Japanese Perceptions of Papua New Guinea : War, Travel and the Reimagining of History

"Japanese Perceptions of Papua New Guinea exposes the interactions between two ostensibly opposing worlds: war and travel. While soldiers deployed to Eastern New Guinea during the Second World War recalled first-hand their experience of war, post-war tourists visited battle-sites, met locals, and drew their own conclusions about the Pacific island from the Japanese media. This book, in bringing travel and war closer together through a comparative analysis of veterans' memoirs and the records of postwar travelers, explores how individuals consume, create, and recreate war histories. As a result, Ryota Nishino reveals the extent to which the memory of defeat - for both soldiers and civilians alike - influenced the Japanese perceptions of Papua New Guinea and shaped future relations between the countries. Translating a diverse range of Japanese primary and archival sources, this book provides the first English-language analysis of the social and political impact of Japanese interpretations of the PNG campaign and its aftermath. As such, Japanese Perceptions of Papua New Guinea: War, Travel and the Reimagining of History is an important text for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of war, nationalism, and memory culture in Japan and the Pacific Islands"-- Provided by publisher Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Note to the Reader Preface Acknowledgements 1 Introduction Part 1 Memoirs of Soldiers and Army Doctors 2 To hell and back: The question of cannibalism in memoirs of the New Guinea campaign 3 Army doctors’ struggle with medical crises and self-discipline Part 2 Films and Documentaries 4 Finding reasons for living and dying in a war zone: Cinematic adaptations of Kato Daisuke’s Minami-no-shima ni yuki ga fur 5 Documentaries as co-performative partnership: Framing and presenting testimonies of painful memories Part 3 Travelogues 6 From a soldier to a best friend forever? Manga artist Mizuki Shigeru and the villagers of New Britain Island 7 Vicarious consumer travel and the performance of emotional awakening in travelogues 8 Conclusion: The road behind and ahead Glossary Notes Note to the Reader Preface 1 Introduction 2 To hell and back: The question of cannibalism in memoirs of the New Guinea campaign 3 Army doctors’ struggle with medical crises and self-discipline 4 Finding reasons for living and dying in a war zone: Cinematic adaptations of Katō Daisuke’s Minami-no-shima ni yuki ga furu 5 Documentaries as co-performative partnership: Framing and presenting testimonies of painful memories 6 From a soldier to a best friend forever? Manga artistMizuki Shigeru and the villagers of New Britain Island 7 Vicarious consumer travel and the performance of emotional awakening in travelogues 8 Conclusion: The road behind and ahead Select Bibliography Index