Tokyo (VNA) – Igari Kasumasa, later known in Vietnam as “comrade Phan Lai,” was a former Japanese army officer who gave up the imperial uniform to join the Viet Minh, a decision that transformed his life and laid the foundation for a touching bond between the two nations and peoples.
More than 80 years later, his son — photographer Phan The Vong (Japanese name Igari Masao) continues that legacy, driven by a deep love for his mother’s homeland where his father once lived, fought, and devoted his life.
The father – The remarkable international soldier
Born in 1919, Igari Kasumasa graduated from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in 1943 before joining the army. In early 1945, he was assigned to Vietnam as commander of a guard company in Hue.
After Japan’s coup against France on March 9, 1945, Japanese forces began suffering successive defeats. General Ikawa, head of the army staff, dispatched several Japanese officers, including Phan Lai, to train Viet Minh forces in Thua Thien–Hue in preparation for the General Uprising. At that time, Phan Lai and some Japanese soldiers joined forces with the Viet Minh to fight the French.
As commander of a Japanese guard company in Hue, Phan Lai witnessed the turning point when Japan began losing on all fronts. After the Allies' victory, French troops returned to Vietnam and many Japanese officers were ordered to fight the Viet Minh. But Phan Lai firmly refused, declaring he would never turn his gun on those who had once fought alongside . He even told his superiors that if forced, he would choose ritual suicide in the spirit of the samurai.
With his commander’s consent, Phan Lai and his entire unit left the Japanese army, surrendered their weapons in Phan Thiet, and joined the Viet Minh. It was an unprecedented decision in Japanese military history, choosing to stand with the people of a foreign land out of faith in a just cause.
As “comrade Phan Lai,” he taught a secret Viet Minh class in Nha Trang on commando tactics, drawing from Japan’s famed Kamikaze units. Transcending nationality and former rank, he became a military instructor for the Viet Minh, training young officers in special operations at the Quang Ngai military academy.
After completing his mission in Quang Ngai, Phan Lai was assigned to Hanoi and later to the Viet Minh’s safe zone in Thai Nguyen, where he prepared army training curriculum, a silient yet vital contribution to a military taking shape amid the hardships of resistance. It was also there that a turning point in his personal life began when he married a Vietnamese woman.
After completing the army training curriculum, Phan Lai, with his medical background, was assigned to the Military Medical Department as a dentist and lecturer at the Viet Bac military medical school. Following Vietnam’s victory over the French, he settled with his family in Nam Dinh province (now Ninh Binh province) and opened a dental clinic.
In 1959, Phan Lai and his family decided to return to Japan as Japan allowed repatriated soldiers to bring their families.
The Son – the keeper of legacy
Memories of Vietnam lived on in Phan Lai and were passed to his youngest son, Phan The Vong as he grew up. After witnessing Vietnam’s victory on April 30, 1975, Phan Lai began recounting his years fighting for the country’s independence. He passed away in 1981, but his legacy endures, carefully preserved by his son as a cherished part of family heritage.
In Vong’s home in Sendai, photographs of Phan Lai and his family in Vietnam are proudly displayed. Among them, the most striking are two medals —the first-class Feat of Arms Order and the second-class Victory Order— awarded to Igari Kasumasa in 1955 and 1958 for his outstanding service to the Vietnam People’s Army and his contributions during the resistance war against the French.
Beyond preserving his father’s memory, Vong is a passionate photographer and a cultural bridge between Vietnam and Japan, whose deep love for his mother’s homeland has brought him back many times to capture thousands of images portraying the simple beauty of its people, landscapes, and daily life.
In December 1991, Vong held a solo exhibition in Hanoi titled “Dat nuoc va con nguoi Viet Nam” (Vietnam – Its land and people), showcasing 63 black-and-white and colour photographs from five visits to his mother’s homeland. The exhibition vividly captured Vietnam’s beauty through its fields, workers’ smiles, and the simple daily life, embodying his family’s enduring wish to always look toward Vietnam.
The presence of General Vo Nguyen Giap, who had once commanded Phan Lai, made the event especially moving, as the commander recalled shared memories and expressed heartfelt gratitude to Phan Lai’s family for their unforgettable contributions.
The story of two generations of Japanese with Vietnamese hearts — Phan Lai and Phan The Vong — stands as both a profound symbol of Vietnam–Japan friendship and a timeless tale of courage, loyalty, and humanity that transcends borders and nations.
From the father who chose Vietnam’s ideals over military orders, to the son who cherished every memory and spread his love for the S-shaped land, the story of Phan Lai and Phan The Vong proves that love for a country need not be tied to birthplace, but can begin with a righteous choice, loyalty to ideals, and a compassionate heart—and once kindled, it will never fade./.
