Soldiers of the Sun

The Imperial Japanese Army was a legend in its own time. To the defenders of Singapore and Bataan, its soldiers were demonic supermen. The willingness of Japan consistently to fight to the last man remains a benchmark of courage today. Yet these heroes of Saipan and Iwo Jima were also capable of unparalleled bestiality--the rape of Nanking, the use of slave labor on the Burma-Siam Railway, gross neglect and brutalization of prisoners-of-war, and a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign against Mao's communists.

Meirion and Susie Harries began their writing partnership in 1979 and have since co-authored six books, as well as articles on Japanese security and environmental policy for English and Japanese newspapers. This is their second book on Japanese history. They live in England.