Relatively soon after war broke out, Japan invaded Indonesia. Rita, her family, and the town of Djambi endured three long years of Japanese captivity. Prisoner of war camps are usually depicted as extremely harsh and abusive. However, this preconception of a cruel, agonizing, and stringent rule turned out to be completely wrong. The POWs and Japanese officers and guards had an oddly positive, if not friendly, relationship. This was quite surprising and had to have reasons why the relationship was like so. Not only was it uncanny, but it had many serious impacts, which would have caused the story to end differently if it had not been for the amicable relationship.
When they invaded, the Japanese drove through in jeeps and switched out the Dutch flags for Japanese ones. The La Fontaine family was kindly greeted by an official who used to be an angry shopkeeper in town. Despite this fact, he shook Mr. Fontaine’s as if they have been neighbors for years. But what was rather deceptive of him was that he simply told them to pack for a “short stay” of “about two weeks”, which actually ended up being three years. The only actual destruction that occurred was when the city’s broadcasting station, which was warranted due to the fact that it is World War II. Japanese officers peacefully went door to door asking the town’s people if they could please back a bag and be ready to leave in two hours. The politeness made them almost seem as if they weren’t invading a country, but instead, city councilmen asking if they could attend a meeting.
While in the women’s and children’s camp, there was little unnecessary suffering during the entire stay. Everyone was properly rationed food, water, and supplies, and at times, they were treated with extra. Nobody was forced into labor or cruel or unusual punishment and there weren’t even any tortures or executions. Even in the times of food and water shortages, nobody was subjected into any unexpected work for the group as a whole. The Japanese even offered extra rations to those who helped more, putting the power in the hands of the individual. It could be seen that the camps were run well and smoothly, still reducing hardships in desperate times.
Probably the worst thing that the Japanese did to the citizens was divide them into two groups: women and children and then men. Dividing the families was very painful for both sides and there was nothing that could be done. Rita did not even get to contact father until the three years were almost over, and it was done secretly through a fugitive messenger from the men’s camp. The Japanese felt the need to separate the fathers from the rest of the family because in those times, the father was a patriarch and was the power-house of the family, while still respecting their wives. Even though there were many strong females that played countless important roles, the division of the parents suppressed the idea to escape or rebel in most people. Due to this, officers and the women and children were able to somewhat trust each other more. If the prisoners had not had been divided as they were, there would have been many serious and detrimental changes in the storyline, ending, and overall tone.
Throughout the nominal amount of rough situations that occurred between the prisoners and the Japanese, there was still no harsh punishment to those guilty. Even when a soldier got a prisoner pregnant, there were no terrible repercussions. The entire scene was very suspenseful and it was very much so believed that someone was going to die. After all the yelling, accusing, and drama, both people received merely verbal discipline and no permanent stigma. Another time, a drunk,  secretly homosexual soldier attempted to r*pe Rita (as she was disguised as a boy). Yes, the soldier was severely punished, but no physical abuse was issued upon him. During the time of food shortages, a prisoner kitchen worker was caught slipping bits of bread into her pockets. This angered not only the guards, but fellow prisoners as well. It was odd that she was only scolded and warned of punishment if caught in the future. For all of these incidents, the perpetrator was eventually forgiven for their wrong doing.
As time grew and the prisoners and Japanese guards spent more time together, an unsaid set of boundaries and deserved amount of respect was granted to each side. It began with the organizing where the group would live for the time being. At first the prisoners were scared and also angered from the sudden change in their lives.  The mothers all argued with the Japanese officer, who in turn yelled at and threatened them. This initial tone was soon diminished as both sides agreed on what would happen. Soon after, the women proposed a request to the officer, he would provide them a plot of town land, tools, and seeds, and they would start a garden that would be beneficial to both sides. This first collaboration between the groups set the base for the respect for each other. The group was thankful for the chance to do something they want and the Japanese were appreciative and pleased with the group’s impressive work. Eventually, Rita serving as almost a liaison between the groups while also assisting the Japanese in outside matters. The cooperation of a young child fascinated many of the officers.
The equal back-and-forth greatly helped strengthen the relationship between the prisoners and the guards. The give and receive sort of work between the groups made both sides realize the value of the other. At first, the garden was the spark that set off the flame. Both sides didn’t use each other because they needed to, but instead because it was simply helpful. Neither wanted to end the positive communication because of the ease and usefulness that resulted from working together. This is the sort of relationship that corresponds with most friendships; the alliance isn’t because it’s forced or necessary for survival, but because it’s wanted and enjoyed. After moving out of the school, the Japanese gave the citizens the privilege to choose what house they would then live in. Even though the choices were restricted, this sign of gratitude showed that the Japanese respected the wants of the citizens.
As Rita progressed into the peak of her work, in terms of responsibility, she had earned the complete trust of the officers, and their friendship too. She was treated with many luxuries that she didn’t even get to share with her family. The relationship between her and Yamamoto was that of a friendly mentor and pupil. They shared time while Rita worked, which proved to be exceptionally well done. The times they spent together, building their relationship and liking each other more, defined the relationship and how he would deal with the truth revealed to him at the end. Rita and Yamamoto began simply as worker and boss, but that is not how it ended. When it had been discovered that the war was over and that Japan had surrendered, Rita told the citizens and the officers the truth about her identity.
The many benefits of cooperating together discouraged anyone from starting anything that was not necessary. The citizens knew that they were in a prison camp and that they had several restrictions added to their daily life. Despite these facts, no one ever did anything about it. The citizens had a large and potentially influenceable group of people that if inspired, could most likely engage in an effective rebellion against the Japanese. However, this never happened and nobody was ever liberated until the Japanese military retreated back to their home country. The citizens sought freedom and for the most part, disliked their time in the camp, but no action was ever taken. The groups lived in harmony, for the most part, and were on very good terms considering the circumstances. Yes, they disliked the new forced parameters, but they were tolerable and the citizens wanted to remain on as best terms as they could with the
The prisoners and the guards both suffered and prospered together, these events brought the groups closer together because of the significance they had. Working together, and at somes points, socializing, allowed the Djambians and Japanese to experience good times together.  Also, at times of food shortages and drought, they both worked together for the good of everyone. When there were low amounts of food, it was always distributed equally, no one starved because someone else was feasting. Also in the times of drought, people were given the opportunity to work extra and receive extra food and water because of it. Obviously there were limits to how much they would receive and nobody lost food because someone got a little bit extra. Soldiers were never lounging around when the citizens were working, everyone did relatively the same amount of work and were granted the proportionate amount of rations.
Throughout the entire book, the Japanese and Indonesians have mostly peaceful and enjoyable communication. It was unexpected to see such a relationship in a prisoner of war camp during one of the largest conflicts in history. But once the components are analyzed and the reasons are broken down, it can be seen that a their affiliation was a mutual relationship, with many strong friendships mixed in. So strong, that when the Japanese had been given order to kill all prisoners and leave they said nothing. Instead, they secretly left in the middle of the night. It was odd but rather positive, for a change, and that the factors are credible for the friendly relationship.