Камімура Шін’ічі: кохання чи кар’єра?

Abstract

In 1889 a decision was made to establish a Japanese consulate in Odesa. The institution was opened in 1892. But in 1909 the institution temporarily closed its work. It was restored during the Soviet era in 1926. Sasaki Seigo became the first consul. The staff also included Vice-Consul Kamimura Shin’ichi and Secretary Goto Yasutsugu. When Sasaki was recalled, Kamimura became acting consul. He headed the institution from May 1926 to February 1927. Secretary Goto Yasutsugu remained with him. At that time, consular officers performed typical duties: researching local periodicals, traveling to and from the consular region, and compiling reports on the economic, social, and cultural life of Ukraine and the Soviet Union. From the first days of its activity, the consulate aroused passionate interest from the counterintelligence department of the State Political Administration. They tried to establish external surveillance of the Japanese and get their own agents among the consulate staff. The first task was completed without much hassle. But the counterintelligence did not succeed in the second task for the period of Kamimura’s stay in the city. Due to this, the Odesa department constantly received requests from Kharkiv and Moscow to recruit as a secret agent someone from the consulate or people especially close to the Japanese. As early as 1926, counterintelligence officers turned their attention to Iryna Zagorska, Kamimura Shin’ichi’s civilian wife. At the beginning of the summer of 1926, they had a child together. For the period from spring to summer of 1926, the State Political Administration was of the opinion that her recruitment was impossible. But constant quarrels between Shin’ichi and Iryna over the latter’s reckless lifestyle motivated Soviet special services to reconsider their position. At the end of 1926, they contacted Zagorska, who agreed to cooperate. But it did not bring the desired results for the State Political Administration. In early 1927, counterintelligence officers even came into direct contact with Kamimura, who refused to cooperate. Reconstruction of the period of Kamimura Shin’ichi’s work in Odesa, tracing the main directions of his activity and analysis of the nature of his interaction with the State Political Administration is the goal of our publication.