Books on war

[motto]

One Fourteenth of an Elephant doesn't attempt to document Japan's overtly criminal behaviour and doesn't mention such activity. Japanese attitudes and actions permeate the story, they are not particularly focused on but woven in and through the narrative. The most unsettling aspect was the total indifference to suffering that was so casually demonstrated and universal. The lack of humanity is so alien to (modern) western culture it's difficult to get your head around.
The activities of the infamous Unit 731 are an entirely separate issue and the horrors carried out by them difficult to approach without stirring up deep emotions crowned by an overwhelming repugnance.
The full story of the unit will probably never be known as I understand that members were made immune from prosecution in return for handing over all their experimental data to the allies.
I find it a bitter pill to swallow that when he was Prime Minister Bob Hawke made funds available for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals who did not carry out crimes against Australians and nary a word is said about our buddies to the north who did so 'Bigtime'.

Sandakan, Tol Plantation, Banka Beach.

We Will Remember Them

David