The Tragedy of Wanit: A Japanese Account of Wartime Thai Politics

A memoir of Thai politics at the outbreak of the Pacific War, written in the 1950s by Asada Shunsuke, a senior Japanese diplomat serving Bangkok during the critical pre-war period. The central figure is Wanit Pananon, a confidant of Thai Prime Minister Phibun and, until his arrest and death in mysterious circumstances in early 1944, a key figure in Thai-Japanese relations. Asada's memoir is published in both Japanese and an edited English translation, together with an introduction by Benjamin Batson and Shimizu Hajime which explains the historical context and discusses some of the implications of Asada's work.