Bunro Sakaino Concentration Camp Diary

Transcript

February 5 (Friday)

Shrimp tempura and fresh spinach was served for dinner, of course with rice. It is not overstating that it flew everyone to the peak of their joy and happiness. We all had lively conversations over the tempura and spinach for a while after dinner. I only had a minimum amount of spinach and nothing else but felt delighted to see how it temporarily swept the gloomy air above everyone away and brought such a beam of light. The biggest comfort to the lives of internees is meals. It is impossible to imagine how delicious Japanese food makes us extremely happy for people outside in the world. I had to pass on my favorite food, shrimp tempura and just had eggs and milk and am blaming my stomach for all of it.

Radio news reported that Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Hong Kong. If this is true, I would imagine it will bring some huge changes to this great war in the near future.

Transcript

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If Mr. and Mrs. Chiang comes to the U.S., it will be viewed as fleeing due to internal uprising of rebellion. History of China is the repetition of escaping from dangers nearby. Collapse of the Chiang administration will surely bring a peace treaty between Japan and China, and that will trigger a possible big leap in Japanese diplomatic policies toward the Soviet Union. It will call for ratification of the treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, and Japan will attack the Soviet Union with a blow from behind if they refuse to accept it. This step should be in Japan’s future war strategies against the U.S.