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Name: Minoru Oda

Age: born 1886, 51 years old in 1937.

Gender: Male

Occupation: Colonel in Japanese Imperial Army (1937), later Major General (Promoted in 1941)

Appearance: Average height for Japanese man (around 165 cm), Thick shoulder and arms, clean and tidy. Looks like a typical military man.

Location: Manchuria (1937), and Malaysia (from December 1941)

Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: A firm believer in Japanese nationalism, who sees himself as the loyal Samurai who is willing to give up anything to serve the Emperor and Japan. A military man with a great degree of self-control, who is very strict on everyone including himself

Family: Wife: Hanako Oda (47 years old, Housewife) Son: Makoto Oda (24 years old, a lieutenant in Imperial Army)

Education: 22nd Class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, 29th Class of the Army Staff College.

Languages you speak: Japanese, a little bit of elementary Chinese and English

Your main concerns at this time and in life: Serving His Majesty the Emperor. Achieving the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity by driving away European and American imperialists from the East Asia. Developing Japan as the great power, and by doing so, helping the poverty-struck Japanese farmers and workers.

1st Entry: July 8th 1937

I have not slept since last night, since my regiment has been placed on the heightened alert. Last night, around 23:00, I received a call from Lieutenant General Kanichiro Tashiro, ordering my regiment to be placed on the alert, as a result of the Chinese attack on 1st Infantry Regiment, which was conducting a regular training maneuver. Immediately, I prepared for a battle. I thought, “Finally, the time has come to serve His Majesty the Emperor and our great Empire.” Though my regiment did not receive any order to attack yet, I am ready for the full scale attack as soon as the order arrives. Currently, Colonel Renya Mataguchi’s 1st Regiment has taken the Roko Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge, as Westerners call it).

A week ago, while I was meeting Major General Masakazu Kawabe, he told me that there soon will be something that would bring end to this annoying situation in Manchuria. He hinted that I should prepare myself for the full scale war for His Majesty the Emperor. I was happy to hear that, and promised him that I shall be as ready as possible. In spite of the dire internal situation in our nation, as politicians continue their corrupt behavior and economy has not recovered from the depression, our Imperial Army is just sitting here doing nothing. While we are doing nothing, the Western imperialists, Europeans and Americans, are suffocating us. Also, the Soviet Union keeps threatening the Northern border of Manchukuo. The only way for us to resolve the situation would be securing more resources, land, and labor power in the China, but those politicians in Tokyo are too busy filling up their pockets instead of truly serving the Emperor and our nation. It is time for Kantogun to act out to serve our glorious Empire.

As I was inspecting my regiment to see their readiness and eagerness to fight, I saw this young soldier, whose eyes were filled with courage and patriotism. His name was Fuji Yamaguchi. He reminded me of Lieutenant Shinichi Matsuda, a friend of my son Makoto. He used to visit our house time to time, and whenever he saluted to me, I could see his brave spirit. February of last year, the young officers attempted to get rid of the corrupt politicians, seeing the political corruption as the main cause of the dire economic situation and the extreme poverty in rural areas. Their intention was brave and honorable, but their method was too extreme, as they attempted to assassinate the cabinet members. Makoto was not involved in this, as he was stationed in Korea during this time. However, Shinichi Matsuda was one of those young officers, and he received a death penalty, even being denied a chance to commit hara-kiri. Although the measures taken by these young officers were wrong, their heart was filled with the brave spirit of Samurai. As I saw the eyes of Fuji Yamaguchi filled with the spirit of Samurai, I was confident that we will succeed in conquering China quickly and procuring the necessary resources to fight against the Western imperialists, who continuously attempt to undermine our great Empire.

