The word ‘encyclopedia’ used in the book's title has come a long way in its meaning. Many readers grew up in the world of the Encyclopedia Britannica, arguably the ‘gold standard’ where the search for information begins. But The Encyclopedia of Indonesia in the Pacific War is not a standard encyclopedia: do not expect to find a reference with alphabetical entries. Yes, there is a lexicon of names listing principal figures during the Pacific War (specifically the Japanese Occupation) in Indonesia, but the rest of the 684-page volume consists of essays, primary sources and images. This encyclopedia is therefore a collection of data — interpretative, evaluative or just purely informational — painstakingly assembled by a group of largely academic researchers.

The style of writing makes the events of the Pacific War accessible to readers. The compilers and contributors show a clear understanding of the lived experience of the Japanese Occupation in Indonesia. Unlike many publications today, the text is free of jargon. Moreover, the encyclopedia was developed after sound history research in the best traditions of primary archival explorations; it is mostly not a secondary synthesis of existing research completed by the hard work of others. Each of the authors has brought value to the subject and the readership will be enriched by it. This encyclopedia can therefore serve as a useful tool to learn more about Indonesia during the Pacific War.

Readers should be forewarned, though, that the encyclopedia is not as comprehensive as may be expected. In the lexicon, the names listed are almost all males. This makes the reader wonder why the experience of the Pacific War in Indonesia is depicted as dominated by one gender. This observation illustrates a challenge faced by the contributors to the encyclopedia: the selection of topics that are included is severely circumscribed by the availability of sources. It is a dilemma faced by historians unless there is an expressed intention to uncover previously unknown data through methods such as oral history — not readily evident in this encyclopedia.

The photographs throughout capture many exciting people and events. They represent a tantalising glimmer of what could be available if there were funds and time to explore more collections. The juiciest parts of the encyclopedia are in the boxes with precious nuggets of information. Any casual reader will be captivated by the book simply by browsing through the photographic essays and the boxes, and will then be enticed to read the chapters in detail. If that was the intention of the editors, then they have succeeded admirably.

Writing about Indonesia always presents the same problem of neglecting the regions outside Java and Sumatra. For the once-called ‘Outer Islands’, there is simply a lack of comparable data. Thus, the Indonesia mentioned in the encyclopedia's title is unashamedly and unabashedly Java and Sumatra (and more the former than the latter).

Does the encyclopedia provide new insights or at least ones that are not commonly known in the public domain or unfamiliar to this reviewer? One such detail (p. 623) is about an enthusiastic Japanese supporter of the Republic of Indonesia — Yoshizumi Tomegoro — who was instrumental in drafting the Declaration of Indonesia's independence. After the end of the Pacific War, and against the orders of the Emperor, Yoshizumi left the Japanese Navy and joined the Republican guerrilla war. According to the encyclopedia, Yoshizumi died of tuberculosis in a mountainous battlefield in east Java, and was buried in the hero's graveyard of Blitar.

According to the editors, the cultural dimensions of the Pacific War were an aspect of change not given sufficient exposure in extant literature. The encyclopedia then embarked on a pioneering venture to rectify this gap in knowledge.

This reader was left wondering whether the encyclopedia is a platform for showcasing the research of Japanese writers and younger Dutch scholars, rather than indigenous Indonesian scholarship? Since the Pacific War, the Netherlands government and other authorities have invested much to train a younger generation of Indonesian scholars — including historians and social scientists. Yet, the encyclopedia does not show us much evidence of that investment.