Japanese war crimes

Japanese war crimes
Part of the territorial conquests of the Empire of Japan
Bodies of victims along the Qinhuai River, out of Nanjing's west gate during the Nanjing Massacre
LocationIn and around East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
Date1927–1945[1]
Attack type
war crimes, mass murder, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity
Deaths10 million and 20 million[2]- c. 19,000,000[3][4][5] – c. 30,000,000[6]
PerpetratorEmpire of Japan
Motive
TrialsTokyo Trial, and others

During its imperial era, the Empire of Japan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity across various Asian-Pacific nations, notably during the Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars. These incidents have been referred to as "the Asian Holocaust",[7][8] and "Japan's Holocaust",[9] and also as the "Rape of Asia".[10] The crimes occurred during the early part of the Shōwa era, under Hirohito's reign.

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) were responsible for a multitude of war crimes leading to millions of deaths. War crimes ranged from sexual slavery and massacres to human experimentation, torture, starvation, and forced labor, all either directly committed or condoned by the Japanese military and government.[11][12][13][14][15] Evidence of these crimes, including oral testimonies and written records such as diaries and war journals, has been provided by Japanese veterans.[16]

The Japanese political and military leadership knew of its military's crimes, yet continued to allow it and even support it, with the majority of Japanese troops stationed in Asia either taking part in or supporting the killings.[17]

The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service participated in chemical and biological attacks on civilians during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, violating international agreements that Japan had previously signed, including the Hague Conventions, which prohibited the use of "poison or poisoned weapons" in warfare.[18][19]

Since the 1950s, numerous apologies for the war crimes have been issued by senior Japanese government officials; however, apologies issued by Japanese officials have been criticized by some as insincere. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acknowledged the country's role in causing "tremendous damage and suffering" before and during World War II, particularly the massacre and rape of civilians in Nanjing by the IJA.[20] However, the issue remains controversial, with some members of the Japanese government, including former prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzō Abe, having paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors all Japanese war dead, including convicted Class A war criminals. Furthermore, some Japanese history textbooks provide only brief references to the war crimes,[21] and certain members of the Liberal Democratic Party have denied some of the atrocities, such as the government's involvement in abducting women to serve as "comfort women", a euphemism for sex slaves.[22][23]

  1. ^ Rigg, Bryan Mark (2024). Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II. Knox Press. pp. 13–14, 23, 54, 190–191, 289. ISBN 9781637586884.
  2. ^ Dear, I. C. B.; Foot, M. R. D., eds. (2001) [1995]. The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-19-860446-4.
  3. ^ "Downfall-Why Japan Surrendered with very special guest Richard Frank-Episode 225". YouTube. 15 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Imperial Japan's World War Two: 1931-1945".
  5. ^ "Selden on Dower, 'Embracing Defeat. Japan in the Wake of World War II' | H-Net".
  6. ^ Rigg, Bryan Mark (2024). Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II. Knox Press. pp. 190–191, 276, 312. ISBN 9781637586884.
  7. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (7 March 1999). "The World: Revisiting World War II Atrocities; Comparing the Unspeakable to the Unthinkable". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  8. ^ Kang, K. Connie (4 August 1995). "Breaking Silence: Exhibit on "Forgotten Holocaust" Focuses on Japanese War Crimes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  9. ^ Rigg, Bryan Mark (2024). Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II. Knox Press. pp. 13–14, 282, 294. ISBN 9781637586884.
  10. ^ Rigg, Bryan Mark (2024). Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II. Knox Press. p. 93. ISBN 9781637586884.
  11. ^ "Japanese War Crimes". The National Archives (U.S.). 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Pacific Theater Document Archive". War Crimes Studies Center, University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009.
  13. ^ "Bibliography: War Crimes". Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  14. ^ Gruhl, Werner (2007). Imperial Japan's World War Two: 1931–1945. Transaction Publishers. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7658-0352-8.
  15. ^ "Voices of the "Comfort Women": The Power Politics Surrounding the UNESCO Documentary Heritage". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  16. ^ Drea, Edward (2006). Researching Japanese War Crimes (PDF). National Archives and Records Administration for the Nazi Warcrimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group. p. 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  17. ^ Rigg, Bryan Mark (2024). Japan's Holocaust: History of Imperial Japan's Mass Murder and Rape During World War II. Knox Press. p. 266. ISBN 9781637586884.
  18. ^ "Japan bombed China with plague-fleas". BBC News. 25 January 2001. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  19. ^ Keiichi, Tsuneishi (24 November 2005). "Unit 731 and the Japanese Imperial Army's Biological Warfare Program". Japan Focus. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Q8: What is the view of the Government of Japan on the incident known as the "Nanjing Massacre"?". Foreign Policy Q&A. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  21. ^ Kasahara, Tokushi. "Reconciling Narratives of the Nanjing Massacre in Japanese and Chinese Textbooks" (PDF). Tsuru Bunka University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  22. ^ Tabuchi, Hiroko. "Japan's Abe: No Proof of WWII Sex Slaves". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
  23. ^ "Japan's Abe Denies Proof of World War II Sex Slaves". The New York Times. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2007.