I see a disturbing trend of gullibility here -- someone "steals" $400 from you, and then you turn to the internet to ask other complete strangers to help you. If you aren't a scammer yourself, you could try the US Embassy in Tokyo, or the nearest Japanese consulate. They may be able to direct you to an ombudsman of some sort.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.