Back in November last year I had an assignment down in Hirakata, and today the story ran in The Times in London. I’d gone to Hirakata with journalist colleague Richard to meet, interview and photograph 84 year old Akira Makino, (shown above).
We entered his small home, and into an unbearably hot living room. You can see in the photo the kettle sitting on the gas stove heating up the room, eating up the oxygen. We sat on the floor and listened for the next two hours to old Makino-san unburden his guilt for his actions during World War 2, when he had served in the Phillipines as a medical auxiliary in the Imperial navy of Japan, spending some time on the Yamato battleship.
Makino-san had decided after years of keeping secret, to tell of his part in “medical experiments” on live Fillipino prisoners or as they were called at the time “spies”, denounced on dubiuous charges by fellow prisoners or villagers.
It was frank and gory interview, and more than a little depressing to listen to, but the type of assignment where you come away from having been glad to have done it, to have been involved. It’s the type of assignment I got into photography for, to see things for myself, and to hear things first hand. Listening to Makino-san didn’t make you angry, or revulsed, only saddened for what a young man can get caught up in, for his life spent racked with guilt and how he tried to atone for that guilt, and saddened for the people who suffered.

If you read the Belgian paper Het Nieuwsblad, or The Australian, in Australia, tomorrow, you can see the article and perhaps different images from the above as they are both running the story.