Behind The Book Empire Of Blood by Munehito Moro 

I’m one lucky woman when I have done a regular Q&A, a Behind The Book Q&A and now another Behind The Book Q&A with that same author all in one year! The author whom I’m doing this with is Munehito Moro who wrote the novels Talking Cure & Empire Of Blood. 

Q: For those who haven’t read Empire Of Blood, would you please give a brief description of the book?

A: It’s a historical thriller set in an alternate timeline where the Empire of Japan emerged victorious from WW2. The story has two protagonists. One is Major Suzuki Wataru, the Imperial Army’s intelligence officer. His last operation was a debacle, which is why he is now sidelined as an instructor at an elite spy academy in Tokyo. There, Suzuki meets Lieutenant Park Ji-won. Park is the second protagonist: a bright female Korean officer formed by a lifelong experience of colonial rule. 

When the Emperor’s daughter gets assassinated in broad daylight in Shinjuku, Suzuki and Park find themselves assigned to the case. Their investigation points at Manchukuo, Japan’s puppet state in northeastern China. There, Suzuki and Park uncover the Empire’s long-buried secrets and atrocities, one of which implicates Suzuki’s father. 

This sounds serious, maybe too serious. I get that. However, I wanted to write an entertaining book. I do believe that entertainment (in this case, a spy thriller) is the best way to introduce general readers to serious topics (war crimes, etc.). If they are interested, they can read more books and gain more factual knowledge. 

Q: In our Q&A last month, you mentioned that for the novel Empire Of Blood the movie The Last Emperor (1987) which was about China’s last emperor Pu Yi, your travels to where Manchukuo once stood, & reading books by American authors about the imperial army of Japan’s brutality as well as meeting The Princess of Japan was what inspired the book. What was it like seeing where Manchukuo once stood? What was it like bumping into an actual princess? That doesn’t happen every day! 

A: This is how I met Princess Mako, the Emperor’s niece. 

The Princess happened to be studying at the same college I was attending. One day, I was walking down a hallway of the school’s main building. Then, out of the blue, a door burst open, smacking me in the face. Dumbfounded, my hand grabbed the door, my eyes in desperate search for the culprit. Behind it stood a young woman, her face covered with her hands in embarrassment and mortification. She was screaming “I’m so sorry!” She was Princess Mako. 

I was stunned, of course. First by the door’s impact, then by the unexpected revelation of who was behind the assault. I breathed in, wondering how to process what had just transpired. I breathed out, deciding to call my late grandmother, Toshiko, on the phone. As an elderly Japanese woman, she was a fan of the Princess and her family. 

Me: Hello, grandma. How are you doing? Still alive and kicking, I suspect?

Grandma: Of course, I’m well and alive! What made you call me Munehito?

Me: I just met Princess Mako. I wanted you to know she hit me in the face.

You can imagine her consternation. 

Q: Which of your scenes that you created for Empire Of Blood were your favorites? 

A: Suzuki and Park’s strange encounter with an eccentric taxi driver in Manchukuo is definitely one of my favorite scenes. The driver is an ancient woman who happily informs the pair of sinful activities and hidden pleasures in Manchukuo. Her idiosyncrasy confuses the two. Perhaps I wanted to inscribe my late grandmother’s memory into her character. My grandmother passed away only a few years ago. She was a tough disciplinarian (“Never slouch while eating, Munehito!”), but at the same time a fun person and a film lover. As a kid, I was constantly amazed at her uncanny ability to identify old movies playing on TV. “That’s John Wayne,” she once told me while watching Stagecoach. “He was a massive star when I was young. This movie was so popular.” Maybe my passion for history stemmed from those anecdotes she shared with me in my childhood.

Q: A reviewer on Goodreads also agrees with me that Empire Of Blood is like The Man In The High Castle meaning that it’s a scary thought to ponder & wonder what if Japan, Germany & Italy won World War II? How do you feel that people compare Empire Of Blood to The Man In The High Castle? (I did see the pilot episode on Amazon believe it or not a decade ago and it is chilling). 

A: I regret to inform you that The Man In The High Castle (the book, I mean) was a minor disappointment to me. The narrative only scratched the surface of the Japanese side, although I enjoyed its dreamlike quality. The TV show, despite its amazing production values, also failed to fully capture the Japanese perspective. I was mindful of this when writing Empire Of Blood. I wanted to write a story that could only be written by a Japanese person. My objective was to craft an answer to The Man In The High Castle, with more fleshed-out details and insights that came naturally to me as a Japanese citizen. 

Q: I like the characters of both Suzuki & Park. I felt both grew throughout the novel. Who do you think did the most growth, Suzuki or Park?  

A: SPOILERS: I didn’t fully understand who Park was when I started writing this story. I had a plan for a different ending, in which she dies. Then, having written one-fourth of the narrative, a realization hit me; Park is smarter than Suzuki. Park is motivated by conscience, which enables her to discern what is right or wrong. Therefore, the story’s true protagonist is Park. She serves as a mentor to Suzuki, who is simultaneously driven and blinded by his sense of guilt. This is a story about a man who can grow up only when assisted by a smarter person who already knows the value of true conscience, which is different from guilt. 

Q: I know you and I have discussed this, but I would love it if you wrote a sequel to both Empire Of Blood & Talking Cure. With how Empire Of Blood ended, what do you see the characters doing right now in the Empire Of Blood sequel?

A: I have envisioned a trilogy, with Empire Of Blood serving as its first entry. The second installment will be about expanding its universe, while Park and Suzuki are forming a tighter professional relationship and mutual respect. In real history, Japan colonized Korea, making it part of the Empire for more than three decades. As a Japanese person, I regret that dark hour of our history. Because of our colonial past, Korea-Japan relations have been fraught with tensions and acrimonies. Japan as a nation still denies that the Empire forced Korean women into sex slavery, for example, in our textbooks, those victims are only euphemistically referred to as “comfort women.” In my stories, I have wanted to reverse that trend by having Park guide Suzuki. In real history, Japan has failed the test over and over. In my imaginary world, I want Suzuki to pass. 

Q: I know in our Q&A you mentioned you would want one of the girls from the popular K-POP Group Blackpink to play Lieutenant Park. I have suggestions for some of the other cast to play the characters. Hideaki Ito as Major Suzuki Waturu (I saw him for the first time in Tokyo Vice and fell in love). Simu Liu as Zhang Daoling, & either Mari Yamamoto or Ayumi Ito as the Princess of Japan & Ayumi Tanida to play Kimura. What do you think of my choices? 

A: Well, I haven’t watched Japanese TV shows for the longest time. Most of the names you mentioned are ciphers to me, honestly. However, Simu Liu as Zhang Daoling is an inspired choice! I loved him in the MCU movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is handsome, muscular, and disarmingly charming. Do you remember Tony Leung, who played the evil father in that movie? I am a huge admirer of his. I would love to have him in whatever roles. 

A trivia: I used to teach conversational English in Shinjuku. One of my students was Miho Izumikawa, a Japanese actress and a former member of an idol group. She had met Hugh Jackman at her job, which drove her into learning English. She was an eager student, and I remember our lessons fondly. I would like to have Ms. Izumikawa as the Princess of Japan, as my personal thanks to her enthusiasm. Serious, dedicated students make teachers happy, as passionate readers send writers to cloud nine.