Masaji Ishikawa: North Korea's Dark Reality

Have you ever wondered what it's like to leave everything you know behind? What if the promise of a better life turned out to be a devastating lie?

In his memoir A River in Darkness, Masaji Ishikawa recounts his harrowing journey from Japan to North Korea. You'll discover how Ishikawa's family was lured by false promises of prosperity, only to face unimaginable hardship and oppression in a totalitarian regime.

Keep reading to learn about Masaji Ishikawa's North Korea experiences, his struggle for survival, and his daring escape back to freedom.

From Japan to North Korea: A Promised Paradise Turns Nightmare

Life in Japan: A Mixed Heritage

Masaji Ishikawa's early life in Mizonokuchi, Japan, was filled with simple pleasures and dreams of a bright future, unaware that his journey would eventually lead him to North Korea. Growing up with a Korean father and a Japanese mother, Ishikawa's childhood was shaped by his mixed heritage. His father, nicknamed "Tiger," was known for his excessive drinking and aggressive behavior, while his mother, Miyoko, came from a respected Japanese family. Little did young Masaji know that his experiences in Japan would pale in comparison to the hardships he'd face in North Korea later in life.

Despite financial hardships, Ishikawa looks back on his formative years with warmth. However, his sense of self was complicated by the discrimination faced by Koreans living in Japan. Ishikawa's family members, including uncles who had served in the Japanese military, held discriminatory views towards Koreans. This forced Ishikawa to confront his complex heritage in the face of derisive remarks.

The Decision to Relocate

During a financial slump in Japan, many Koreans faced unemployment and discrimination. North Korea, under Kim Il-sung's leadership, was portrayed as a model of socialist excellence. The League of Koreans in Japan painted North Korea as a flawless paradise, offering solace to those facing difficulties.

Ishikawa's father, swayed by North Korean propaganda and the League's persuasions, decided to move the family to North Korea. He was eager to provide a stable life for his family, despite Ishikawa's skepticism and reluctance. The family embarked on an emotionally taxing journey, marked by their differing perspectives on what awaited them in North Korea.

Arrival in North Korea: Shattered Dreams

Upon arrival, the Ishikawa family was met with extreme difficulties that shattered their expectations of a better life. They encountered deplorable living conditions, a stark contrast to the utopian life they had been promised. The family faced:

• Cramped quarters with inadequate warmth
• Lack of basic amenities like bathing facilities
• Severe food shortages
• Meager earnings that forced them to resort to extreme measures for survival, including consuming dog meat

Discrimination and Isolation

The Ishikawa family's challenges weren't limited to physical hardships. They also faced:

• Discrimination due to their status as foreigners
• Linguistic barriers that further isolated them
• Constant surveillance from North Korean authorities
• Deep-seated negative views about Japanese individuals within the community

Ishikawa endured bullying at school, while his father faced grueling labor and indoctrination. The pervasive monitoring of societal expectations deeply infringed upon their personal lives, exacerbating their sense of isolation.

Adapting to Life Under the Regime

Despite the harsh realities, Ishikawa tried to adapt to life in North Korea. He became involved in educational institutions and youth organizations, which presented their own challenges:

• Language barriers in school, occasionally aided by sympathetic teachers
• Indoctrination that instilled loyalty to the country's leadership
• Appointment as class leader in his final year of middle school
• Joining the Democratic Youth League at age fourteen

Ishikawa witnessed the deterioration of agricultural output as farming methods were dictated more by ideological beliefs than practical effectiveness. His time with the Workers' and Peasants' Red Brigade further cemented the pervasive authoritarian grip on society.

Struggling to Survive

The Ishikawa family endured considerable financial hardships. Survival often depended on:

• Gathering plants for food
• Resorting to theft, including stealing daikon radishes
• Begging for breastmilk to save his wife and young child from starvation
• Taking a job distributing soybean-based condiments to acquire food and enhance bartering options

Tragedy and Loss

Life under North Korean rule was marked by a succession of heartbreaking events for the Ishikawa family:

• The death of Ishikawa's sister Masako and the struggles of her children
• The loss of his sister's baby boy at just three months old
• His father's decline and eventual death after a brutal beating by the police

These tragedies weighed heavily on Ishikawa, shaping his view on survival and his family's legacy. His father's dying wish for Ishikawa to return to Japan and expose the harsh realities of life in North Korea became a driving force in his life.

The Daring Escape

Ishikawa's journey to freedom was fraught with danger. It involved:

• A clandestine crossing of the border river, evading vigilant guards
• Navigating from Hamju Station to Hyesan, a city near the nation's frontier
• Eluding officials despite strict movement restrictions
• Stealthily crossing the river during a torrential rain

After regaining consciousness on the riverbank, Ishikawa was fortunate to encounter a compassionate older Korean man named Kim. This marked the beginning of a series of kind acts by Chinese citizens who recognized his plight and offered aid by concealing and transporting him to safety.

Bureaucratic Hurdles and Return to Japan

Ishikawa's journey back to Japan was far from smooth. He faced numerous challenges:

• Seeking refuge in the Japanese consulate in Shenyang
• Navigating complex bureaucratic and judicial obstacles
• Overcoming language barriers due to his limited Japanese proficiency
• Employing deception and tactical misdirections to evade North Korean agents

With unwavering resolve and covert help, Ishikawa was eventually placed on a specially organized flight to Japan, bypassing usual protocols.

Life After North Korea

Upon returning to Japan, Ishikawa faced new challenges:

• Difficulty finding employment due to his North Korean background
• Ostracism from his relatives
• Reliance on government support
• A profound sense of estrangement in his native land

Despite escaping to Japan, Ishikawa remained haunted by the fate of his family members left behind in North Korea. Their continued suffering under the oppressive regime cast a long shadow over his newfound freedom, serving as a stark reminder of the human cost of his journey from Japan to North Korea and back again.