Center for Asian American Media

This powerful documentary includes interviews with 14 extraordinary veterans of Japan’s War against China in the 1930s and ’40s. These men, now in their 70s and 80s, tell the truth of the atrocities they committed as young soldiers and of the excruciating memories that they’ve had to live with so vividly for the rest of their lives. These men have inadvertently become activists as they continue to share their experiences with the greater public in Japan and the world.

“...some Japanese people, seeing this film, have told me, ‘The relentless litany of cruel atrocities is repugnant. What’s the point of exposing the shameful history of our country?’ But this film is about the true face of history, of human behavior. In order to protect the future, we must learn about what really happened in that war, about the madness and weakness of the people who were cogs in the machinery that implemented that war.
“Before they went off to war, the witnesses who testify to their brutal acts in this film were once very ordinary people. They were me and they were you.
“What is truly repugnant and dangerous
is the attitude of those who avert their eyes from the brutality that took place. Therein lies the path to repeating the errors of our past.
“I remain deeply grateful to the courage of the 14 witnesses who agreed to let me record their testimony as a legacy for the future.”

- Minoru Matsui, Director of JAPANESE DEVILS

“...JAPANESE DEVILS transcends mere history to engage war, madness and evil themselves. This is a document of major importance.”

- John Dower, author/
Pulitzer Prize winner, Embracing Defeat