Japan’s Pacific War: Personal Accounts of the Emperor’s Warriors

Based on years of research and over on hundred interviews with veterans, Peter Williams has compiled a fascinating collection of personal accounts by former Japanese soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

The candid views these narratives present are often provocative and shocking. There are admissions of brutality, the killing of prisoners, and cannibalism. Stark descriptions of appalling conditions and bitter fighting blend with descriptions of family life. The views on the prowess of the enemy differ–a few, like air ace Kazuo Tsunoda, believed the Australians ‘worthy.’ Some subjects remain unrepentant while others such as Hideo Abe are ashamed of his part in Japan’s war of aggression.

The result is a revealing insight into the minds of a ruthless and formidable enemy which provides the reader with a fresh perspective on World War II.