Dr Sadao Hoki

Sadao is the protagonist, a brilliant and internationally respected Japanese surgeon who trained in the United States. He is scientific, disciplined and devoted to his profession — so valued that even the General depends on his skill. His defining quality is the tension he embodies: a patriotic Japanese in wartime who is also a healer sworn to save life. He is not shown as a flawless saint; he is frightened, he calculates the danger to his family, and he even reports the American to the General in an effort to protect himself. Yet at every decisive moment his conscience and professional instinct prevail. He operates on the enemy, shelters him, and finally engineers his escape at personal risk. Sadao develops from a man torn by co …