Yoshiko Kawashima: “Mata Hari of the Far East” Executed for Treason After WWII

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · Apr 22, 2026 · 10m

Yoshiko Kawashima, known as the “Mata Hari of the Far East,” was a spy, collaborator, and key figure in Japan’s expansion in China who was executed for treason after World War II. Born into the fading Qing imperial dynasty but raised in Japan as the adopted child of a spy, Yoshiko Kawashima lived one of the most extraordinary—and controversial—lives of the 20th century. Known across East Asia as the “Mata Hari of the Far East” and later as the “Last Princess of Manchuria,” she moved between identities, empires, and loyalties during a turbulent era defined by war, espionage, and collapsing…