The following news piece was translated from an article in the Greek newspaper EMBROS.
The article was published on page 1 under the main title 'The Slaughterhouse of Smyrna.'
THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE OF SMYRNA
THE BRAVE STANCE OF THE JAPANESE
September 4, 1922 (September 17 on the Gregorian calendar).
It's worth emphasizing the philanthropic
and brave stance of the captain of the
Japanese ship Tokei-Maru after it managed
to save 825 refugees of Greek ethnic origin
who were being subjected to Turkish threats.
The Japanese captain, who was moved
by the wild massacres and the appeals of the
refugees, sent all the ship's lifeboats to take
as many refugees as was possible. After
surrounding the lifeboats, an officer of the
Kemalist Army then threatened to sink them.
The Japanese captain, who was personally
troubled by this, then declared to the Kemalist
officers, that if even one single hair follicle of
the refugees were touched, he would consider
it an insult to the Japanese flag and the
Japanese Government would demand
As a result of this threat, the Kemalists
consulted with their leaders and were obliged
to let the refugees board the Japanese ship.
A Japanese flagged ship (most likely the Tokei-Maru) at Smyrna in September 1922.
The Great Fire | Smyrna September 1922
La Mort de Smyrne (The Death of Smyrna), René Puaux
16 Sep 1922: Turks Killed 120,000, East Oregonian
15 Sep 1922: Turks Kill Women and Babes, The Evening Star
18 Sep 1922: Smyrna Ablaze. Stories of Massacre