Koichi Tohei War years

Koichi Tohei War years

Like so many other Japanese youths at the time, Tohei was drafted into the Imperial army in October 1942. He saw action in China and was stranded there at the end of the war until his repatriation in 1946. According to Chinese records, Tohei's tendency to treat captured Chinese soldiers well led to Chinese authorities avoiding his unit when they attacked[citation needed]. Tohei is said to have left China with more soldiers than he started with.