Towards the end of the second world war, in 1944, the small island of Anatahan would see a large group of shipwrecked Japanese soldiers crash ashore. The island, situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, had been home to Kazuko Higa and her husband.
When Kazuko returned from the island she was hailed as a hero, but the truth of what happened over the course of six years was no doubt traumatic for her.
The island had been captured during the first world war, and prior to the start of the second world war, a company set up coconut cultivation on the island. Kazuka was a worker on the island and so was Shoichi, her husband. However, after the war broke out, Shoichi went missing during a U.S. airstrike on the island. Shortly after the rest of the workers left the island. Kazuko and one other man, Masami (who had a crush on Kazuko) opted to stay.
As the war raged on, eventually supplies stopped coming to the island and Kazuko and Masami were forced to live a more primitive lifestyle. They fashioned clothes out of leaves and were practically castaways, but everything would change one day in 1944.
The shipwreck and the ensuing chaos
Another U.S. airstrike would result in a Japanese ship sinking just off the coast of Anatahan Island. Miraculously all 31 on board successfully made it to the shores of the island and were welcomed by Kazuko and Masami. The 31 survivors, all of whom were men, would be forced to join the pair’s castaway lifestyle as it became clear they would not be able to return to the mainland anytime soon.
As Kazuko was the only woman on the island Masami suggested Kazuko marry him so as to dissuade other men who may be getting ideas. However, the marriage didn’t stop violence from breaking out for long. According to “Boundless Ocean of Politics,” a gun was dropped from a plane which had flown over the island. The men quickly started offing each other whenever one would approach Kazuko.
While the details differ from source to source, it seems the men were fighting over who would take Kazuko as their “wife.” How much of a say Kazuko got in this is unclear but she likely did what she had to to survive.
All in all, 11 men died during the six years spent on the island. While some died from causes such as poisoning, others were definitely killed in violent disputes. While all this was happening the years rolled by, several times, U.S. ships passed by and tried to tell the group that the war was over but they didn’t believe them.
Kazuko Higa escapes
It all came to a head in 1951 when the remaining men decided the only way to ensure they would have peace on the island was by killing Kazuko. Hearing of the plan she fled into the forest and hid until she could flag down a passing ship. She was then taken back to the mainland where she told of her harrowing story. The rest of the men were picked up after being convinced the war truly was over.
Kazuko was seen as a hero and her story was adapted into more than one movie. What happened to her next isn’t entirely clear, by all accounts she vanished, but her story remains a distressing reminder of how quickly people can turn on each other in isolation.
