I was born in Japan. I have lived for 30 years in America,
9 years in Switzerland and 20 years in England.
When my English was not good enough,
I expressed
myself through art
(see the tree collage below).
As my English improved, I started to write books.
I’ve
written eight books in Japanese and two in English.
The common thread woven through all my books is
my desire to build a bridge between the East
and the West.
My latest book, Japan’s World War II Legacy
(the Japanese version, Senso o itamu hitobito,
was
published later),
is an effort to find the truth of the war,
its motivation and ruthlessness, through interviews
with
Japanese veterans many of whom have been
hiding their
memories deep down and trying to atone
for their actions.
Why did the normally gentle
Japanese
wage so savage a war?
Has the nation reflected on
it
sufficiently?
This book is an attempt to answer
these questions through interviews
with Japanese veterans of WWII
and members of the post-war
generation.
