Food and War in Japan

The audience found her presentation especially interesting, as most World War II discussions we hear focus on Europe and the United States. As Japan neared surrender in August 1945, experts predicted that more than seven million people could die from starvation.

Rosa explained that, beginning in March 1945, the United States launched a campaign to “starve” Japan by disrupting shipping routes, further limiting access to essential food supplies. She also shared examples of the extreme foods that some Japanese people turned to for survival, including fried tarantulas, mud cookies, and burnt-rice coffee.

One member stated, “This added so much to my understanding about war in the Pacific (WWII) – particularly meaningful to me because my father was on an aircraft carrier at the time”.