EAD

August 15, 1945.  V-J Day:  The end of the Second World War marked the beginning of the battle for the skies over Japan ...

Sitting only twenty miles from the center of Tokyo in the tiny city of Yokota, a nuclear capable US air base symbolizes sixty years of continuous American occupation. 

During a hot and humid July evening, a month before the 60^th anniversary of the end of World War II, three US Servicemen stationed at Yokota Airbase are having drinks with three under-aged local girls.  Before the evening is over, all three are accused of brutally raping the school girls, and the small town of Yokota, spearheaded by its right-wing mayor Takashi Yamada, demands the expulsion of the Yankees—all of them.

Months later and thousands of miles away, the largest US airline announces that it is forming an alliance with the national carrier of Japan, a move that will signify a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the lucrative transpacific routes.  Not only will the transaction save thousands of jobs, it can turn around the depressed airline industry in both countries.

Kentaro Kawakami is a successful international businessman but a terribly neglectful family man.  He travels the world, striking deal after deal, making him the “deal maker king” in Japan, while his family life crumbles.  Ken is about to hit the jackpot again by forcing himself into the billion dollar airline deal.

Ken immediately finds himself on a flight to New York to meet his old friend, Dan Harper, an executive at Universal Airlines.  There he finds that everything is not what it seems, and Dan asks Ken for a big favor… why is his soon-to-be alliance partner, Japan Global Air, so eager for Universal to contact the Pentagon?

Even as he puts his team to work, Ken manages to find time to squeeze in R&R as he meets with a delightful flight attendant on his way to New York, JGA crew member, Katherine Lau.  A Singaporean-Chinese, she charms her way into Ken’s life.

The plot thickens when Ken’s team uncovers hundreds of shady land deals aroundYokota Air Base.  Then a Japanese government official warns him of the political upheaval caused by the rapes of the Yokota girls.  Worse, one of the girls dies by jumping in front of an oncoming train.

Ken makes a side-trip to Los Angeles to visit his beloved twelve-year old daughter, Claire.  There, he recommitments himself to being a good father, a job he abandoned years ago.  Ken could never live down the fact that as a child, his father had abandoned both him and his mother.

When Ken returns to Japan, a surprise awaits him… a surprise that will turn the mega-deal on its head.  And as Ken digs deeper, he finds that the stakes are nothing less than the economic supremacy over the skies of Japan amid a conspiracy of such proportions that it can bring down the national carrier of Japan. 

On his quest to uncover the conspiracy, Ken explores his own feelings as his relationship with Katherine deepens, bringing meaning back to his own life that is in ruins.  And in the quiet moments with his 12-year old daughter, he deals with the ghosts of a shattered family life that had haunted him for his whole existence.

The Sky Burns Red takes place over the course of ten days and is a fast paced ride from Tokyo to New York to Los Angeles and back to Tokyo from the eyes of a business person “who’s been there,” exploring an industry that is facing financial catastrophe in the 21^st century, while vividly portraying the lifestyle of the ultimate global businessman.  The novel is also full of wit and humor, poking fun at the idiosyncrasies in Japan, while sharing the wonderful dining experiences at some of the finest restaurants in both countries.  The final twist at the end will leave readers in shock.

The Sky Burns Redis scheduled to be translated into Japanese and published by Gentosha (幻冬舎), the leading publisher of mega-sellers in Japan.  The book was selected to be released in Japan due to its timely content and its view of modern day Japan through the eyes of an American who used to live there.

Q.        Why did you write The Sky Burns Red?

A.        I have always been interested in writing, although I’ll have to admit that I never thought it was going to be a novel.  I started writing The Sky Burns Red three years ago after a conversation with a flight attendant.  We talked about how nice it would be if they could simply have one airport in Tokyo that was both convenient for local access and for international and domestic connections, since Narita wasn’t doing the job.  I did some research and came up with the core idea for the novel, and then, I just let my imagination take over.  Because I’ve done a lot of flying myself both transpacific and domestically in the US, a good portion of the book is based on my personal experience. 

