Wichayanuwat 1

Jayne Wichayanuwat

Mr. Asnault

American Literature

20 April 2017

Japanese Prisoner of War Camp

In World War II, soldiers were sent away from their hometown and country to

fight in another country. The result of the soldiers can be, go back home alive, die during the

mission or captured in some country. Japan is one of the Axis power that was really powerful in

World War II.Japan expanded their empire and conquered many country. So they had lots of

prisoners from many country. But what does the camp look like? How many camp Japan had?

This is a research about Prisoners of War camp in Japan during World War II

Everyday, the prisoners have to follow the same cycle in an understandard camp.

The prisoners had to survive on 600 calories diet a day and tried to build Thailand-Burma

railroad. Back at the time, the Japanese used the prisoners to work really hard from sunrise to

sunset, but they were fed a little. Besides, the POW camp was not reach the standard of prisoners

camp. There was also a flu during the time, dysentery, malaria and tropical ulcers were spread on

the working area. The death rate in the camp was nearly 25%. The Japanese did not follow the

international Red Cross standard for prison camps. There was many work in a different camp,

depend on how close the camp and the working site. But it would have the worst condition of

working.

Prisoners were forced to work while got captured, the worst condition of working

was building Thailand-Burma railroad. There were more than 140,000 white soldiers that got
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captured in the camp. While living in the camp, the Japanese forced to work for Japan. The worst

condition were the people that got sent to build Thailand-Burma railroad. ‘Prisoners of war and

Asian labourers worked side by side to build the 260 mile railroad by hand. They were expected

to work from dawn to dusk, ten days on and one day off, moving earth, building bridges, blasting

through mountains and laying tracks.’The Prisoners of War and Asian labourers got to work half

a day for the Japanese. They got to create a railroad between Thailand and Burma by hand, clear

the way, bomb the mountain and moving earth to build the 260 mile long railroad. They also got

a little bit of diet but had to work so hard all day. This was the worst work for the POW in the

Camp.Many prisoners suffered from this. As you know, the POW Camp in Japan established

about seven big camps in almost every part in different city and in different are all over Japan.

Hakodate camp controlled prisoners in Hokkaido area and part of Tohoku area.

The camp was first established on December 26,1942 and in charge of prisoners in the area of

Hokkaido, north eastern part of Honshu island. But when Sendai POW camp was established, the

Tohoku area was seperate. The first camp commander was Col.Toshio Hatakeyama, the second

was Lt/Col. Shigeo Emoto, the last commander was Col. Atsuo Hosoi. The main camp was at the

site of Hakodate city. The prisoners in this camp were used by Hakodate ship building comapany

and Hakodate port transportation. Hakodate camp located at the northern part of Japn in

Hokkaido, but going down, they also had another camp.

Sendai POW camp took controlled in Tohoku area. The camp was established on

April 14, 1945, same time of the establihedment of Tohoku Army District. Some sub-camp used

to belong to Tokyo POW camp and Hakodate POW camp. The camp commander was Lt/Col.
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Riichi Kitahara. The main camp located in Sendai city but then later moved to Kitakami city.

Sendai Camp was in part of Honshu area. Which consisted of another 3 POW camps.

Tokyo POW camp controlled camps in many area in Honshu. Tokyo POW camp

was the largest camp in Japan and located in the main city and the first POW camp. Established

on September 25,1942. Took charge in Tohoku, Kanto, Koshinetsu and Hokuriku are. When

Sendai POW camp and NAgoya POW camp established, many sub-camp in the area was

separated. At the very end of the war, to avoid the air raids and a final battle in Japan mainland,

lots of the camps were dissipated in Tokyo and Yokohama. The camp commander was Col.

Kunji Suzuki, Col. Kaname Sakaba. Prisoners in Tokyo camp were used by Nippon Express

Company. Down from Tokyo POW camp, there was Nagoya city which held another POW

camp.

Nagoya POW camp controlled camps in Tokai area and Hokuriku area. The camp

was established in the purpose of Tokai Army District in April 1945. Controlled prisoners in

Tokai area and Hokuriku area under the power of Osaka POW camp. Nagoya POW camp

commader was Lt/Col. Michisi Otake. The main camp was located in the site of Tokai District

Army Hdqs in Nagoya City. But later it burnt down by the air raids on May 14, 1945, so it

moved to Naka-ku instead. There was another camp in Honshu area aswell. This camp

established before Nagoya POW camp.

Osaka POW camp was settled in Tokai area. The camp was established on

September 23, 1945 and controlled the camp in Kinki area and Tokai area. But when the Tokai

Army District was established in 1945, Osaka POW camp only controlled in Kinki area. At the

very end of Worl War II, the camps in Hanshin area (Kobe and Osaka) was moved to inland and
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at the Japan sea side area to avoid air raids. The commander was Col. Sotaro Murata. The main

camp was burnt down because of air raids, so they moved to an elementary school. The prisoners

were used by Nippon Express company, they worked at Osaka HArbor or at railway station in

Osaka city. Down south of Osaka, there was another large camp.

