A+Japanese+high+school+student+living+in+Tokyo+2,+Grade+11

Name: Kano Sasada Age: 17 (American age) (1937) Gender: Male Occupation: Student (Grade 11) Appearance: Black hair, small eyes, 167 cm tall, strongly built. Location: Tokyo, Japan Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: Enjoys sports and education. Tends to be very active. Enjoys particularly exercising himself. Patient, doesn't anger easily. Feels a strong sense of duty towards his family. Family: Father, mother, one younger brother. Father - Kazuo Sasada Mother - Keiko Sasada Brother - Kentaro Sasada Education: High school (Azabu High School) Languages you speak: Japanese, English Your main concerns at this time and in life: Education, getting drafted into the army, and family. Portrait (an image that you and we can live with):

May 23, 1937 Japan I remember when I got pulled into this. There are, if any, very few people who enjoy killing. I am definitely not one of them. However, here I am, at this moment, part of the Imperial Japanese Army. There are times when one must do something against his will, in order to benefit loved ones. The depression. I remember clearly what it was like. Who would've known that it would affect people like myself and my family, those who live in rural areas, the most? The poverty we experienced throughout those years, the pain, it's all unforgettable. Very few of us got out of that depression in one piece. We were saved by the government this time. I, for one, cannot let this happen again to my country, to my family, or to my friends. This is why I am here today, a part of the Imperial Japanese Army, like many others around me. We need to expand our nation's territories in order to preserve our economy. If we can just do this, then we can avoid another depression. That's what they told us. That's all I have to live on, the hope that I can prevent an event like this from occurring again. Those of us who have actually experienced the terrors of the depression know best: not many of us will be able to survive another depression. Therefore, I will do whatever it takes in order to save my family. With this kind of mindset, hopefully I will be able to overcome any challenge in the future. I remember killing for the first time. The look of fear in the person right before the life leaves their eyes. The blank look in their eyes after they have fallen. The blood, the shock, it's all too clear in my mind. However, I have to continue on. It's strange. When you have your mind set on a specific goal, the final destination, all the obstacles in your way seem to fade before you. My family is what has kept me going in battle. I don't want to say I've become a cold killer, but I can now say that taking a life is just an obstacle preventing me from protecting my family. It just has to be done in order to reach my goal. When I start to think this way, the nightmares fade away and a newfound determination enters my body. The war between Japan and China scares me, but hopefully if I just keep my goals in mind, I'll be able to live through any battle. I’ll do whatever it takes to save my country and my family.
 * __Diary Entry #1__**

September, 6 1940 Saigon, Vietnam We are finally positioned in Saigon, Vietnam. The government told us to move in to Vietnam on what seems to be another nation we are to conquer. We marched in to Saigon, which was a slightly French inhabited city. People just watched us as we marched in to the city. I was slightly getting tired of these continuous battles, but I had to do anything for my family. That's all I keep in mind, and that's all that's keeping me going. I wonder how everyone is back at home. Is this fighting really worth it? Seeing the people staring at us from the streets, it makes me wonder what it must be like for them. They must have families as well, and it's no telling what they have gone through. However, the memories from the great depression keep pouring in as we march across. I feel sorry for these people, but I have to do what I have to do. I couldn't bear having my family go through another Great Depression again. As we were stationed outside a building, I was just talking with one of my friends in English (as practice), when a woman came and talked to me. Her name was Eliane Devries. She was apparently a French woman, (from her accent), and came up to speak to me. I remember it clearly because I was still upset that day of invading another country. She came and asked me why I was fighting in this war. What our purpose was in this war. I just decided to tell her the truth because well, that's what was on my mind at that time. I told her that I was just doing this for my family. The government had told us that in order to avoid another great depression, we must imperialize other nations in order to stabilize our economy. I told her all of this information and had a short conversation with her. She then walked away. I guess family works as a way to drive you to do something you don't want you to do. For now, it seems more battles will need to be fought. Since we're now the invaders of this country of Vietnam, battles could spring up at any moment. It is a bit frightening, I guess, since the possibility of someone dying in battles is high. Who knows if I may ever write in this journal again? Hopefully, the battles will stop soon and I can return home. I heard the higher ups talking about possibly sending some of us to the Philippines to help the situation there. All we can do now is wonder when the battles will end, when we can return home, and when we can see our families again. Hopefully there won't be too many losses at this place.
 * __Diary Entry #2__**

