia・・・父と母よ五歳で別れ名も忘れFather and mother, at the age of five, I forgot your names」、『毎日』７２年１２月２７日「父さんヤーイ母さんヤーイ　切々と中国の『日本人孤児』」"Daddy Yay, Mommy Yay: The Heartfelt Message of a 'Japanese Orphan' in China"、凍土の会Frozen Earth Society『私も日本人　祖国が見たいI'm Japanese too, I want to see my home country　中国残留日本人孤児からの手紙Letter from a Japanese orphan left behind in China』）。

　こうして中国残留孤児の肉親捜しが、ついで里帰りや日本への帰国が少しずつ始まり、何十年ぶりかの親子再会の幸運に恵まれた人々もいれば、せっかくあこがれの日本の土をふんでも肉親とめぐりあうことができず失意のまま中国へ帰っていった人々もあったThus, the search for relatives began for the remaining orphans in China, and gradually they began to return home and to Japan. Some were fortunate enough to be reunited with their parents for the first time in decades, while others returned to China in disappointment, unable to meet their relatives despite having set foot on the longed-for Japanese soil. 肉親とめぐりあえず空しく中国に戻っていった人々の悲しみも深かったにちがいないけれど、問題はむしろ日本で肉親と再会でき、日本での生活を始めるために単身または家族を伴って日本に居住することとなった人々の上に生じたThere must have been deep sadness for those who returned to China without being able to see their relatives, but the problems arose for those who were able to reunite with their relatives in Japan and move to Japan alone or with their families to start a new life here. それらの人々はおおむね中国人と結婚し子をもうけており、中国の養親は老齢化してその人々を頼りとしているThese people have generally married Chinese people, had children, and their Chinese adoptive parents are now aging and relying on them. 日本人であっても、幼少から中国で成長し、日本語を知らず、日本で生計を立てるのは容易ではないEven if they are Japanese, they grew up in China from an early age, do not know Japanese(language), and it is not easy for them to make a living in Japan. 日本人としての証明がないという理由で日本の国籍を取得できない人もいるSome people are unable to obtain Japanese citizenship because they lack proof of Japanese nationality. 帰国した人々の住居・教育・就職斡旋などの公的施設の不備や世間の差別意識もあって、帰ってきた祖国での生活は苦難をきわめているDue to a lack of public facilities such as housing, education and job placement services, as well as discriminatory attitudes in society, returnees are finding life in their home countries extremely difficult.