Karafuto Prefecture

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Karafuto Prefecture
(樺太庁 Karafuto-chō)
Capital Toyohara
Area 76,400 km²
 - % water 6.4%
 - Total 600,000
 - Density 8.4 / km²

Karafuto Prefecture (樺太庁 Karafuto-chō?) was the Japanese geographical administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905. In 1907 the prefecture of Karafuto was established, with its capital at Ōtomari (大泊, now Korsakov, Russia) and later Toyohara (豊原, now Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). In 1945, with the defeat of Japan in World War II, the Japanese administration in Karafuto ceased to function, and in 1951, at the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan renounced its rights to Karafuto. Since that time, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of Russia (which was in 1952 and for four more decades part of the Soviet Union).

Contents

[edit] History

After the Russo-Japanese War, Russia and Japan signed the Treaty of Portsmouth of 1905, which resulted in the southern part of Sakhalin below 50° N becoming a Japanese colony. Russia retained the northern part of the island. In 1907, Karafuto Prefecture was officially established, with the capital at Ōtomari. In 1908, the capital moved to Toyohara where it remained until the dissolution of Karafuto Prefecture. In 1920, Karafuto Prefecture became an official part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and in 1943 it was included as an "inner land" (内地 naichi) of the Empire of Japan.

[edit] Operation August Storm

Main article: Operation August Storm

In August 1945, after repudiating the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April, the Soviet Union took over the control of Sakhalin. The Soviet attack on South Sakhalin started on August 11, 1945, about a month before the surrender of Japan. The 56th Rifle Corps, part of the 16th Army, consisting of the 79th Rifle Division, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, the 5th Rifle Brigade and the 214 Armored Brigade,[1] attacked the Japanese 88th Division. Although the Red Army outnumbered the Japanese by three to one, they couldn't advance due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113th Rifle Brigade and the 365th Independent Naval Infantry Rifle Battalion from Sovetskaya Gavan landed on Tōro, a seashore village of western Sakhalin on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line. Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fighting continued until August 21 and this combat was petty. From August 22 to August 23, most of the remaining Japanese units announced a truce. The Soviets completed the conquest of Sakhalin on August 25, 1945 by occupying the capital of Sakhalin, Toyohara.

This Japanese D51 steam locomotive stands outside present day the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station Sakhalin Island, Russia. They were used by the Soviet Railways until 1979.
This Japanese D51 steam locomotive stands outside present day the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station Sakhalin Island, Russia. They were used by the Soviet Railways until 1979.

[edit] Evacuation and legal flux

Main article: Evacuation of Karafuto and Kuriles

There were some 400,000 people living on Karafuto when the Soviet offensive began in early August 1945. Most of these were of Japanese or Korean extraction, though there was also a White Russian[ambiguous] community as well as some indigenous tribes. By the time of the ceasefire approximately 100,000 had managed to cross to Hokkaidō. The military government established by the Soviets banned the local press, replaced by their own Japanese-language paper, as well as confiscating cars and radio sets and imposing a curfew. Local managers, bureaucrats and the like were made to aid the Russian authorities in the process of reconstruction, before being sent to labour camps, either on North Sakhalin or Siberia. In schools, courses in Marxism-Leninism were introduced, and Japanese children were obliged to sing songs in praise of Stalin.

Step by step Karafuto lost its Japanese identity. South Sakhalin Oblast was created in February 1946, and by March all towns, villages and streets had new names. More and more migrants began to arrive from mainland Russia, with whom the Japanese were obliged to share the limited stock of housing. In October 1946 the Soviets began to repatriate the remaining Japanese. By 1950 most had been sent, willing or not, to Hokkaidō, though they had to leave all of their possessions behind. They also had to leave behind any currency they had, Russian or Japanese, so arrived on the Home Islands penniless and homeless. Today some keep alive the memory of their former home in the meetings of the Karafuto Renmei.

No final peace treaty has been signed, and the status of four of the neighbouring Kuril Islands remain disputed. Japan renounced its claims of sovereignty over southern Sakhalin in the Treaty of San Francisco (1952).

[edit] Major cities

Main article: Political divisions of Karafuto Prefecture

Karafuto's largest city was Toyohara. Other major cities included Esutoru in the North Central and Maoka in the south central region. In the north, there was a city called Ako (Alexandovsk in north Sakhalin) penal colony by the Russians.

Karafuto, like Hokkaidō, was divided into sub-prefectures:

Esutoru Sub Prefecture

  • Cities
  • Chinnai (珍内)
  • Esutoru (恵須取)
  • Toro (塔路)
  • Nayoshi (名好)

Maoka Sub Prefecture

  • Cities
  • Honto (本斗)
  • Naihoro (内幌)
  • Maoka (Kholmsk) (真岡)
  • Noda (野田)

Shikuka Sub Prefecture

  • Cities

Toyohara Sub Prefecture

  • Cities

[edit] Economy

Fishing, forestry, and agriculture were the first emphases of Karafuto's economy. Later, paper-making and coal mining became an integral part of the economy. Due to the small population (just over 400,000 by the end of 1941), workers were always in great demand. A large number of Japanese emigrated to Karafuto to take advantage of tax incentives, and a large number of Koreans were forcibly moved to Karafuto as well.

[edit] Name

The Japanese name consists of two kanji, the former (樺) meaning "birch" and the latter (太) an adjective meaning "fat." It was formerly known as Kita Ezo, meaning Northern Ezo (Ezo is the former name for Hokkaidō). In the Ainu language, the name can be rendered Karaputo, Karaftu, or Kraftu.

  • German: Sachalin or Karafuto
  • French: Tarrakai (ancient French), Karafouto, or Sakhaline
  • Spanish: Karafuto, Sakalin, or Sajalin
  • English: Karafuto or Sakhalin
  • Russian: Sakhalin (Сахалин) or Saghalien
  • Manchu: Saghalien
  • Korean: 사할린 Sahallin or 화태도(樺太島Hwataedo, Called during Japanese rule)
  • Chinese: 庫頁島 Kùyè-dǎo

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  1. ^ 16th Army, 2nd Far Eastern Front, Soviet Far East Command, 09.08,45

Karafuto maps:

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Former exterior territories of Japan
Karafuto
Karafuto Minseisho → Karafuto Prefecture (incorporated into mainland jurisdiction)
Chōsen
Taiwan
Governor-General of Taiwan · Taihoku Prefecture · Shinchiku Prefecture · Taichū Prefecture · Tainan Prefecture · Takao Prefecture · Karenkō Prefecture · Taitō Prefecture · Hōko Prefecture
Nan'yō
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Kwantung
Kantō Totokufu → Kantō-chō → Kantō-kyoku: Kantō-shūchō