LONDON — A British former prisoner of war has been telling of the enduring friendship he built up with his Japanese guard after corresponding with him for 64 years.
John Baxter, 91, regularly exchanged birthday and Christmas cards with Hayato Hirano after the time they spent at a camp in the town of Inatsuki, Fukuoka Prefecture, during World War II.
Despite their two countries being former bitter enemies, the two men were anxious to heal the wounds of war through their exchanges.