I have heard a lot of countless stories about the Yamashita treasure. Whether true or not it really upsets me because of the amazing stories beyond it which I believe they are untrue and only a figment of imagination of those people who invented it to profit from this scam. The “Yamashita treasure” was only an invention or a hoax of Marcos purportedly to hide his misdeeds in robbing his country’s wealth. The elusive treasure had inspired many treasure hunters to dig and search for most of the garrisons that the Japanese had interred during World War II.
The Yamashita treasure came in popularity when a Baguio locksmith named “Rogelio Roxas” allegedly discovered an underground tunnel near Baguio General Hospital in Jan 24, 1971 a giant Golden Buddha statue about 3 feet in height estimated to weigh around 1 metric ton or 1,000 kilogram along with 24 bars of gold. The statue head is removable that contain at least two handful of uncut diamonds. On the same year, agents allegedly from NBI and CIS armed with search warrant issued by Marcos cousin Judge Pio Marcos and confiscated the gold bars and statue from his home in Baguio and they deposited it in a Judge Marcos sala. Roxas later claimed that the statue was switched with a fake one and President Marcos was said to have orchestrated the confiscation and he took the genuine statue in his possession. He filed a case in a US District court alleging that the statue was seized from him at gun point and he was tortured and incarcerated for 3 years. The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal while describing the findings of the Roxas v. Marcos litigation stated: "The Yamashita Treasure was discovered by Roxas and stolen from Roxas by Marcos’s men”. The issues of Yamashita treasure as in fact an opposition attack to Marcos by the Liberal Party before the declaration of Martial law.
There are even invitations in the web that inviting prospects and even paranormals to invest in looking for the treasure. Part of the myth why the Cojuangco family of Danding Cojuangco becomes rich after World War II is that they allegedly found sacks of bags of money given by the retreating Japanese in their home in Paniqui, Tarlac.
Is there a truth to the legend?
Sterling Seagrave wrote in his books “The Yamato Dynasty: the Secret History of Japan's Imperial Family” and “Gold Warriors: America's Secret Recovery of Yamashita's Gold” that the looting was organized in massive scale by stealing the treasure of countries invaded by Japan by Yakuza gangsters through Emperor Hirohito’s brother Prince Chichibu to finance Japan wartime effort. Parts of the planned colonies occupied by the Japanese in their Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere are Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Manchuria (China). The Japanese was said to have pillaged the precious metals and gems of this countries and load them to ships bound to Philippines and hide them to our caves and tunnels and tripped them with mines and gas canisters. Those who buried the treasure according to the tale were also buried alive with the treasure.
Let us the examined the exploits of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita. Yamashita was considered to be a moderate that in fact he was in favor of keeping peace with the Allies. Because of his objection in attacking China and as a known pacifist he was assigned as a lowly Division Commander in Kwantung Army of occupied China or Manchuria. Until he was tasked to command the 25th Army which ordered to launch an invasion of Malaya from French Indo-China (or Vietnam and Cambodia) just after midnight after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Dec 8, 1941. His military strategies considered to be a great success considering that his 30,000 troops had captured 130,000 Indian, British and Australian troops or the largest surrender of British led troops in history. Thus he earned the nickname “Tiger of Malaya”. The British capitulated in Singapore because they are not a priority in the allocation of men and material because of the priority of the British at that time was the war in their home front. The importance of Japanese conquering Malaya can be summed also in 3 words – OIL. Why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor it is because the US declared an oil embargo on Japan. Japan fearing they may ran out of supplies in their war with China and Russia and emboldens by dreams of creating the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere up to Australia. Japan needs the oil in Borneo to finance his war effort and since the Philippines was part of the shipping lane (as Ronald Reagan once called it “choke points”) to ship this oil to Japan, it is but logical and necessary to invade and conquer also the Philippines and Malaya.
Due to his exploits Gen Yamashita became popular in Japan military circles. Then Prime minister of Japan Gen. Hideki Tojo, used to be a superior of Yamashita in the Kwantung Army became jealous of this popularity and assigned him back to Manchuria in July 17, 1942 to head the Japanese First Army and effectively sidelining the great General from the Pacific theater. And it was only in the later part of 1944 that Gen Yamashita was pull out from banishment in China to lead the Japanese defense in suspected American assault of the Philippines. When the Americans landed in Leyte, Yamashita decided to go north and establish his stubborn resistance in the mountains of Cordillera. He was eventually captured by Philippine scouts in Kiangan, Ifugao and not by Americans as reported and written in history books. He was tried by a military tribunal due to his war crimes debatable up to this day if he was indeed responsible in the” Massacre of Manila” though he did not declare Manila as MacArthur did before his retreat to Bataan as an open city. He ordered his troops to leave Manila and go northward. But one Marine Division was left behind to defend Manila Harbor and was responsible for rampaging Manila at that time. There was a failure of communications at that time among Japanese defenders in Manila and those who went to the north. He was found guilty of command responsibility and executed in Los Banos on 23 Feb 1946.
There is no Yamashita treasure and it was considered to be just a myth because;
1. It is impossible for General Yamashita after pillaging Malaya to bring to the Philippines the treasure because after his triumph in Malaya he was thrown and assign again in China. And if there could be a collection of treasures from Malaya (like the Golden Buddha) this could have been shipped to Japan. It would be physically impossible for Yamashita to hoard this treasure in China and bring them back to the Philippines.
2. When Yamashita surrendered in 2 Sept 1945 he was confined and interviewed by the Americans until his execution in Feb 1946. He could have divulge the existence of the treasure in exchange of a lighter sentence by the military tribunal since there is no solid evidence found that he is indeed responsible for war crimes. Or if we follow the argument that his trial was done in haste just to silence him about the treasure then the Americans probably unearthed or came in possession of the said treasures.
3. Assuming for the sake of argument that the treasures did not came from Malaya but from Yamashita’s last assignment before coming to the Philippines from China. He could have brought home the treasure to Japan and did not bring them instead to the Philippines because he knew the fact that the Americans are coming over to the Philippines.
Since the tale of the treasure is buried with Gen Yamashita. The mystery lives on as a myth.
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