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Wu Zhengnan, who served as a Taiwanese Japanese soldier and was captured by the Soviet Union after the war, died of hepatocellular carcinoma at the age of 99. In his later years, he actively promoted the commemoration of the Taiwanese war dead and fulfilled his wish to establish a memorial place during his lifetime.
He served as a Taiwanese citizen during World War IIJapan Wu Zhengnan, who joined the army as a soldier and was captured by the Soviet Union after the war, died of hepatocellular carcinoma on October 24 at the age of 99. Wu Zhengnan only attended the Tokyo screening of the documentary “Frozen Memories” in September to share his experience as a prisoner of war in Siberia. He had said at that time that the greatest happiness in life is to come back alive from the battlefield.
The Japanese Friends of Lee Teng-hui released an obituary today, saying that Wu Zhengnan was admitted to Yokohama City Hospital due to physical discomfort on September 18, and was later diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. He received catheter treatment on October 1, was admitted to a nursing home on the 15th, and died peacefully on the 24th. As per my last wish, the family held a family funeral on 5 November and refused to pay tribute, offer flowers or express condolences.
According to Japan Friends of Lee Teng-hui, Wu Zhengnan was born in 1926 in Douliu, Yunlin, Taiwan. He went to Japan to study as a boy and volunteered to join the Japanese army as a bomber communicator during World War II. When Japan was defeated in 1945, he was captured by Soviet forces in North Korea and sent to Central Asia for labor. He was not released until 1947.
During World War II, approximately 200,000 Taiwanese participated in the war as Japanese soldiers and approximately 30,000 of them died. After Japan’s defeat, approximately 600,000 Japanese soldiers were deported by the Soviet Union to prisoner-of-war camps, known in history as “Siberian internment”. At least 19 Taiwanese Japanese soldiers are believed to have experienced this.
Wu Zhengnan attended the Tokyo screening of the documentary “Frozen Memories” directed by Taiwanese director Su Ming-chun on September 5 this year. When talking about his time as a prisoner of war, he still described himself as “lucky” because compared to other captives, he was only detained for about 2 years, and the lowest temperature at that location was minus 25 degrees Celsius, not the colder zone of minus 50 degrees Celsius.
Wu Zhengnan said that he always believes that the greatest happiness in life is to return alive from the battlefield. Instead of his own experience, he hopes society will remember those who did not survive, emphasizing that each person killed in war has their own life and memory and should not be forgotten over time.
Wu Zhengnan has been working hard to secure a memorial site for the Taiwanese war dead for many years. After decades of hard work, he finally established a memorial site in the Isoko district of Yokohama City in the summer of 2025, fulfilling his long-standing wish.
Wu Zhengnan served as the director of the Japanese Friends of Lee Teng-hui for 22 years from 2003 until the end of 2025 when he resigned due to old age.
Summary FAQ
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Wu Zhengnan died of hepatocellular carcinoma on October 24 at the age of 99. Family members held a family funeral on 5 November in accordance with his last wishes, and declined to pay tribute, lay flowers or express condolences and bid farewell in a low-key manner.
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He joined the army as a Taiwanese Japanese soldier during World War II. When Japan was defeated in 1945, he was captured by Soviet forces in North Korea. He was then sent to Central Asia for labor and was not released until 1947.
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Wu Zhengnan has been working hard to secure a memorial site for the Taiwanese war dead for many years. After decades of campaigning, he finally fulfilled his long-standing wish, establishing a memorial site in the Isogo district of Yokohama city in the summer of 2025.
