Asia’s version of the War of the Roses is being fought on multiple battlefields: on the high seas over disputed islands; in capitals around the world as each tries to convince partners and allies of the other’s infamy; and in the media, in the relentless, self-righteous, and scorching exchanges over the true account and legacy of the Pacific War. The clash between Japan and China on this issue echoes a conversation between two Allied prisoners of war in Richard Flanagan’s garlanded novel set on the Burma Railway in 1943, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. “Memory is the true justice, sir,” a soldier says to his superior officer, explaining why he wants to hold on to souvenirs of their time in a Japanese internment camp. “Or the creator of new horrors,” the officer replies.