2nd Entry: January 22, 1942



Since last week, our Imperial Army soldiers of 18th Division have fought bravely against the enemy. It was one of the bloodiest battles I have ever witnessed. As our soldiers started to land on the banks of Muar River, the British showered our soldiers with massive fire power. Many brave warriors sacrificed their lives for the Emperor and the Empire. Although the enemy reacted with heavy fire power, our brave warriors were able to breach their defense line. Our soldiers, who have no fear of death, charged toward the enemy, even though the enemy fire power kept bombarding us. Eventually, our soldiers were able to break through the enemy trenches and pillboxes, through the bloody battle. Daunted by the great Samurai spirit of our soldiers, the British cowards had no option but to retreat. As of now, we have successfully took control of Parit Sulong Bridge and set our division headquarters. I am proud of our brave soldiers; I am confident that His Majesty the Emperor would be pleased when he sees the bravery of our soldiers. Although I do not have time to write this now, since the battle is ongoing as we are tracking the enemy down as we march forward, I cannot restrain myself from expressing my joy by writing this journal.

I joined the Malaysian Campaign, right after the invasion of Hong Kong was successfully carried out. There, our soldiers also displayed the same courage that they are showing in the Malaysian Campaign right now. One thing I noticed was that some Korean soldiers who were given the honor to be join the Imperial Army also fought very well. I saw this young soldier named Sun Ha Kim, who was very brave, despite the fact that he is a Korean. I was glad to see that even Koreans are contributing to fulfilling the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity. I remember last year when I have received great news from the headquarters that Our air force successfully wiped out the entire United States fleet in the Pearl Harbor. The United State, alongside the British, has been attempting to suffocate our great Empire by blocking the shipment of oil and hindering our trade. Evidently, they cannot accept the fact that Japan is leading the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity by liberating the pacific islands from the grip of the Western imperialists. Although there are few cowards in our military, who express concern that we would be outmatched by the United States once we get into the full scale war, they clearly have no idea what our spirit can achieve. I want to show those cowards our brave soldiers, who kept charging into enemy fire with no fear at all today. Although the United States may be a giant, it does not have the spirit of warrior as we have. I am confident that we will be able to inflict the great damage to the United States in a very short time, forcing them to come into terms with us very quickly.

Before I sailed away from China, I received a letter from my son Makoto, telling me that he was promoted to Major. I was glad to hear that he is serving our nation with such a great effort. He is now stationed at Manchukuo, fighting against the rebels. It has been a long time since I saw my wife Hanako and Makoto. Hanako never shed a drop of tear when Makoto left home to join his unit in Manchuria. I am proud of her, since she clearly understands the importance of this holy war of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity. I will fight relentlessly, so that our holy mission given by the Emperor would be accomplished as soon as possible and our family could live together in our home in Tokyo again.

3rd Entry: August 10th, 1944

Today, I interrogated Yang Kheng Gong, the chief staff of the rebel guerilla force in Negeri Sembilan area. A week ago, our troops occupying the town of Gemas were ambushed by the massive rebel guerilla force. As a response, 2nd Battalion under Major Toda began the complete sweeping of the area, burning the jungle villages, searching for the rebel force. With his great effort to serve the Emperor and the Empire, Major Toda was able to capture the high command of the guerilla force, including Yang Kheng Gong.

When I asked Yang Kheng Gong why he cannot understand the great idea of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity, he started to accuse our nation of exploiting and massacring Malaysian people. His file showed that he has been the member of Malaysian Communist Party. Clearly, the ethnic Chinese like Yang Kheng Gong, filled with the crazy ideas of Communism, were spreading the crazy ideas around Malaysia and forming rebel force. Those people do not understand that we are here to save them from the Western imperialists. Instead of thanking us for liberating them from British imperialism, they grumble that Japanese military is taking food, metal, rubber, and other natural resources and complain that they are being put into the forced labor. Don’t they understand that we need those resources to keep them free from British? Don’t they understand that they also have to contribute to achieving the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity? How ungrateful they are! Clearly, we need to eradicate those ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, who are spreading such nonsense.

