Shonenko

Lu De Hai Ping Xian / Taiwan/Japan 2006 / 60min. Taiwanese, Japanese, Mandarin with English subtitles.
Director Liang-Yin Kuo / Producer Shuhei Fujita, Yann Shan Tsai

Picture yourself, a 13 year old Taiwanese boy, leaving your parents and home. You will board a ship that will take you to Japan, the land of the Emperor. You are told you will have the honour to serve the Emperor as a warrior, a chance to earn money for your poor family and recieve an education as a technician. It is a glorious opportunity and a noble adventure.

In 1943, the Imperial Japanese government announced a work-study program in its colony, Taiwan, to gather children to work in military factories. In fact some 8,419 Taiwanese youth (aged 12 to 14) were recruited to work as child labourers in Japan to build fighter planes. With mixed emotions they would become part of a massive war effort.

Director Liang’s film took 5 years to make and reflects the growing interest on the part of historians analyzing Taiwan’s unique pre and post World War II experiences. Replete with numerous first person interviews, photos and film footage from Japanese archives and facts, this is the boys’ untold story – of an innocence stolen from youth – and one more piece in the captivating and complex puzzle of Taiwan’s unusual history.

Find similar films by topic: History, War/Conflict, Youth/Children