A life that made a difference

This week I read a book by a Japanese wartime hero Mamuro Shinozaki.

He was working in Singapore before the Japanese occupation. The ruling British police suspected him to be a spy for the Japanese and put him into jail without trial. He was in prison for a few years before the Japanese arrived.

When the Japanese occupied Singapore, he was released and given a role in the welfare department in the government. The Japanese see the Chinese and Eurasion people as threat to their rule and treat them as enemies so much so there were much brutality and mistreatment of them during the occupation. Shinozaki didn’t approve of such treatment of people. In his time in the government, he freely gave out good citizen passes to everyone who ask of him. These passes ensures its holder protection by and from the Japanese Military Government. It didn’t matter to him who asked for these passes as he gave freely because of his greater value of mercy. He gave out thousands of such passes and saved the lives of that number of people. The act didn’t really go well with his Japanese comrades.

He set up organisations to try and get prominent Chinese and Eurasian leaders to sit in their offices. The idea is that if these organisations are official setups of the Japanese government, they becomes a safe haven for its members. During that time, a lot of these prominent leaders were caught, jailed and put on trial for very severe sentences. He successfully set up the infamous ‘Overseas Chinese Assocation’ and save many lives eg. Dr. Lim Boon Keng and many others. This was a risky move that didn’t put him in good books of others.

At the end of the war, when the Japanese surrendered and the British returned, many top officials in the japanese regime was put into prison and charged with war crimes. Shinozaki was one of them. However it wasn’t long until people came to testify for him and recognised all his good work during the war. He was set free and even given honor and work with the government. It didn’t matter that people said he was a traitor and a spineless man, he did the right thing. He honored lives of people and stood by grace and mercy more than his job and duty. He returned to Japan and recently came back to visit Singapore a great hero.

Shinozaki showed us what ‘mercy’ and ‘grace’ look like in times of adversity. Even at the cost of popularity and his own neck, he helped those who are helpless and show us an example of someone who gives mercy easily.

His life made a difference to thousands. What about ours?

(From "A life that made a difference" by Hong Teck)