Who are the "Tokyo Roses"?

The mystery of "Tokyo Rose" remains

She was charged with treason for allegedly broadcasting Japanese anti-American propaganda to the US military during World War II; she admitted that she was Known for its infamous "Tokyo Rose". Japanese-American woman Ikuko Toguri died in Chicago on the 26th at the age of 90. With her death, the mystery of Tokyo Rose's identity may be taken to her grave.

"Tokyo Rose" passed away

William Toguri, the nephew of Ikko Toguri, confirmed that his aunt passed away in a Chicago hospital on the 26th. He did not reveal details, saying only that his aunt died of natural causes.

With the death of Ikuko Toguri, the mystery of the true identity of "Tokyo Rose" may never be revealed.

"Tokyo Rose" is very mysterious. The U.S. military used this title to refer to perhaps as many as 12 female announcers at Radio Tokyo during World War II. These female announcers told the American soldiers on the Pacific battlefield through radio waves that they had been defeated, while their sweet wives were having sex at home. The Japanese authorities at the time attempted to undermine the morale of the U.S. military by launching such a propaganda offensive.

However, instead of dismantling the U.S. military, such broadcasts became popular for broadcasting American pop music. At the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy used the term "Tokyo Rose" to describe the show's female announcer.

During World War II, Ikuko Toguri, who was trapped in Japan, was forced to join Tokyo Radio and served as a pop music program host. After World War II, she told the American media that she was "Tokyo Rose," but it was this statement that got her into trouble.

After being trapped in Japan

Ikuko Toguri was born on July 4, 1916 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Her parents were Japanese immigrants and ran a grocery store. She graduated from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1940 and hoped to go into medicine.

In the summer of 1941, at the request of her mother, Ikuko Toguri went to Japan to visit her sick aunt. When the Pearl Harbor attack broke out on December 7 of that year, she was trapped in Tokyo. Although she knew that non-Japanese citizens could not receive food rations from the authorities, she refused to become a Japanese citizen and lived an extremely difficult life.

Toguri Ikuko became the host of a pop music program on Radio Tokyo in 1943, broadcasting propaganda programs to U.S. soldiers in a program called "Zero Point".

After World War II, the United States occupied Japan. Two reporters were paid US$2,000 for an exclusive interview with Ikuko Toguri. In the interview, Toguri Ikuko said that she is "Tokyo Rose". But she obviously didn't expect that the "Tokyo Rose" would become an infamous symbol.

Government pressure to convict

After the article was published, the American people were dissatisfied. Ikuko Toguri was arrested by the US occupation authorities in Japan and interrogated by the FBI. She said at the time: "I don't think I have done anything disloyal to the United States."

After being detained in Tokyo for a year, the U.S. Department of Justice determined that there was no conclusive evidence to prosecute Ikuko Toguri, and in the autumn of 1946 Release her. In 1948, her application to return to California was rejected, and she was arrested for treason and sent to San Francisco for incarceration.

In the subsequent court trial, the former head of Tokyo Radio said that Ikuko Toguri voluntarily recorded anti-American propaganda programs. However, Ikuko Toguri defended herself by inserting puns during the broadcast to reduce the level of publicity. Her voice was not included in the recording played in court to promote the show. A federal jury in San Francisco found her guilty of treason in 1949 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

After serving 6 years and 2 months in prison, Toguri Ikuko was released on parole early. In order to restore her U.S. citizenship, Ikuko Toguri wrote a letter to the then U.S. President Gerald Ford in the 1970s. On January 19, 1977, Ikuko Toguri was granted amnesty and her nationality was restored.

Ron Yates, chairman of the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois, helped Ikuko Toguri obtain a pardon from Ford. Yates, who served as a Tokyo correspondent for the Chicago Tribune in the 1970s, found George Mitsushio (transliteration) and Ohgi Kenkichi (transliteration) as witnesses against Ikuko Toguri. They all claimed that they had committed perjury under pressure from the U.S. judicial department.

In fact, many people within the US government believe that the so-called "Tokyo Rose" is just a fabricated image. On the eve of the end of World War II, the U.S. War Information Bureau issued a statement saying: "'Tokyo Rose' does not exist. The name is purely made up by the U.S. military." Edwin Reischauer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 1961 to 1966, said in In the preface of the book "Tokyo Rose": Orphans of the Pacific, written by Shi Dusi (transliteration), he also believes: "'Tokyo Rose' is purely a wartime fiction, and it is a major stain on the judicial history of the United States.

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