Japan and the Shadows of War

This is an interesting book that takes a more literary look at World War II through Japanese eyes. The book consists of short stories, poetry, manga and memoirs, and also contains a good number of photographs.

One item I found particularly interesting related to Japanese newspapers. On December 19, 1932, all 132 Japanese newspapers issued a joint declaration:

'We, in the name of Japan's organs of public opinion, stand firmly opposed to any policy that would in the slightest way endanger the existence of the Manchurian state.'

This, of course, refers to Manchuko, which was a puppet-state that Japan had set up after it had invaded China. I think the fact that every single paper issued the same statement shows the degree of control over the mass-media that the Japanese state had even at that early a date.

Another interesting story was from a couple from Hungary that were in Japan when the war started. They write that nationals of Allied nations were sent to a prison camp near Kobe, while nationals of Germany and Italy were sent to a place near Mount Fuji. Since Hungary was neutral, the couple was sent to live in the countryside. They write about food rationing, noting that they (husband, wife, and two children) received a pound of bread a week for the whole family, and no milk. They got other food by growing it, getting it from a stream, and buying it from other farmers.

After the Tokyo firebombing, the police notified them that they were no longer allowed to communicate with Japanese people; they couldn't even greet them on the street. The reason apparently was to stop any Japanese hearing any bad news about the war.

Another interesting part of the book is 'Last Letters,' which were letters written by men going out on kamikaze missions.

The manga portion is from Barefoot Gen, which is about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The drawing style is extremely graphic.

The Battle of Okinawa was apparently also known as the 'Typhoon of Steel.' There were some high school girls on the island who had been mobilized as nurses. Out of 219 mobilized, some 200 were eventually killed in the battle. They were kicked out of caves where Japanese soldiers were hiding, and were told they were not allowed to surrender.

As far as Japanese-run POW camps goes, 140,000 Allied soldiers were imprisoned in Southeast Asia, and about one-third of them died in captivity.

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