Gold for the Rising Sun

In 1942 Allied aircraft attack a Japanese ship sailing out from Tianjin, China. The wounded ship, carrying a small part of the 6,000 tons of gold looted by Japanese forces from Nanking, limps into Qinhuangdao on the east coast of China. A small military detachment transports the gold to a long-forgotten ancient hillside tomb, forcing Chinese peasants to carry the gold deep inside the mountain. Explosives are detonated, burying the tomb and the peasants, keeping the bullion safe until the Japanese ruling class can return after the war and collect the looted wealth for their emperor. Sergeant Ichiro writes to his father later that year, telling him of the bullion and the other precious items stolen from museums, temples, churches, banks and private collections by his fellow soldiers from the Land of the Rising Sun. The letter never reaches Ichiro’s father. It remains hidden for seventy years until it finally emerges into the light of day, drawing a young Australian and his part-Japanese girlfriend to the forgotten tomb; and to those who believe the treasure still belongs to the old ruling class of Japan.