The Silent Victims

I could not believe I found this book

Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy | The Silent Victims of World War II by Mayumi Itoh.

Initially my project was to be an exploration of visualising as World War II Campaign, and I had chosen the Sino-Japanese War. Then I came across this thoroughly researched and detailed book accounting the Wartime Zoo Policy and the animals destroyed in consequence. It goes back to that story in Wind-Up Bird Chronicle I mentioned in the previous post. In fact, Murakami’s novel is actually mentioned in Itoh’s book and thus discovered that parts of that narrative is historical fact and that Murakami is known to include history in his novels as an intricate part of his narratives. Itoh’s book discusses the background of this policy then discusses the animals that were destroyed from each Japanese Zoo. It also goes into Europe, however I’m focusing on Japan for my project. This project allows me to revisit my interest in Modern History. The book also includes photographs of the animals and tables communicating the animals destroyed and how they were destroyed. I think that this account is a unique perspective of World War II; it shows the implications of war beyond man – in response to the publication’s dedication –

 For the animals who perished in the march of human folly

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