Japanese journalist Takano Isao: "Holding a camera, still recording the afternoon sun"

Portrait of war journalist Takano Isao (documentary photo)

Brave witness

Following the instructions of a colleague who is residing in Lang Son, it did not take me long to find a special grave in the Lang Son City Martyrs Cemetery, also known as Hoang Dong Cemetery, on Tran Dang Ninh Street (Lang Son City). This is the resting place of nearly 500 heroic martyrs from all over the country who sacrificed their lives in the war to protect the northern border, when the Chinese expansionist army invaded in 1979.

In the vast space of Vietnamese martyrs' tombstones, there is a special tomb, with a special shape and in a special position, on which is engraved the inscription: "Comrade ISAO TAKANO, reporter of HAKAHATA Newspaper (Japan), sacrificed in Lang Son town on March 7, 1979". The tomb has 3 sides, covered with red stone with a sharp tip pointing up to the sky. Did the builders of the tomb want his resting place to be like a sharp pen writing on the sky of the border region, telling peace-loving people around the world about the story of the war in Vietnam that year?

Six years ago, journalist Duong Xuan Nam, former Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong Newspaper, wrote the article "The February 17th Event and Journalist Takano" (*). In the article, he said that right after the enemy attacked the northern border, he was one of the reporters of Tien Phong Newspaper who went to the border, to Lang Son, and during the business trip, he followed the car carrying journalist Takano. "At that time, the Chinese soldiers were still stationed on the other side of Ky Lua Bridge. They were shooting at us like bullets. The bullets were chirping and exploding overhead. I looked at journalist Takano and saw him still standing. I raised my camera to the other side of Ky Lua Bridge, where the invaders were occupying. The commander seemed to have seen it too, so he shouted loudly: Lie down, lie down! But, Takano was still standing, still determined to carry out his duty as a journalist on the battlefield, regardless of the danger... A series of loud gunshots came from the other side of Ky Lua Bridge. I saw Takano fall. When people ran over, Takano was unconscious, bleeding profusely... He was taken by ambulance to the rear line, to the hospital, but due to severe injuries and loss of blood, he died," journalist Duong Xuan Nam wrote.

​Ky Lua Bridge, now Ky Cung Bridge (Lang Son City). At the time of his death, journalist Isao Takano's lens was still aimed at the Chinese expansionist army on the other side of the bridge, who were firing bullets at our army.

When Japanese journalist Takano died, poet Huy Can wrote about him, saying "Holding the camera, still recording the afternoon sun...". And musician Pho Duc Phuong wrote about him in the song "Takano - Brave Witness": The truth will eventually prevail, your love will forever be passionate. How beautiful is Takano's youth!

A person who is very good at Vietnamese

When journalist Takano died, some people thought that he did not know Vietnamese and did not understand the commander's shout "Lie down, everyone lie down". But that was not true, Takano was a student of the Vietnamese Language Department, Hanoi University from 1967-1971. He was very good at Vietnamese so many people who met him thought he was Vietnamese. When working as a journalist, he participated in reporting on the southwestern border war and the war in the North of Vietnam, as a special correspondent for Akahata Newspaper - the mouthpiece of the Japanese Communist Party.

Also in the article, journalist Duong Xuan Nam wrote that Takano died in the Ky Lua bridge area. The bridge is now called Ky Cung bridge, spanning the Ky Cung river, near the center of Lang Son city. Hoang Dong cemetery, where journalist Takano was laid to rest, is about 3 km from where he died.

Before falling, journalist Takano, like other genuine international journalists, announced to the world the truth about the border war. It was an unjust war launched by the Chinese government to serve its expansionist plot.

June - the month of Vietnamese revolutionary journalists and we cannot forget, 44 years ago, a colleague from a faraway country fell in his country for justice.

Grave of journalist Takano Isao at the Martyrs Cemetery of Lang Son City

(*): Original article written by Tacano

Journalist Takano was born in 1943 in Kobe City. In 1979, when the Vietnam-China border war broke out, he was sent to Lang Son as a special agent reporter. He sacrificed his life, leaving behind his wife and 5-year-old child in his hometown in Japan. Later, his remains were brought back by his wife to be buried at the foot of Zaou Mountain, Miyagi Province (Japan).

TIEN HUY