JAPANESE BANDS IN BRAZIL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 13, 19 August 1946, Page 7

JAPANESE BANDS IN BRAZIL

WAVE OF TERROR SLAYING AND TERRORISM BY SECRET SOCIETIES Evidence of secret Oriental societies, some organised under patriotic pacts of suicide and murder, are being unearthed by police investigating two assassinations and a wave of terror within Brazil’s large Japanese colony.

Although some 400 arrests have already been made, police believe it may take several months to unraval the close-knit activities of the Japanese colonies and find the individuals responsible for the slayings and terrorism in the secluded villages.

These towns, where only Japanese is spoken and all the customs of Nippon are maintained, are held together by fanatically patriotic societies dedicated to preserving the belief—astonishing to outsiders—that Japan is invincible and won the war. Bands of Japanese youth, operating in suicide squads, are blamed for the deaths of two Japanese businessmen who tried to tell the colonists that Japan was defeated. Police believe those bands were inspired by the various secret societies.

The societies are also held responsible for other attempts at assassination, for stabbings and shootings of nearly 15 other Japanese, and for the wave of terror that accompanied these mysterious actions. The largest society was the Shendo Remraei, with 1,000,000 members or roughly one-third of the entire colony paying 25 cents monthly dues. Members were pledged to preserve Imperial traditions but were suspected of planning to take over Sao Paulo State.

A “plan for consolidation of Japanese social life in the colony” and a “general plan for spiritual mobilisation of Japanese activities” are considered proof that the cult was more than a fraternal organisation and evidently had subversive aims. Shendo had cells in many interior villages and, according to Kayo Sikato, Japanese aide to the Swedish Legation in charge of Japan’s interests in Brazil, it was directly connected with the Black Dragon Society and other groups outlawed by General Mac Arthur in Japan.

Within Shendo was a more exclusive and awe-inspiring band called Zahiako Zaigo Omjin Kai, an association of former Japanese army officers who served as supervisors of the whole network of organisations pledged to preserving Japanese ideas.

One of its rules said: “Good Japanese should follow the example or be castigated.” Diplomas and prizes were awarded for good works and provision was made for a militarytraining centre to instill Japanese tactics in youthful colonists. This group supervised a patriotic organisation for the unity of thinking, a patriotic association for Japanese unity, a league for the practical way of a religious subject ,an association for the way of fidelity to the Emperor and a nationalistyouth group suspected of being a terrorist platoon pledged to kill or die for Japan.

Women belonged to an auxiliary Zahiako Seika Fugin Kai, or “Association for the Purification of Japanese Women in Brazil.” They were not permitted to know the inner secrets of Shend Remmei, and their main function was distribution of propaganda pamphlets.