Nagaland Chief Minister met with Chairperson of the Burma Campaign Society
Source: CMO Nagaland *

Dimapur, May 24 2017: Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu today hosted lunch for Chairperson of the Burma Campaign Society Ms Akiko McDonald and held an interaction with her as to how to bring better reconciliation between the British and the Japanese along with the Naga people in whose land the Battle of Kohima took place.

The aim of the BCS is "To encourage reconciliation and enhance mutual understanding and the spread and exchange of information about any aspect of Britain and Japan's wartime encounter during the Second World War, and matters subsequently arising from it" .

From 1983, the late Masao Hirakubo OBE advocated reconciliation between British and Japanese soldiers who had previously been enemies.

Veterans from both countries established the organisation (then Burma Campaign Fellowship Group) to achieve reconciliation based on mutual understanding by visiting each other's countries and holding many meetings as well as joint memorial services in the UK, Japan, Burma, and India.

Chief Minister, Dr.Sh�rhozelie Liezietsu posing for lens with Chairperson of the Burma Campaign Society Ms Akiko McDonald at Hotel De Oriental Grand

The BCS nurture friendship by understanding the differences in culture, history, and tradition and continue to pass the veterans' war stories on to younger generations.

It aims to provide opportunities for the international general public to access historical data, war memoirs of individual soldiers, diaries, photos, films, presentation of academics' research by holding events, exhibitions, and discussion forums; It also aims to proactively participate in War Memorial Services in the UK, Japan, and India as well as in Burma, and broaden our knowledge.

"I became very interested in Lieutenant General Sato, because my father, Taiji Urayama, was a lieutenant (veterinary surgeon, 31st Regiment Mountain Artillery) in the 31st Division which was under the command of General Sato.

Mr.Hirakubo, a previous chairman of the Burma Campaign Society (I am the present chairman), was also a lieutenant (supply officer, 31st Regiment Mountain Artillery) in the 31st Division.

I strongly believe that both my father and Mr Hirakubo owe their lives to the battlefield decisions taken by General Sato," said Ms Akiko McDonald in an article published in Japan Times a few years back.

"Thus I became motivated to look not just into the exploits of Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato, (1896 to1961), but also his character and personality.

Lt General Sato, who was once stigmatised as dishonourable and insane, made such a crucial decision to withdraw his men of the 31st Division of the 15th Army from the Kohima Battle, the front line of the Imphal Operation.

"During the battle Lt.General Sato disobeyed his General's order to advance, and instead pulled his troops back to the nearest food and ammunition dump to save his men from starvation, deadly diseases and dying from their wounds.

Not long after this the British-Indian army regained the Naga area completely, thus ending the Imphal operation.

"The catalyst for my realisation about the lingering animosity of some ex British soldiers was the visit to the UK by the Japanese Emperor in 1998, which brought about demonstrations and anti-Japanese sentiment.

About this same time I met Mr Hirakubo, who was chairman of the Burma Campaign Society (BCS), an organisation set up to bring about reconciliation between Japanese and British old soldiers who had fought in Burma.

On the death of Mr.Hirakubo in 2008 I became chairwoman of BCS.

"So this is how I became involved in BCS trying to bring about reconciliation between old foes.

Also I have been living in the UK for over 20 years now and I have been married to a British man for 28 years, which has helped me understand both sides and viewpoints," she said.

* The sender of this news can be contacted at cmomediacell(AT)gmail(DOT)com .