Tales by Japanese Soldiers (Cassell Military Paperbacks) [Paperback]

John Nunneley (Author), Kazao Tamayama (Author), Kazuo Tamayama (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0304359785 | ISBN-13: 978-0304359783 | Publication Date: October 2001

Over 305,000 Japanese soldiers fought in Burma between 1942 and 1945; 180,000 of them died. This book, uniquely, tells how the common soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army lived, fought and died in that terrible conflict. Here are straightforward accounts, sometimes moving, often shocking, of what it was like to fight a war in a strange country, far from home, short of food and weapons, confused, facing death from disease and starvation as well as enemy action. Sixty-two 'tales', translated from the Japanese, trace the Burma campaign in chronological sequence and together offer a new perspective on a terrible war. Japanese soldiers, navy men, fighter pilots, and others were from a different culture, but they were not the devils of popular legend. Just like their enemies, they were scared young men, fighting to the death a war they didn't understand.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Very few memoirs of Japanese soldiers who fought in WWII have come to light, so the Japanese combatant of that era has become something of a mythic figure, viewed chiefly through the recollections of former enemies. This volume, originally published in the U.K., offers a rare series of first-person accounts from at least one group of men who served with the Imperial Japanese Army. Filled with pathos and humanity, these 62 tales reveal what life was like for ordinary Japanese soldiers on the bloody Burma front. Here we find a Japanese soldier stunned at being denied an expected discharge on December 8, 1941. He soon learns the reason his commanders need him to remain in uniform, and then has trouble convincing others in his unit that Japan has in fact declared war on the United States. Elsewhere, a frightened nurse hiding in the jungle is surrounded by "horrible worms." Rather than be captured by the enemy, the nurse tries to strangle herself with her belt. (She is captured and survives to tell her harrowing tale.) Japanese soldier Manabu Wada gives a cigarette to a British prisoner who is assigned to a bridge construction crew. While the British prisoner is smoking Wada's cigarette, he begins to criticize the Japanese for inefficient use of prisoner labor. The two men argue, but he and the British prisoner end their heated conversation with a handshake. "Because he spoke with such confidence of the virtues of his mother country," Wada writes, "I bore him respect and at the same time had an affection for him." Wada then repeats a Japanese proverb: "Yesterday's enemy is tomorrow's friend." All told, this is a West-friendly collection from long-silent voices.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

British and Indian forces had the grim job of opposing the Japanese Army as it overran the western half of the Siamese peninsula, then called Burma. When lines of supply were cut by the Allies, the Japanese were gradually pushed south and, starving and out of ammunition, died by the tens of thousands. This book consists of recollections by Japanese survivors of this terrible campaign, who describe instances of poignant sacrifice, heroism, and occasional compassion shown toward the enemy by both sides. Keep in mind that this was compiled for a British audience by what is called the Burma Campaign Fellowship Group, which has the laudable aim of promoting friendship between former combatants on both sides; after over a half-century, the tentative nature of this effort is still evident between the lines in the editors' choices. This volume is nonetheless full of imagery and information on the Burma Theater and is recommended, especially for the military historian. Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304359785
• ISBN-13: 978-0304359783
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Personal Narratives
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Asia > Japan
  • #83 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Strategy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection of personal experiences, May 18, 2001

By 

Carter A. Malkasian (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales by Japanese Soldiers (Cassell Military Trade Books) (Hardcover)

_Tales by Japanese Soldiers_ is a much needed addition to the very small number of Japanese sources on the Second World War available in the English language.

The book deals with the Burma Campaign where a very large number of Japanese faced the combined British, Indian, Chinese, and US forces. In fact, the Japanese suffered their largest defeats on land in Burma. On the other hand, the Allies also suffered their longest retreat of the war here in 1942.

Several Japanese officers and soldiers recount their experiences in _Tales by Japanese Soldiers_. Descriptions are given in chronological order, beginning with the 1942 invasion of Burma and ending with the British return in 1945. The biggest section is on the Battle of Imphal-Kohima, the great battle of attrition in 1944, in which the entire Japanese 15th Army was decimated. Stories of the retreat from Imphal are particularly compelling, especially a set of drawings by Yasumasa Nishiji.

This is an important book that adds valuable perspective on the experience of the Japanese in the Second World War.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Living in hell through Asian eyes.., December 25, 2004

By 

Takis Tz. (InYourHead) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales by Japanese Soldiers (Cassell Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping to get a view on how the Japanese soldiers experienced the war in Burma and war in general, but more importantly i was hoping for a different view than the one we are "accustomed" to through books written by Westerners.

The western market is saturated with such books describing experiences from various wars and times, but when i searched in Amazon i found only a handful translated into english and written by Asians.

In that regard i was surprised to see that most of the content of the book could've been written by a Westerner as well. There are, naturally, several accounts in the 60 and over stories included that do provide an insight into the Japanese psyche but they arent the majority.

One prevailing element is that most of the authors of the stories are very cynical in their desciptions, but in strange matter of fact way. They describe very scholastically what the situation was but as if from the eye of a distant observer.

Is this a worthy read generally speaking? Absolutely. Even if some of the stories are paradoxically boring for being battle accounts most are nothing less than gripping. There is one story in particular, that stood out in my mind where a japanese soldier not only narrates a harrowing account of a very ritical battle in Burma but also provides sketches he did in order to describe the horrors he witnessed. These sketches along with the accompanying descriptions will stay on your mind because of their sheer intensity.

Otherwise, this book is also very interesting from a military point of view as it provides a historical account of the difficulties and hardships as well as the strategical approaches of the Japanese during the war in Burma..

Another thing that is amongst the more noteworthy things here is that the Japanese would prefer suicide rather than fall into the hands of the enemy. Several such accounts are to be found in the book.

The last few stories are told by Japanese nurses and have a very special interest of their own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection of personal experiences, May 18, 2001

By 

Carter A. Malkasian (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales by Japanese Soldiers (Cassell Military Trade Books) (Hardcover)

_Tales by Japanese Soldiers_ is a much needed addition to the very small number of Japanese sources on the Second World War available in the English language.

The book deals with the Burma Campaign where a very large number of Japanese faced the combined British, Indian, Chinese, and US forces. In fact, the Japanese suffered their largest defeats on land in Burma. On the other hand, the Allies also suffered their longest retreat of the war here in 1942.

Several Japanese officers and soldiers recount their experiences in _Tales by Japanese Soldiers_. Descriptions are given in chronological order, beginning with the 1942 invasion of Burma and ending with the British return in 1945. The biggest section is on the Battle of Imphal-Kohima, the great battle of attrition in 1944, in which the entire Japanese 15th Army was decimated. Stories of the retreat from Imphal are particularly compelling, especially a set of drawings by Yasumasa Nishiji.

This is an important book that adds valuable perspective on the experience of the Japanese in the Second World War.