THE PRINCE OF PLUNDER
History should have recorded him as the world’s most ruthless and avaricious bandit of all time. Instead, it has passed him by virtually unnoticed, thanks to the onset of the cold war and the well-laid designs of western elites.
Prince Chichibu was the younger brother of Japan’s Emperor Hirohito and had been named by the Emperor to head the ultra-secret Golden Lily – a secretive group tasked with looting China of its wealth – both government and privately owned hard assets. Beginning in 1937, with the Rape of Nanking, the plunder teams set to work with a vengeance. The spoils were far larger than had been imagined. It is believed that 6,000 metric tonnes of gold, plus a bounty of silver and precious gemstones fell in to the hands of Japan’s imperial treasury as a consequence.[SUP] [2] [/SUP]
The phenomenal wealth of East and Southeast Asia had accrued over thousands of years and Japan wanted it all. Over the next seven years the Orient was wrung dry of its precious metals, solid gold religious artifacts and an unbelievable quantity of gemstones.
Most of this was shipped by the Japanese to the Philippines as a collecting point, for onward shipment to Tokyo. However, by 1943 the sea-lanes had been cut by US submarines and the decision was taken to bury the plunder throughout the Philippines. This was based on Japan’s expectation of a negotiated truce that would leave them ruling the Philippines. Thereafter, the recovery of the plunder could take place in secret over many years making Japan one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
The Spoils of War - The Secret Story of WWII Japanese & Nazi Gold
History should have recorded him as the world’s most ruthless and avaricious bandit of all time. Instead, it has passed him by virtually unnoticed, thanks to the onset of the cold war and the well-laid designs of western elites.
Prince Chichibu was the younger brother of Japan’s Emperor Hirohito and had been named by the Emperor to head the ultra-secret Golden Lily – a secretive group tasked with looting China of its wealth – both government and privately owned hard assets. Beginning in 1937, with the Rape of Nanking, the plunder teams set to work with a vengeance. The spoils were far larger than had been imagined. It is believed that 6,000 metric tonnes of gold, plus a bounty of silver and precious gemstones fell in to the hands of Japan’s imperial treasury as a consequence.[SUP] [2] [/SUP]
The phenomenal wealth of East and Southeast Asia had accrued over thousands of years and Japan wanted it all. Over the next seven years the Orient was wrung dry of its precious metals, solid gold religious artifacts and an unbelievable quantity of gemstones.
Most of this was shipped by the Japanese to the Philippines as a collecting point, for onward shipment to Tokyo. However, by 1943 the sea-lanes had been cut by US submarines and the decision was taken to bury the plunder throughout the Philippines. This was based on Japan’s expectation of a negotiated truce that would leave them ruling the Philippines. Thereafter, the recovery of the plunder could take place in secret over many years making Japan one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
The Spoils of War - The Secret Story of WWII Japanese & Nazi Gold
