Update on mystery of two Japanese WWII soldiers hiding in Ppines

2016-02-28 15

1. Exterior shot of hotel where Japanese embassy officials are staying\r
2. Japanese embassy spokesperson posting warning notice on wall\r
3. Various of warning notice written in Japanese \r
4. Various of Japanese media surrounding Japanese spokesman\r
5. Wide view of Japanese Filipino Maria Hatsune Kawai \r
6. Kawai standing beside Japanese dolls on display \r
7. Close up of Japanese doll\r
8. SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog) Maria Hatsune Kawai, General Santos resident (had a Japanese father):\r
I thought they were Japanese because they looked Japanese. Then I said kunichiwa (hello) and bowed. And they bowed back. But no word at all.\r
9. Kawai looking at photo of young Japanese soldier \r
10.Close-up of photo of young Japanese soldier\r
11.SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog) Maria Hatsune Kawai, General Santos resident (had a Japanese father):\r
Thats why I believe that some (Japanese soldiers) were really left behind (after World War Two) because there have been a lot of people who have told me that there are still a few remaining here.\r
12.wide shot of Kawai interview\r
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STORYLINE:\r
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Japanese efforts to contact two World War II soldiers reportedly hiding in the southern Philippines have created a security nightmare with the presence of Japanese journalists in a region notorious for rebel attacks and kidnappings.\r
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More Japanese journalists showed up Saturday at General Santos, in the southern island of Mindanao, some flying in from Manila on chartered planes and booking many hotels in this bustling port city 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) south of the capital.\r
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The Japanese Embassy posted a notice in Japanese warning reporters not to venture out of town in search of the men and not to follow anyone offering to guide them. \r
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Philippine police issued a similar warning, saying the area is notorious for ransom kidnappings and attacks by Muslim and communist guerrillas, who have waged war for three decades.\r
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Japanese diplomats also in General Santos city, meanwhile, waited for a second day Saturday to interview the two men, who were reportedly separated from their division and fear they would face court-martial if they returned to Japan.\r
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A Japanese trader living on the southern island of Mindanao spread the word to Japanese officials as early as January, embassy spokesman Shuhei Ogawa said. \r
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He confirmed reports that the businessman hasnt seen the men and was relying on a Filipino contact, who himself got word of the mystery men from yet another Filipino.\r
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Filipino-Japanese Maria Hatsune Kawai has heard of many stories about former Japanese soldiers living in the mountains of the south. \r
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Born to a Filipina mother and a Japanese father, Hatsune, now 80 years old, moved to General Santos in 1947 from nearby Davao province where she was born.\r
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Because of the stories she had heard, she has asked the people in General Santos to let her know if any of these former soldiers are found.\r
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And two years ago she says, two elderly Japanese-looking men were brought to her home.\r
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She recalls how the men seemed familiar with Japanese customs - bowing to greet her when they saw her - but both said they could not speak Japanese.\r
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She said the men were from Mount Matutum, and came to the city to sell their corn harvest.\r
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She never saw them again.\r
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Now with the news of possible former Japanese soldiers living in General Santos, Kawai remembered her two visitors. \r
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She adds however that she cannot say that these are the same people the Japanese government is now trying to track down.\r
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