The Japanese Connection

Early in 1942 the Japanese navy sank the American cruiser Stuart. Our story involves four boatswain mates who were close friends onboard ship and during their subsequent capture and incarceration. They suffer atrocities under the command of a sadistic Sgt. Oki Tashino. When it becomes apparent that the end of the war is imminent and that he will have to face the War Crimes Committee, Tashino switches identities with a dead Japanese soldier. As our story moves forward to the present, the crew of the Stuart is having their annual reunion when word is received that Oki Tashino is alive and touring the U. S. on business. Even if his true identity is revealed, Tashino will remain a free man under the provisions of a 1952 peace treaty that released all War Crimes prisoners, terminating all legal, moral, and humanitarian obligations to individuals who suffered direct consequences of incarceration by Japan during World War II. One week after the reunion, Tashino is found murdered in his hotel room on Long Island. The subsequent police investigation points to a crewmember of the Stuart. But who? Detective Frank Arena is assigned to the case and ultimately discovers the murderer.