; November 6, 1911 – March 17, 1942) was a vigilante, local hero, and saboteur who was active in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

(now Peninsular

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Biography

He was born in Minami-ku,

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

, and moved to Malaya with his family. After he took his education in Japan, his family returned to Malaya, where he lived at

Kuala Terengganu Kuala Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay language, Terengganu Malay: ''Kole Tranung''), colloquially referred to as KT, is the administrative, economic and royal List of capitals in Malaysia, city of the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Kuala Tereng ...

where they worked at a shop. There, he converted to Islam after being influenced by the local Malay culture of his friends. He also secretly married a Malay woman, but they later divorced. In 1931, when he was 20 years old, he returned to Japan for a military inspection. Although he worked for a shoe company, he missed his home and returned to Malaya. On November 6, 1933, a Chinese man killed and beheaded Tani's two sisters over the Mukden Incident. Seeking revenge against the man and his gang, he became a bandit known as Harimau ( Malay word for "Tiger"). Tani attacked some Chinese gangs and British officers, and gave away what he looted from richer officials to the poor, which made him into a local hero. He was then arrested at

Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...

and imprisoned for two months. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he became a

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

for the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

, sabotaging the British war effort. He died in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

where he is buried in the

Japanese Cemetery Park The Japanese Cemetery Park (Japanese: 日本人墓地公園; rōmaji: ''Nihonjin bochi kōen'') is a cemetery and memorial park in Hougang, Singapore. Covering an area of 29,359 square metres, it is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeas ...

. However, the accounts of his exact death differed: some sources claimed that he was killed during a mission to sabotage a dam at Johor, while others claim that he succeeded in the sabotage, and either died of his wounds or from

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. He is also one of the soldiers who were enshrined at the

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

, in spite of his Muslim faith.

In popular culture

His life story has been depicted in novels and in the films '' Marai no Tora'' (1943) and Harimau (1989). In addition, his treasure is sought after in the '' Lupin the 3rd: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure'' television special.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tani, Yutaka 1911 births 1942 deaths People from Terengganu Malaysian people of Japanese descent Converts to Islam Immigrants to Malaysia Japanese spies Japanese Muslims Japanese military personnel killed in World War II