I looked on the internet but couldn't find much information on Japanese POWs in Allied hands. I know there weren't a lot of them, but does anyone know whether they were treated better than the Germans? I read that the Germans were let outside the wire to do agriculture work and industrial jobs, even go to restaurants and movies. The Japanese weren't let outside the wire though. Does anyone know any more about their treatment?
While they weren't "better treated", they weren't really mis-treated either. The relatively small number of about 35,000 Japanese captives taken by the Western Allies between December 8,1941 and August 15, 1945 were held mostly outside of the USA. There were only 4,249 Japanese POWs held inside of America, and before VJ-Day, the U.S. military refrained from employing Japanese outside the wire, in order to avoid incidents with U.S. civilians. This practice contrasted with the Italian and especially German POWs, who were extensively deployed in agriculture, land management, and, after VE-Day, war production. The shock of Japan's surrender took time to absorb and the captives' attitudes perceptibly worsened after VJ-Day, as they were deployed on external work assignments. From all accounts, it is evident that the U.S. Provost Marshal's Office did not attempt to re-educate the small number of Japanese prisoners in the continental United States, as was the case for German POWs. Generous treatment nevertheless forced some captives to rethink their political views, an informal but effective form of re-education. (G. H. Davis, "Prisoners of War in Twentieth-Century War Economies," Journal of Contemporary History 12, 1977: pp.623-634) Despite the fact that the International Committee of the Red Cross furnished the available names of POWs to Tokyo, the Imperial War and Navy ministries issued death notices, modestly pensioned the families, and listed the names at the Yakusuni shrine for war dead. The families received small boxes purporting to contain loved ones' remains, some of which were empty. The first Japanese sailor taken prisoner was that fellow from the midget sub at Pearl Harbor, who was the ONLY Japanese POW for over a year. I think he was held in Wisconsin somewhere. After the war he returned to Japan and became a prominent man in the Toyota company.
Here is a link regarding pow's held in New Zealand, particularly one incident where pow's were shot... Not a great look for us Kiwi's...Hope you find it interesting. Japanese - Featherston prisoner of war camp - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
A military court of enquiry exonerated New Zealand, but acknowledged the fundamental psychological and racial differences between captor and captive, and the lack of a common language. The Japanese government did not accept the court’s decision. Oh come on, like the Japanese should have any say when it comes to POW treatment.
"Oh come on, like the Japanese should have any say when it comes to POW treatment." Yeah, good point. The Japanese method with dealing with POWs was questionable at the very least from the personal accounts I've read...
Japanese prisoners were unique from those of other countries in many ways. The Bushido code had been so deeply embedded in their armed forces that almost all preferred death to surrender. However, as is human nature, some did of course give up but very few, as you state. What may be unique about them is that voluntary Japanese prisoners were, more often then not, quite eager collaborators. They realized that they were counted as dead back home, whether they returned or not. So, often a Japanese prisoner was very happy to cooperate with American intelligence personnell, and frequently gave up every scrap of everything they knew.
Huh. Surprising that any Japanese would surrender after you see pictures of soldiers committing mass suicide in trenches already filled with the bodies of their comrades... It seems a mad thing to do, but I never truly caught on to Bushido and I suppose nobody but those soldiers in the trenches pulling the pin on the grenade that will kill them truly understood its hold over them. And as for Japanese POW's, keep in mind those dreadful internment camps. They didn't let them out past the gates either.
Many of the accounts that I've read, is that Japanese wounded were taken prisoner more often than those not wounded. I don't know if this is the exception or the rule, but it seems plausible.
Weren't their some cases later on in the war where some prisoners would be shot when they tried to surrender? They did this because the Japanese would "rig" themselves with grenades so when the enemy soldiers got close they would drop the grenades killing themselves and the soldiers who went to take them in.
The average Japanese soldier is far more likely to be killed upon capture because the atrocious way they treated allied POWs. The German soldier was given benefit of the doubt, unless it was a SS trooper. In war, as in other walks of life, what goes around comes around, collectively.
i am aware of a couple of camps in Australia.there was a mass breakout in one which resulted in a lot of dead prisoners. those that did escape were later recaptured or died due to exposure. I've even been to it - not much left not but the huge hangers but you can grasp the scope of the place.
Are you speaking of the relocation (internment) camps in the US? If so you are sadly mistaken. There was only one which was anything like a prison (Tule Lake, CA), the rest of them were rather "shabby" in the beginning if they weren't old CCC camps that were taken over, many of those had swimming pools, gymnasiums, libraries, and classrooms. Only the addition of a fence was necessary. Also a great many of them not only allowed the Japanese-Americans inside to go out and work if they chose to do so, about half of the original residents moved out to housing away from the exclusion zones inside of 18 months. Of the approximately 112,000 Japanese evacuees/internees, 15,000 were immediately able to relocate elsewhere on their own. Another 35,000 who did enter the relocation centers eventually left and resettled in other parts of the country as employment or college opportunities arose during the war years. In some instances, Japanese living outside the exclusionary zone sought and received admittance to these centers as they were excluded from rationing. While the camps had been hastily constructed, and were rather shabby to start with, those in the camps had a higher standard of living (no food rationing), free medical, free clothing, continued education, a lower death rate, and a higher live birth rate than the rest of the US. About 5,000 young people Nisei (sp?) of college age were enrolled in universities outside the exclusion zones, at govenment expense (full boat, paid for). How dreadful is that?
uber soldat, 'The Cowra Breakout' - well worth a Google, a fascinating story. There were many German/Italian/Japanese POW camps in central Victoria and southern New South Wales during WW2. All were treated the same in STRICT accordance with the Geneva Convention, and there is a funny story of an Italian camp at Tatura where they thought the food was too good to be true, so over the course of many months they threw tinned food over the fence into an irrigation channel running beside, it in anticipation of the bad times ahead. At the end of the War they fished out FIVE TONS of canned food. After WW2 had ended and the Italians etc had been repatriated, most Italian POWs made sure they came back to Australia as migrants ASAP. An anecdote, My grandfather was the funeral director at Shepparton, in central Victoria, and in fact the ONLY one for 30 miles in any direction. He related the constant call out to the Japanese camp to attend to the nips that had committed suicide overnight. John.
PS, The German and Italian POWs were allowed out to cut timber in central Victoria. It was a strictly voluntary arrangement, and I have one story of a German POW ( a 'Kormoran' crewman) that was advised through the Red Cross that his entire family were wiped out in a Berlin bombing raid. The Camp Commander sent him into the bush with a bag of food to "gather his thoughts", he came back in 3 days. John.
Great info ozjohn39, very interesting.... I must admit though, I'd rather be "imprisoned" then roam around Aussie where everything's trying to kill/eat you. Your wildlife is simply amazing, but i would imagine 70years ago the average size of everything (crocs, snakes etc.)being bigger, and of a greater quantity too
Does anyone know how many Germans and Italians the U.S. captured? The only number I can find is 425,000 but I'm not sure that's the answer. I found that 4,500 Japanese surrendered to the Marines though.
You are going to have trouble figuring out "captured" as opposed to "held". The US and Canada took a great number of previously "captured" Axis troops into custody from Britain and the other Commonwealth/Dominion actions. Finding how many were "captured" by the US alone could be really problematic.
