A Japanese Memoir of Sumatra 1945-1946: Love and Hatred in the Liberation War

This memoir is both historical and fictional-illustrating both the problems and the pleasures of this method of writing. The author recorded this emotional history immediately after reestablishing himself in Japan and though, as he says, much of it is based on fact, a few details are illustrated by complementary fictions. The author, appointed to the position of liaison officer managing Indonesian affairs for Japan's army in North Sumatra, records the conflicts between the Japanese, who wanted to aid the Indonesians, and the victorious Allied Forces. Proclaiming Indonesians the brothers of the Japanese, this memoir is a fascinating study of human struggle, action, and behavior related in a flowing and conversational style-it is history from the point of view of one who lived through it.