TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Prefecture — Japanese war orphans who were left behind in China at the end of World War II and later repatriated to Japan are now entering old age, but many struggle to adjust to conventional nursing homes due to language barriers.

To meet their needs, Mariko Kamijo, 47, the eldest daughter of a repatriated orphan, opened Isshoen, a nursing care facility in Tokorozawa that provides support in Chinese.

On a recent July day, about ten clients joined light exercises and recreational activities inside the facility, chanting “yi, er, san, si” — one, two, three, four in Chinese. Much of the room’s conversations were also in Chinese.

More than half of the roughly 30 residents, including spouses, are Japanese who were taken to China as children during the war and left behind when Japan surrendered. Some speak little or no Japanese.

“I treat them as if they were my own parents,” said Kamijo, who communicates with them in Chinese.

Her inspiration came from her father, Mitsuhiko, 87, who was only seven years old when he was left behind in Manchuria after the Soviet Union invaded in 1945. Adopted by a blind Chinese man, Mitsuhiko said he “became his eyes” while growing up.

Mitsuhiko reunited with his parents and relatives during a visit to Japan in 1984, nearly four decades after the war. He later returned permanently in 1995 with his family but suffered a cerebral hemorrhage two months after resettling, which left him disabled and in need of nursing care.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 2,818 people have been officially recognized as Japanese war orphans left behind in China. Of these, 2,557 have permanently repatriated to Japan, often in middle age or later, making it difficult for many to relearn Japanese after decades of speaking Chinese.

With this generation now entering advanced age, the ministry has issued a directory of elder care providers offering Chinese-language services and launched volunteer programs to support them in nursing homes.(Source: Jiji)