this country is at war with Germany. We shall go on to the end. I remember the

sheets of plane which came up and almost blinded us for my guns.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the World War Two podcast I'm Angus Wallace.

I seem to have had a good run of episodes this year looking at operations from the German

perspective. Well in this episode we're off to the Pacific to look at the Japanese perspective

of the war. I'm joined by Peter Williams. Peter lived in Japan for four years and whilst there

he interviewed Japanese veterans of the Second World War. His book, Japan's Pacific War,

collects together over 40 interviews with veterans who predominantly fall against the Australians.

Peter, thanks for joining me. We're going to be looking at the Japanese soldiers experience

the one. I wonder how much the Japanese soldier knew of the world. How was the war

framed for them? To save Asians from the white man. The Americans are in the Philippines that

British are in Malay or in Hong Kong, the Dutch are in what is now in Indonesia and this isn't

right and the Japanese are going to solve that problem by freeing the Asians.

Well yeah I was going to say that they also say themselves has been on par with convenience

sick, the Western powers because if you think that they're obviously beating the Russians in

904, 905, they're on the winning side of the First World War.

They beat the Chinese in 1898 too. So do they see themselves? Is there a

researches in a nationalism of these sort of victories and the nation building from that perspective?

Yes, they think they're the greatest country in the world and they've recently demonstrated that

by beating the Chinese and beating the Russians. They really think they are the people

to liberate Asia because they are so good. Which is interesting. Is there perhaps qualification

there when you're deliberation the Asians from the white man? Who are you liberating China for

...