OKUYAMA, Miyuki - Dear Japanese

Background information

"Over three centuries of Dutch rule over Indonesian archipelago gave rise to a population of “Indo”, Dutch-Indonesians. When Japan attacked and occupied the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, in 1942, many Indo males were jailed, leaving their wives and daughters to fend for themselves. Once their fathers, brothers and husbands were imprisoned in the Japanese POW camps, in search of a livelihood, Indo women started to work at Japanese offices, or cafes and restaurants serving the Japanese. This situation led many young women to have relationships with Japanese men. Those Japanese children are the fruits of relationships with Japanese based on love or economic need, while a few were from assaults. Some found out about their Japanese roots when they were around sixty years old, since the truth was often been kept a family secret over the decades. During the Indonesian National Revolution, the Indo population had to escape to the Netherlands, leaving everything behind. For them, Japan was the enemy who stole their tropical paradise and killed many people. Many half-Japanese children grew up in the hostile atmosphere towards Japan. Also, for their mothers often were married to ex-KNIL soldiers who went through the Japanese POW camps and the harsh forced labor, many Japanese children were raised under the adoptive fathers who were severely distressed. They were traumatized because their existence was taboo, brought shame to their families. 70 years after the war, many of them are still searching for their fathers as an important missing piece of their identities, and are suffering from the lasting psychological effects of difficult childhood.
'Dear Japanese' is a subjective documentary assembled from a personal perspective, recording compatriots abroad. The book consists of portraits, places and landscapes containing associative Japanese elements which often feel displaced within the Dutch environment and next to the Indonesian characteristics of the people involved. It documents the offspring of Japanese soldiers and Indonesian women, born during the Pacific War, now living in the Netherlands. More than three centuries of Dutch rule over Indonesia archipelago gave rise to a population of “Indo”, Dutch-Indonesians. When Japan attacked and occupied the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1942, many Indo males were jailed, leaving their wives and daughters to fend for themselves. Japanese children were born as the fruits of relationships based on love or economic need, while a few were from sexual assaults. Some found out about their Japanese roots when they were around sixty years old, since the truth was often been kept a family secret. During the postwar chaos of Indonesian National Revolution, the Indo people had to escape to their unknown homeland, The Netherlands. For them, Japan was the enemy who stole their land and killed many people. Many half-Japanese children grew up in the hostile atmosphere towards Japan. They were traumatized because their existence was taboo, brought shame to their families. Almost 70 years after the war, many of them are still searching for their fathers as an important missing piece of their identities, and are suffering from the lasting psychological effects of difficult childhood. At the first encounter with the Japanese offspring, their clearly Japanese features surprised Okuyama. Since none of her immediate family members were affected deeply by the war, this became her first tangible war experience. As an immigrant from a former enemy country, Japan, Okuyama could share their pride in being Japanese, coupled with feelings of alienation and guilt." (© The Eriskay Connection, 2015)

Content

The out-of-print photo volume 'Dear Japanese': 'Dear Japanese' is a subjective documentary assembled from a personal perspective, recording compatriots abroad. The book consists of portraits, places and landscapes containing associative Japanese elements which often feel displaced within the Dutch environment and next to the Indonesian characteristics of the people involved.

About Japanese photographer, Miyuki OKUYAMA (b.1973, in Yamagata)

Photo volumes by Miyuki OKUYAMA