ABSTRACT

Since Burma is a country where Britain and Japan fought fiercely during World War II, it is impossible to ignore the fact that not only the British and Japanese, but the people of Burma as well, possess the right to speak out regarding their memories and historical understanding of the wartime history and post-war reconciliation between Britain and Japan. Burma was not just a battleground for the war between Britain and Japan. The Burmese people underwent various hardships on account of the war, despite the fact that it was not caused by them. However, at the same time, we should take note of the fact that Burma did not always remain a mere victim of the war. Many of the Burmese nationalists who had been active since the 1920s and 1930s aimed at attaining their country’s full independence and reacted both actively and passively towards the situations created by the war.