re: #645 pre-Boomer Marine brat

IIRC, he was reported as knowing that there had been a surrender, but he had been afraid to give himself up. In his day, he would have been disgraced by not having died in defense of the Empire. Knowing nothing of the post-war changes in Japan, he thought he’d have to commit hari-kiri upon his return to Japan. I recall an article describing his pleasant surprise.

That was not the case with the last Japanese officer to surrender, whose name I cannot recall. He surrendered in 1989, only after a former commanding officer of his had sent his a written order to do so. Surprisingly, he made a successful transition to the modern world and now lives on his ranch in Brazil with his wife and 2 children.