January 7, 1942 Philippines Victory at last. Things are going better than anyone could have dreamed. After all the lost hope everyone expressed after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it's amazing to see what has occurred so far. The seizing of guam, invasion of Burma, Borneo, and Hong Kong, all of these succesful military plans, who would've thought they could have succeeded under our current circumstances? The U.S., British, and Chinese have all declared war on us, but with how our nation is advancing, it seems like no big deal at all. The British have given up Hong Kong, and Manilla has been declared an open city. It seems as though everything we have tried to accomplish thus far has succeeded. I can't express how glad I am that the impossible has happened. It seems that I was wrong thinking that the higher ups were just being suicidal. They actually seem to know what they're doing. Hopefully, we can keep up this winning streak and get the other nations to come to an agreement with us. That way, we can end this war, and I can go home to my family. Then again, these victories may just cause us to get high headed. Even now as we are stationed at the Philippines, the tension in the air is a lot lighter. Soldiers who were shaking in fear before are now smiling and laughing with each other. Evidently, everyone isn't completely on guard like they used to be. Who knows, maybe these continuous victories may lead to a devastating ending. But, that's probably just me playing the devil's advocate. I wonder how my family is doing back at home. Have they recieved the news of our victories yet? I'm sure they'd be proud to hear how well we have been doing. At the rate we're going right now, hopefully I'll be heading back home to them within a year or two. Hopefully, the nation will be a better place by then, with a more stable economy. Then, we won't have to worry about a depression occurring ever again. I just hope that these victories continue, that there are less casualties, and that this war ends soon so I can head back home. I'm so thankful that I've stayed alive till now, and I hope that fact doesn't change in the upcoming battles.
 * __Diary Entry #3__**

June 29, 1945 Philippines How could it end like this? After all of those consecutive victories in the past, why did it have to end so badly? We weren't careful enough. How could we even forget that our supplies were running low? And the Americans. They're constantly getting closer to the mainland. We lost almost all of the territories we gained so far. It's just been constant retreat. The Americans started flooding in to the Philippines on February 16th. We only received constant reports of defeat in the past. It seemed like we had lost almost every territory we had gained. The camp's mood fell again. Tensions were raised. No one knew when it was our turn to get attacked. When the Americans finally started flooding in on the 16th, there was almost nothing we could do. We retreated from Bataan, which fell to the Americans. From that point on, it was constant defeat. Airborne troops then conquered Corregidor, which caused us to retreat again. We constantly retreated to Mindanao, where we will make our last stand. On our constant retreats to Mindanao, so many of us were shot. I remember meeting one man, a Haruto Uzamaki, whose leg was blown off while we were retreating. I ended up carrying him with us as we retreated. I couldn't just leave him there to die. He was unconscious over the course of the retreat, of course, but I'm quite sure he was alive while I was carrying him. I left him at a hospital in Mindanao. I wonder if he's still alive in the hospital now, and what happened to his leg after the doctors looked it over. We're now waiting at Mindano, wondering when the American troops come. It's strange. The only thing I can think about while we wait is my family and home. Kentaro, Mother, Father, I hope they're all doing well. By now, Kentaro should be a lot older. I wonder if he, or my parents would be able to recognize me if I can ever return back home. I don't know what will happen after this battle. All we can do is wait. No one knows what could happen...
 * __Diary Entry #4__**

Citations Wikipedia contributors. "Mukden Incident." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 May. 2010. Web. 23 May. 2010.

"Information Please: 1937." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. â€” Infoplease.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2010. . "Japan's Quest for Power and World War II in Asia | Asia for Educators | Columbia University." //Asia for Educators | Columbia University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2010. . "The History Place - Timeline of Pacific War." //The History Place//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. .

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