(1970) was born in Hiroshima, a city where the ghost of the atom bomb still haunts. In her youth she heard about 'the disaster'; but she never heard the details of the story. Her interest in the history of her country and especially those episodes that were not talked about increased. She studied history, specializing in WWII in Asia. During her holiday in Indonesia she met Indonesians who had served as heiho - Indonesian soldier in Japanese service - in WWII. It was again a meeting with a story unknown in Japan and Kaori made herself familiar with the lives of the heiho. Currently she is working as a researcher at the archives department of the National Institute for the Humanities in Tokyo.

(1962) is a researcher at the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) and teaches the history of ethnic relationships in Batavia and Colombo in the time of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). He has published on Indonesia and Southeast Asia in early modern and modern history. Among his books are De geschiedenis van Indische Nederlanders (The history of the East-Indian Dutch) (2006), Being "Dutch" in the Indies. A history of creolisation and empire, 1500-1920 (2007), The World of Jan Brandes (2004), De oude Indische wereld (The Old East Indies' World) (2003) and Beelden van de Japanse bezetting van Indonesië (Images of the Japanese Occupation of Indonesia (1999).