The 1930s were not a fun time to live anywhere, particularly in Japan, where its nascent export industries were devastated due to the Great Depression, leading to mass emigration, especially from Kumamoto. Some went to South America (mostly Brazil, where their agricultural skills came in handy), and my home state of California (where their agricultural skills also came in handy). My wife’s grandmother went to Manchuria. I’d been there and was eager to engage in conversation, but she was extremely reluctant to talk about it. Some of them - or their scion - returned. Kumanichi has a fascinating article regarding this (as always, Google Translate is your friend). - William https://kumanichi.com/articles/251035