Manga about Siberian intervention sheds new light on modern Japanese history; cruelty in senseless war

The Siberian Intervention, a conflict in which Japan participated along with other countries, is certainly included in history books. However, I suspect that not many people really think about how it was a war of intervention by the Allies to counter the Russian Revolution. Although it lasted only four years, it is very difficult to understand how it began and ended. Some even say that it was a meaningless war for Japan. This time I will introduce you to the unique full-length manga that tells the story of the Siberian expedition, called “Inui to Tatsumi — Zabaikal Senki” (“Inui and Tatsumi — The Transbaikal Report”). The series was concluded with the 11th volume in July.

The story takes place in the year 1918. The 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, based in Hokkaido, is sent to Enkaishu, or Primorsky Territory, to fight against the Red Army (Revolutionary Army) of Soviet Russia. The Siberian Expedition was a joint Allied operation ostensibly organized to rescue Czech troops captured by the Red Army. For Japan, it offered a good opportunity to advance into the Russian Far East. Gunner Toji Inui receives a special order from the Imperial Japanese Army to join the command of Cossack leader Gen. Semenov, and sets off in an armored train toward Zabaikal Province. Meanwhile, Natsuo Tatsumi, working for a Japanese newspaper based in Vladivostok, is spurred on by his journalistic spirit and enthusiastically throws himself into the war zone. These two men, bound by a strange bond, find themselves caught up in the maelstrom of the chaotic Russian Revolution.

The author, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, is best known as the animator and character designer of “Kido Senshi Gundam” (“Mobile Suit Gundam”), but he has recently become more appreciated as a historical fiction manga artist. In particular, his 1990 work “Nijiiro no Trotsky” (Rainbow-Colored Trotsky) is known as the first manga to give a frontal depiction of the ideals and realities of Manchukuo, which had long been a taboo subject. The story told in “Inui and Tatsumi” belongs to a period before “Rainbow-Colored Trotsky”. The Japanese army established the Zabaikal region as an independent state and appointed General Semenov as its leader. The state was intended to be a shield to prevent the effects of the Russian Revolution from spreading to Japan, but it was also in fact a puppet state like Manchukuo. Yasuhiko’s view of the Siberian intervention as a path to Manchuria, I think, sheds new light on Japan’s modern history.

The bombing warfare carried out by the armored train that Inui boarded is intense and provides spectacular war scenes. However, the highlight of the manga is probably the scene near the end where Tatsumi arrives in Moscow and meets Lenin. As a young man, Yasuhiko was arrested for student activism and expelled from university. Without a job, he took up work as an animator. How did Yasuhiko portray the revolutionary giant with such a personal background? The only way to find out is to read this manga.

There were reports during the Siberian intervention that the Japanese army brutally burned down a partisan village. There was no justice in the Siberian intervention. Inui and Tatsumi are far from heroes and are simply at the mercy of history. However, the ending of the manga is surprisingly optimistic. It may be an expression of the author trying his best to wish the “little man” happiness, even if there is a hint of bitterness mixed in.