Haruyoshi Inukai was 20 when he donned an Imperial Japanese Army uniform on a sunny day in April 1944 and boarded a ship for deployment to Manchuria.

The day marked the beginning of Inukai's three-year battle for survival -- first in Manchuria, and then later in Siberia.

"When you are at war, you can't worry about living or dying," the 81-year old veteran said. "You must think only about killing the enemy."