Rather than a history of the war and occupation of Indonesia during the years 1942-1945, Representing the Japanese Occupation of Indonesia offers a survey of the way in which Indonesia, Japan, and the Netherlands have shaped the memory of that episode.

Comparison of the memories in the three countries brings out the national patterns of memory. This volume gives an impression of the layered and pluriform nature of memory, and of the different forms of expression of memory, from the most personal level of oral testimony to the most public representation in monuments and films.