YAMAZAKI KENJI - KENINGAU APIN APIN STRAIGHT ROAD

SEJARAH NORTH BORNEO SABAH 

SPECIAL EDITION

SECOND WORLD WAR

A JAPANESE OCCUPATION UNTOLD HISTORY

YAMAZAKI KENJI : KENINGAU APIN APIN STRAIGHT ROAD   

KENINGAU APIN APIN STRAIGHT ROAD

"Generally from a very Australian point of view, with the Australian tending to be painted as heroes and the Japanese as a vile race incapable of normal human feelings and obsessed with pointless cruelty. As comforting as it might be for some, the world is not that simple". Richard W. Braithwaite 

During the Japanese Occupation of North Borneo in 1942, Yamazaki Kenji, the Japanese Prefecture Governor in Keningau the Interior Residency under West Coast Governorates of Seikei Shiu, wish to win the heart and mind of a North Borneo people by focusing on the infrastructure developments and making a documentary films of the sacred Mount Kinabalu.

One of Yamazaki Kenji most memorable contributions as mentioned in the Memoirs of Yamazaki Aen, Minami Jujiseiwa Itsuwarazu [ The Southern Cross Never Deceives] (Tokyo: Hokushindo 1952) was the construction of a 14 miles uniquely amazing "Straight Road" from Keningau to Apin Apin including a bridge at Liawan River, to represent their straightforward feelings when running the administration and aspire the peoples to see straight to the wonderful future.

1. "Future of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere"

2. "Future of an "Anti Colonist"

3. "Future of an Asia for Asians".

The locals of course thoughts otherwise.

Apart from the Apin Apin Straight Road, Yamazaki Kenji also given the instruction to construct an airfield at Liawan and Bingkor, he also developed Poring, Hot Spring at Ranau, as a Japanese soldier retreats area and encourage several Mount Kinabalu expedition by the Japanese Soldiers and doing some documentary films a year later.

Yamazaki Kenji married to a local born wife a sino Dusun by the name of Aen. Her father was a Cantonese Chinese Businessman who had a shop in Sandakan, while her mother was a Dusun from Jesselton. Her father left the family and returned to China and Aen was later sent to Keningau to live with her relatives. Aen initially working as a maid for Yamazaki but eventually become his wife. Aen contributed a lot by suggesting and proposing to Yamazaki Kenji on how best to handle the local natives and she love him dearly.

Yamazaki Kenji did some contact with the guerrillas in the aftermath of the double 10 uprising in Jesselton when Albert Kwok's mother was sent to Keningau. Yamazaki made her time at Keningau much more pleasant by getting her to do a gardening work. This gesture of good will was not lost among the guerrillas as after the end of the war he received some much needed food and milk powder from some of the former guerrillas before boarding the ship at the Jesselton Wharf for Japan.

Yamazaki was repatriated after the war and active in politics. Yamazaki Kenji was known as an agriculturist and very active in farmer association whereby he actually represented the local farmer Union. He was later elected as a legislator among the circles of post war Japan.

The love stories of Aen the Sino Dusun wife of Yamazaki Kenji was just a beginning and later becoming more challenges when she reached Japan. She found out that before WW2, Yamazaki Kenji actually already legally married to a local Japanese wife. Aen had to face extreme hardship and struggle firstly to live in a foreign country and now to become a second women in Yamazaki Kenji life at Japan. Yamazaki's Japanese wife and her family not given Aen an easy time but Aen with her sincerity and love to Yamazaki persevered.

Yamazaki Kenji out of his love to Aen made a controversial decision at the time in Japan by divorcing his Japanese wife and decided to made Aen his legal wife at the height of the domestic conflict between Yamazaki Kenji Japanese wife and Aen.

Yamazaki and Aen having 4 children. They later moved to Brazil in an attempt to set up a Japanese agricultural settlement. Yamazaki Kenji died at the aged of 57. Aen eventually have to go back to Japan and come back to Jesselton. She found a second love when she married a Japanese executive who was attached to Yaohan Departmental stores.

Aen outlive her second husband and her love stories of a Sino Dusun lady from North Borneo who survived extreme hardship and struggles became a top movies in Japan in the 40s. Aen also wrote a memoir of her life and the book was famous in Japan.

Source :

1. Historical Sabah, The War by Prof. Danny Wong

2. Star of the Southern Cross, by Prof. Hara

3. Sabah Under The Rising Sun Government, Stephen R Evans

4. Keningau Heritage and Legacy in the Interior Residency by Abednigo Chow

5. Interviewed Junichi Taniyama

Photos :

1. Credit to Google Images

Edited by :

Kumis Kumis