09 History of Tatars in Japan - Japonyada Turklerin Tarihi
Episode 9
Second world war devastated Japan. Defeated Japan was re-shaped under the occupant powers. Emperor was no more than a symbol anymore. All remaining heavy weapons and vehicles of Japanese army got destroyed. The cost Big Asia dream for Japan was very high. Tatar community in Japan went through these difficult times however they had an advantage. Thanks to the high level of education in Tatar schools, children were able to speak Tatar Turkish, Russian, English and Japanese. This opened them many new fields of work during the US occupation of Japan as they were the only non-Asian local minority in Japan. Other than works like translator or interpreters for US forces in Japan, they found jobs for example in movies about the war (playing the foreigners) etc. Newcasters, actors, sportsmen, even martial arts, Tatars were active in many parts of social and cultural life of Japan. Yusuf Toruko (Yusuf the Turk) was one of the most famous of them all. He was a never-losing pro-wrestler who also appeared in some movies and tv dramas. He is the master of many other well-known pro-wrestlers like Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba.
