My Father's Dying Wish - Legacies of War Guilt in a Japanese Family

Ayako Kurahashi

Paulownia press

2009

110 páginas

3h 40m

ISBN-12: 978095558221

What do you tell the victims of your own aggression and your children when you have participated in your nation's war atrocities? Yukichi Osawa silently pondered the issue for four decades after returning from service as a Kempei (military policeman) in Manchuria, concealing his thoughts even from his immediate family. His written request to his daughter Ayako Kurahashi to carve on his tombstone his apology to the Chinese people touched off a firestorm within the family. It transformed the life of Ayako and other family members as she fought not only to inscribe his will but also to carry his message of apology to the villagers of Manchuria where he had served. The issues, brought to life so poignantly in My Father's Dying Wish, are not just ones for Japanese (or Germans) to struggle with. Directly or indirectly, this book raises questions for citizens of all nations that have fought (and continue to fight) wars abroad, above all Americans. --Professor Mark Selden, Cornell University