I ordered Yang Kheng Gong to be beheaded and his head to be displayed in the village of Gemas. Yang Kheng Gong took his death calmly. Just before the blade chopped off his neck, he screamed, “Long live the people of Malaysia, Down with Japanese imperialism.” It was both enraging and sad to see this man filled with misled conviction. If only people like him could understand our idea of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity!

Last month, I read a foreign news article by this crazy woman named Caroline Tennant, who accused Japan of committing "atrocities" in Indochina. I am enraged at this kind of accusations. Even if those so called "massacres' really happened, it was all for the greater good. While Americans butchered Native Americans in their continent and British massacred a great number of Africans while they were colonizing Africa, they do not blame themselves at all. Instead, they accuse us of atrocities, while we are trying to achieve the greater good in Asia. How enraging this is!

After the battle of the Philippine Sea, we have been experiencing the great lack of supplies. Our troops are getting barely enough food. While we are fighting against the Western powers enduring all these hardships, the local population, who are simply ignorant and barbaric, are unwilling to support us with their resources. Such selfish behavior of the local population enrages me greatly. Last week, the elders of the southern jungle towns came to the division headquarters to complain about the confiscation of the food and metal. Enraged by their selfish attitude, I ordered my soldiers to tie their bodies to trees, and I personally shot them with my pistol. Seeing their scrawny, aged heads bleeding, I tried to calm myself down. I ordered their corpses to be sent back to their towns.

Although we are experiencing great hardships these days, we will never surrender like Germany. When I heard that Germany surrendered on May, I was first concerned that the Western enemies will direct their war efforts solely against us. However, I am not worried at all now. Whatever comes, I and our soldiers will never surrender, and we will fight until the last person to serve His Majesty the Emperor.

I have received a letter from Hanako. She seems to be working hard in Japan to contribute to the war effort. She tells me that she made friends with this woman named Ishida Sumi. Apparently, Ishida Sumi is also a great patriot who sent her son off to the Imperial Army to serve the Emperor. I am glad to hear that people at home are serving the Emperor by contributing to the war effort.

4th Entry: August 16th, 1945



Yesterday, as I heard His Majesty the Emperor announcing the surrender on the radio, I felt that everything in my life is collapsing. For hours, I sat on the division headquarters, doing nothing.

As I sat there, I saw a picture of Hanako and Makoto. Last year, when I heard about Makoto’s death in Manchuria, I was greatly sad, but accepted his proud death while serving the Emperor. I have neither been receiving any letter from Hanako, nor been able to send any letter to her for last couple months, since our supply line has been cut completely and there is no way to send letters to the mainland Japan. I hope Hanako is handling Makoto’s death as a proud Japanese mother would do. Also, I hope that she would accept my death, which is to happen soon.

I cannot feel anything but shame in this terrible outcome. If I and other military officers had served the Emperor with greater fervor and diligence, we would not have lost this war. I feel greatly ashamed that I could not serve the Emperor better. It is entirely our fault that the Emperor had to acknowledge our defeat and surrender to the enemy. I sincerely apologize to the Emperor that I could not serve his Majesty better.

As I sit in the headquarters, I can hear the local population celebrating the surrender of Japan. Seeing their ignorant and barbaric behavior, I could feel nothing but anger and sadness. Don’t they understand that we tried to lead them out of Western imperialists’ grip? Why are they celebrating the destruction of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity? I see that our effort in Malaysia for four years were in vain. This journal entry would be the last words that I would be writing. Feeling the great shame that I could not serve the Emperor better during this holy war and accepting my responsibility as the noble Samurai would do, I will commit seppuku shortly after I finish writing this entry. I cannot live with all this shame. I apologize to my soldiers that I could not lead them any better in this war and that many of them had to sacrifice their lives. I apologize to His Majesty the Emperor for my great crime, which is being incompetent in serving His Majesty and the Empire. Although Japan has surrendered for now, I am confident that Japan will rise up once again and fight against the Western enemy, avenging our current defeat. I wish that our offspring would serve the Emperor better than we did.

Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Great Empire of Japan!