Archive · 4 Jan 2026
Japanese War Orphan Becomes Chinese Midwife
A long time ago, there was a war between Japan and China.
After the war, many Japanese children were left in China without parents.
One of these children was a baby girl named Sakura Yamamoto.
She was adopted by a Chinese family and given the name Xu Yan.
Xu Yan grew up in China, loved by her adoptive family, especially her grandmother.
She became a doctor and then a midwife, helping many babies be born safely.
She never tried to find her Japanese family because she felt Chinese.
Her story was told in a documentary that many people watched.
Xu Yan, originally Sakura Yamamoto, was a Japanese war orphan left in China after World War II.
She was adopted by Chinese families and raised in Dalian, China, where she received love and education.
Xu Yan became a midwife and assisted in the safe delivery of many healthy babies in Shandong Province.
She learned about her Japanese origins later in life but chose to remain in China, considering it her true home.
Her story was featured in the documentary series Beyond Blood and Borders, which aired in December.
- Who
- Xu Yan, a Japanese war orphan raised by Chinese families
- What
- Her journey from being a war orphan to becoming a midwife
- When
- After the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, with the documentary airing in December
- Where
- China, specifically Shenyang, Dalian, and Shandong Province
- Why
- To highlight the impact of compassion across borders and her dedication to helping others
- Name
- Xu Yan (formerly Sakura Yamamoto)
- Birthplace
- Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China
- Adoptive Parents
- Xu Zhenfu and his wife
- Grandmother's Location
- Dalian, a port city in northeast China
- Profession
- Midwife
- Documentary Series
- Beyond Blood and Borders
- Number of Japanese War Orphans in China
- More than 4,000
- Current Residence
- Dalian, China