What got me was the Japanese soldiers: they were much taller than the Filipino hawker selling them ice cream. Well-off kids? Officers?
..a quick search shows Japanese about 5 inches taller on average....Philippines 5th smallest in height Ranked: The countries with the shortest people in the world
"The Filipino seems to be sitting, so the disparity in height may not be as great as it appears." Definitely standing, if I know anything about ambulant ice cream vendors. "Or, staged to show good will between the Japanese troops and local Filipinos." Discounting the death march, Filipino-Japanese relations after the Bataan surrender and before the Manila massacre in 1945 were pretty much amicable. They appointed a Filipino president and cabinet to head the civil government. Most existing businesses were allowed to operate. Filipino junior officers of the USAFFE were interrogated and screened for possible inclusion into the Japanese armed forces. "a quick search shows Japanese about 5 inches taller on average....Philippines 5th smallest in height " When was that survey done, less than 10 years ago? Back in 1942, Asians were almost uniformly small. Uneven developments in public health and nutrition after the Asian boom in the '80s brought about noticeable disparages in average height, especially in the younger generations.
Since I have no experience in that field, I will defer to your expertise. At first glance, it does appear that his left knee is bent, which is why I thought he was sitting. However, after taking a closer look at the way he is straddling the wheel, it seems he has his weight on his right leg.
