In September 1945, a band of starving Japanese soldiers in Luzon was told to gather at Kiangan to surrender to the Americans. On the third evening of the four-day trip, they came to a hamlet of five or six huts. Pulling out their last potatoes from their mess tins, they began eating. One of them gave the following account.
An old Japanese woman came out of a hut and approached my buddy. "Mr Soldier, I haven't eaten for days. Would you please give me that potato?" she said, holding out a dazzling gold watch. My buddy shoved the rest of his potato into his mouth, and rolled over on his side. The old woman shuffled over to me, and wordlessly held out the gold watch. My hand would not pull the potato away from my mouth. I dragged my body away from her and went to sleep.
Today, whenever I see potatoes, my heart is filled with self-reproach.
一九四五年九月，呂宋島上一隊飢餓日軍接到命令，要到基安甘市向美軍投降。四天路程的第三天晚上，他們走到一個小屋五、六間的村莊，取出飯盒裏僅餘的馬鈴薯吃。以下是其中一人的記述。
一個日本老嫗從一間小屋走出來，來到我夥伴跟前，拿出一隻閃亮金錶，說道：「士兵先生，我多天沒吃東西了，請把那馬鈴薯給我好嗎？」我那夥伴把未吃完的馬鈴薯塞進嘴裏，倒在地上，側身而卧。那老嫗慢慢走到我跟前，一聲不響，遞上金錶。我的手捨不得把馬鈴薯從嘴邊拿走。我避開那老嫗，走到一旁睡覺。
今天，看到馬鈴薯，我就感到內疚。