<Begin Segment 9>

Male voice: I've got a question. If he was in Japan just before the war, and went there just after, he must have been able to see the incredible changes. If there were, what changes took place in Japan during the war, and I'm wondering what those changes might have been if there were any. Were there profound changes in Japan from before the war to just after?

ZS: Well, you know, that's just a few years' difference from the time I was in Japan in '39 to '41. Then as an occupation force I was there in '42 to '45, thereabouts, so there's not a huge gap there. But I could remember there was a lot of destruction there and I did have pity for all those people that went through all that.

Male voice: Did you feel the Japanese people resented you? Because you were...

ZS: No, I don't think so. They didn't... it's, in Japan I don't recall having any kind of a problem. But I remember in the Philippines, some of the Filipino people would look at me and say, and they make some bad remarks. But in Japan, I don't recall any problem there. I don't, I didn't associate with the public too much. I was strictly on the army... and that was it.

FK: So what part of Japan were you in, then?

ZS: In Tokyo.

FK: In Tokyo. So there must have been quite a bit of destruction from the fire-bombing.

ZS: Uh-huh, yeah. There was a lotta destruction I remember. But...

FK: So you think when you were in the Philippines that they had a hard time distinguishing that you weren't a Japanese soldier? [Laughs]

ZS: Yeah. They thought I was a Japanese native, I guess. They kind of made some kind of funny remarks.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.