Hiroshima POW camp controlled camps in Chugoku area and Shikoku area. The

camp was established in APril 1945 and took charged in Chugoku area and Shikoku area. Some

of the sub-camp in used to belong to Fukuoka POW camp and Zentsuji POW camp. The camp

commander was Col. Gyokuei Kondo. The main camp was temporary settled at Zentsuji POW

camp, then later moved to the building in Tode JIitsuggo High School. In kyushu area, there was

another POW camp controlled the prisoners.

Fukuoka POW camp controlled a camp Inkyoshu area. The camp was established

on January 1, 1943 and controlled camps in Kyushu island are, part of Chugoku and Shikoki

area. But then later Chugoku area and Shikoku area were separated when Zentsuji POW camp

and Hiroshima POW camp were established. The first camp commander was Col. Ijyu

Sugasawa. The second Commander was Col. Manjiro Fukumoto. At first Fkuoka POW camp

was developed originally from Yawata Temporal POW camp. The main camp was in the site of

Seibu District Army Hdqs in Fukuoka city. Then moved to Nagahama Youth School and later

was burnt down by air raids, then moved again to Dazaifu elementary School. Because there

were a lot of camps all over in Japan,and Japaneses tend to be one of a tough country that has

tough people, the way they controlled prisoners was really bad.

The Japanese officers treatment of the prisoners was brutal. Many of the prisoners

in the camp died because of the punishments, lack of food or just being a target for the practice.
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‘Captured airmen shot down over Japan were “beaten to death, beheaded, burned alive or cut

into pieces for medical experiments… some prisoners were publically displayed naked in a foot

cage.’ One of the airmen god a really brutal treatment from the Japanese, some Prisoners of War

got beaten, cut off their heads or even burn alive. While many prisoners also got cut into pieces

to be a testing for medical experiments. What Japan did was far from the word ‘Human’. Many

prisoners suffered from the camp, some died before the end of the war. But at that time who

would know that the end of war was coming.

World War II ended by America. Japan once attacked Pearl Harbor on 7

December 1941, it was the turning point that made the U.S. joint the war. Later Japan tried to

conquer Asia and get rid of western power, but because the U.s. declared war on Japan, Japan

got attacked. “On 6 August 1945 the first atomic weapon dropped on Hiroshima. Three days

later a second A-bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The bombs caused widespread devastation and the

Japanese people would continue to suffer the consequences, Japan surrendered on 15 August

1945 and that was the end of World War II” Japan was one of the Axis power that was really

powerful. They attacked , declared war and conquered many countries. The U.S. dropped a bomb

at Japan to destroy military camp and stop Japan movement. The result of the bomb was pretty

bad that made Japan surrendered. After the war ended, the prisoners got help from many country

and went back to their own country.

After World War II ended , the prisoners in the POW camp got rescue and the

Japanese officers got prosecuted. There was thousand of prisoners that Japan put them in prison.

As soon as the war ended many allied country sent help to them. The Japanese officers were

prosecuted by their action toward the prisoners. When Japan surrendered, the U.S. forced
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abruptly sent help to the allied prisoners and ordered Japanese government to mark the roof of

the POW camp in order to drop a supply by parachute. By the end of September 1945, most of

the allied prisoners returned back to their homeland via Okinawa and Manila. The war crime trial

was set at Yokohama in a total of 327 cases, 1037 Japanese officers were prosecuted, 222 cases

related to mistreatment of the prisoners. Almost all of the prison camps produced criminal and

those convicted got sent to death by hanging. Even the war ended, but every country in the war

got damaged and lost. Why would they hurt someone who is innocent?

The prisoners got beaten by Japanese during World War II. People keep talking

about how brutal it was even it’s 70 years ago. While the Japanese- American that lived in the

U.S.got sent into the camp like the prisoners except the fact that they did not get beaten. But

overall, why would you want to hurt innocent people? Just because the nationality that is

different.
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Jayne Wichayanuwat

Mr. Asnault

American Literature

21 April 2017

Works Cited

Fukubayashi, Toru. “Liberation of the POWs and the War Crimes Trial.” ​powresearch​.

Accessed 17 Apr 2017.

Kozak, Warren. "World War Two - Japanese Prisoner of War Camps." ​History on the Net​. Curtis

LeMay: Strategist and Tactician, 08 June 2014. Accessed 17 Apr. 2017.

“Prisoners of War - Second World War (1939-1945) - Far East.” Accessed 17 Apr 2017.

Fukubayashi, Toru. “List of the POW Camps in Japan.” ​powresearch. ​Accessed 17 Apr 2017.

Hays, Jeffrey . “Brutal Treatment of Allied Prisoners of War” ​factsanddetails. ​Nov 2016.

Accessed 17 Apr 2017