Q.        You picked a timely subject with what is going on in the world these days.

A.        The growth in nationalism around the world—the Middle East, South America, the US, Asia, and especially in Japan —is definitely a factor.  Without going into what is right or wrong, it does pose interesting questions.  The question I pose for the people in Japan is—why even 60 years after the end of the Second World War, do they let an occupying power control their airspace?  Although we do not deal with it specifically in the book, the US-Japan Air Treaty is one of the most one-sided agreements ever, negotiated when the balance of power was heavily favoring the US.  The Koizumi regime, the longest in post-war Japan, has seen a dramatic rise in Japanese national pride.  Recent events in the Korean Peninsula and calls by the Japanese foreign minister for ‘pre-emptive attacks’ against North Korean missile bases certainly escalate the tension in this region.  Finally, the issue of American troops and their behavior on foreign soil is one that refuses to go away, whether that is in Germany, Iraq, or in Japan. 

Q.        Are these characters based on people you know?

A.        Yes and no.  We can only write about what we know, and the characters are a combination of people I know along with some that I’ve invented.  But there is always a little bit of this person or that person in each of the characters.  My editor, Lisa Alpine, drilled into me the need to provide depth to the characters, and I’ve tried very hard to give the reader enough to picture the main characters.  And when I say “picture,” I don’t mean just the physical appearance, but also the emotional and mental states.  I tried hard to avoid general stereo-types.  One advantage I have over a Japanese author or an American author observing Japan is that I grew up there, I speak the language, I know the culture, and I can see through things, and I tried to bring that perception to the readers.  

Q.        How does a consultant at an accounting firm become a writer?

A.       I don’t have an answer for that, except to say that there is a writer in every one of us.   We are all story-tellers.  Even in my line of work, I used to stress to my staff that it was our job to communicate complex concepts, financial or otherwise, to our clients in an easy understandable manner, and the best way to do that was to tell a story.  Every proposal and presentation was a story.  For the most part, that worked out well.  And just to clarify, I’m not an accountant—I’m a consultant.  There’s a big difference. 

Q.        The father-daughter relationship is very powerful.  Is that based on your own experience?

A.        The relationship between father and daughter or father and son is a very powerful one to begin with.  I tried to combine the two, and it is a reflection of Ken’s battle with himself.  Here’s a man who chose work over his family, a sacrifice that many guys made, often involuntarily.  But it’s never too late, and Ken and Claire’s relationship is a key element of the overall story and of Ken’s character development.  And yes, there’s a lot of me and my kids in those characters.

Q.        Are you working on your next novel?

A.        I am wrapping up my first draft, and the editing process has just started.  I am very excited about this project because it is both different and similar to The Sky Burns Red—different in the sense that it is a romantic piece but similar in that it deals with cross-cultural issues again, this time American, Japanese, and Chinese.  I’ll just say that involves a woman who tries to discover her true identity after signing up with an online match making service.

          I've also been asked by Gentosha to work on a sequel to The Sky Burns Red.   This time we delve into the world of US Private Equity funds buying up Japanese assets.  It is a world of politics and under-the-table transactions which is truly fascinating. 

Q.        We will look forward to that one, too.  Now, tell us about this deal with the Japanese publisher.

A.        I am very excited that the Japanese publisher Gentosha (幻冬舎) is going to be publishing the Japanese version of the book over there.  Although I wrote this book for the American marketplace, I expected a natural interest in the topic from people in Japan.  I knew this because whenever I explained my book to my friends and clients in Japan, they all asked when it will be released in Japanese.  Now, I will be able to give them an answer.  In addition, Gentosha is the perfect publisher for my book.  The company has been known in Japan as the publisher that creates mega-sellers because of its aggressive marketing campaigns and dedication to bringing books that people love to read.  It is a true honor for me to be working with Gentosha..

Gentosha releases the paperback edition of The Sky Burns Red on June 10, 2010.   With the massive govenment rescue of JAL and the US Airbase in Futenma being significant topics in Japan, the publisher thought the timing would be ripe for the re-release of the novel.  In addition, this will set up nicely for the October release of my next novel Sealed Bid (English working title).