Iacta Alea Est!

Wargaming is a method for historians, professionals and hobbyists alike, to get inside the minds of the actors of past conflicts. The games, or simulations, can take place at the … Continue Reading →

Separated By War Since 1942

Yang Youfu was 24 years old when he was drafted from his village in southwest China’s Sichuan province to fight in the war against Japan, leaving his one-year old son … Continue Reading →

War Poems

To express the essence of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in 104 poems—that is the mission which Honolulu businessman and writer Wing Tek Lum embarks upon in a recent collection of poetry. He succeeds marvellously. The … Continue Reading →

Left Behind

When Hiroo Onoda died at a Tokyo hospital at age 91 on Thursday, the world was once again reminded of the incredible story of a Japanese soldier who refused to … Continue Reading →

Yasukuni Visits – How the Controversy Started

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe predictably stirred up a diplomatic storm when he visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on December 26. China in particular was up in arms over Abe’s decision … Continue Reading →

Quest Ends After 76 Years

For years Sarah Moran had tried to find out where her uncle was buried. She knew he had been killed in Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese battle in 1937, but she … Continue Reading →

The Sino-Japanese War as Traditional Opera

In China, the Second Sino-Japanese War has provided rich source material for works of fiction ever since 1945. The most obvious example of this is the plethora of soap operas … Continue Reading →

Gaming the Sino-Japanese War (II)

History is pretty much set in stone (although it’s open to constant re-interpretation), but for those experiencing past events first-hand the future was still undetermined, and things could have turned … Continue Reading →

Gaming the Sino-Japanese War (I)

Since World War II ended in 1945, historians and laypeople alike have strived to make sense of the event, place it into a larger context and grasp its lasting significance. They … Continue Reading →

China: Japan Was Defeated ‘Not Just By Atomic Bombs’

What defeated Japan in World War II? What prevented a full-scale and in all likelihood incredibly bloody invasion of the Japanese home islands, or, in former President Herber Hoover’s memorable … Continue Reading →