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Broken promises and false hopes : Japanese policy and attitude towards Allied POWs during the...
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Broken promises and false hopes : Japanese policy and attitude towards Allied POWs during the Second World War
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Description
Author
Harwood
,
Dale
L
.
Title
Broken
promises
and
false
hopes
:
Japanese
policy
and
attitude
towards
Allied
POWs
during
the
Second
World
War
Degree Program
History
Abstract
The
various
Geneva
Conventions
were
designed
to
protect
both
combatants
and
noncombatants
from
unnecessary
suffering
during
wartime
. In the
late
nineteenth
and
early
twentieth
centuries
,
nations
developed
treaties
like
the
Red
Cross
Treaty
of
1929
to
outlaw
unacceptable
actions
and
behaviors
during
war
and to
alleviate
suffering
during
war
. The
Hague
Convention
of
1907
specifically
outlined
nontraditional
forms
of
warfare
considered
inhumane
and the
responsibility
of
occupational
forces
.
Nonetheless
, the
historical
record
reveals
that
both
combatants
and
noncombatants
alike
have
suffered
barbarism
and
degradation
during
wartime
. In the
Second
World
War
, the
Japanese
neglected
and
refused
to
implement
these
laws
which
resulted
in
countless
atrocities
against
allied
POWs
in the
Japanese
occupied
territories
.
Though
a
signatory
to the
1929
Geneva
Convention
concerning
sick
and
injured
POWs
, the
Japanese
government
did
not
ratify
the
convention
. In its
place
, the
Japanese
established
their
own
laws
,
rules
, and
regulations
pertaining
to
prisoners
of
war
that
emerged
from the
Russo-Japanese
War
of
1904-1905
. These
regulations
,
while
not as
liberal
as the
Geneva
Convention
,
did
outline
the
proper
treatment
that
prisoners
should
receive
while
incarcerated
.
Nevertheless
,
throughout
the
Second
World
War
Japan
often
violated
these
regulations
while
simultaneously
claiming
that
POWs
received
proper
treatment
.
Beginning
in
December
1937
, the
Japanese
military
began
an
unprecedented
campaign
of
military
expansion
into
China
,
killing
hundreds
of
thousands
of
both
Chinese
civilian
and
military
personnel
.
Japan
circumvented
the
Geneva
Convention
during
this
time
by
declaring
their
campaign
not as an
invasion
, but
rather
an "
incident
"
depriving
captured
Chinese
soldiers
the
right
to
use
the
ICRC
for
aid
. The
Japanese
military
authorities
labeled
captured
Chinese
soldiers
as "
rebels
" and "
bandits
"
thus
depriving
them of
access
to the
Red
Cross
. In
1941
, the
United
States
entered
the
war
against
Japan
and
Allied
service
men
hoped
that they would
receive
humane
treatment
.
However
,
after
the
fall
of
Hong
Kong
,
Malaya
, and the
Philippines
,
Japanese
forces
marched
the
majority
of
captured
servicemen
into
prison
and
labor
camps
,
where
they
effectively
became
slave
labor
for their
captors
. The
prison
camps
exhibited
brutality
,
inhumane
treatment
,
malnourishment
,
harsh
labor
conditions
,
widespread
disease
, and
inadequate
medical
supplies
.
More
Allied
servicemen
died
from
malnutrition
,
disease
, and
exhaustion
while
prisoners
than from
combat
itself
.
While
regulations
concerning
disciplinary
measures
remained
strictly
enforced
,
other
areas
remained
ignored
or
disregarded
.
Japanese
regulations
described
explicitly
the
treatment
prisoners
were to
receive
concerning
housing
,
food
,
medical
treatment
,
working
conditions
, and
visits
by
relief
organizations
. These
regulations
were
enforced
rarely
and
Allied
prisoners
did
not have
access
to them to
understand
their
rights
.
Yuki
Tanaka
argued
that the
basis
for this
disregard
of
regulations
was that
POW's
were
seen
and
treated
as
military
supplies
by the
Japanese
military
. At the
beginning
of the
war
between
Japan
and the
allied
powers
the
Swiss
Legation
and the
ICRC
became
primary
players
in the
plight
of
Allied
prisoners
of
war
.
Throughout
the
war
, the
Swiss
Legation
and the
ICRC
became
intermediaries
between
the
allied
powers
and
Japan
.
Early
in the
war
,
Japan
publicly
pledged
to the
allied
powers
to
observe
the
Geneva
Convention
.
Acting
as
intermediaries
between
the
warring
powers
, the
Allied
nations
used
both
the
Swiss
Legation
and the
ICRC
to
continually
point
out
Japanese
violations
of the
Geneva
Convention
against
allied
POWs
.
Despite
this
pledge
,
Japan's
leaders
would not
allow
either
the
Swiss
Legation
or the
ICRC
to
intervene
on
behalf
of the
prisoners
.
Throughout
the
war
,
Japan
continually
refused
to
allow
full
access
to the
prison
camps
for
inspection
by
neutral
observers
.
Despite
repeated
protests
and
ample
physical
evidence
of
brutality
and
various
atrocities
that
took
place
in
Japanese
controlled
areas
the
Japanese
refused
to
believe
them.
Consequently
the
laws
,
rules
, and
regulations
pertaining
to the
fair
treatment
of
POWs
established
by the
Japanese
government
and
military
were
ignored
resulting
in the
deaths
of
thousands
of
Allied
prisoners
of
war
. The
purpose
of this
thesis
is
to
examine
the
Japanese
POW
regulations
and to
gain
an
understanding
of
why
these
regulations
were
neglected
and how
Allied
POWs
were
reflected
by those
decisions
during
the
War
.
Date Original
2002
Publisher
Fort Hays State University
Relation
Digital reproduction of the Fort Hays State University Theses Collection.
Type
Text
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
HarwoodDale_2002_web.pdf
Source
LD2652 .T5 H5 H378 2002
Language
eng
Relation-Requires
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Rights
Copyright 2002 Dale L. Harwood
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