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Yamashita's gold refers to the supposed billions of
dollars in gold that were looted from
East and
Southeast Asia by
Japan during
World War II and left behind hidden in the
Philippines. Most people believe the reports of gold to be an
urban legend, yet there are still many treasure hunters who believe in
the stories and comb the Philippine countryside in search of the gold.
Story
The gold itself is belived to have been anything from gold bullion to
religous statues. The idea was that the gold from Asia would finance
Japan's war effort, since that nation is poor in resources. The gold had
to be transported from the continent back to Japan, via the sea. Most of
the stolen gold from South East Asia was first shiped to the port of
Singapore, where it was then relayed to the
Philippines. From the Philippines the gold was intended to be shiped
to the Japanese home islands. However, as the war in the Pacific
progressed, the
US Navy took a heavy toll on Japan's shiping. The Japanese then took
the gold and hid it in caves and underground complexes throughout the
Philippines, hoping to recover it after the war was over. However, many of
those who knew of the locations of the gold were either executed or
incarcirated for
war crimes, including General
Tomoyuki Yamashita, the General in charge of the Philippines, and
aleged ringleader of the operation. Thus, the wereabouts of the gold were
lost. Many have attempted expiditions to recover the gold, most turn up
empty handed.
Ferdinand Marcos claimed to have discovered the location of the gold
and used it to finance his lifestyle. This has been discredited, and
Marcos was proven to be a ruthless dictator who stole from the Filipino
treasury.
A number of fictionalized creations involved Yamashita's Gold. Among
them the computer game
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun and a Filipino film,
Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure
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