Japanese war crimes
War crimes by Imperial Japan caused millions of deaths across Asia.
No 9 Army Film & Photographic Unit. Morris, W A (Sergeant). Post-Work: User: · Public domain
Japanese war crimes refer to the numerous violations of international and domestic law committed by the Empire of Japan before and during World War II, particularly during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. These crimes, which have been called 'the Asian Holocaust' or 'Japan's Holocaust,' resulted in an estimated 19 to 30 million deaths across various Asian-Pacific nations. The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were responsible for acts including sexual slavery, massacres, human experimentation, torture, starvation, and forced labor, often with the knowledge and condonation of Japan's political and military leadership.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Japanese war crimes
- Location
- East Asia · Southeast Asia · Pacific Ocean · Indian Ocean
- Date
- 1927–194513–14, 23, 54, 190–191, 289
- Fatalities
- c. 19,000,000–c. 30,000,000190–191, 276, 312
- Perpetrator
- Empire of JapanImperial Japanese Army · Imperial Japanese Navy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy committed widespread atrocities, including the massacre and rape of civilians in Nanjing, as documented by oral testimonies and written records from Japanese veterans. The Air Service of the IJA conducted chemical and biological attacks on civilians, violating the Hague Conventions which Japan had signed. These crimes occurred despite Japan's ratification of the Hague Conventions and its 1942 statement that it would abide by the 1929 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War mutatis mutandis—though Japan never actually signed that convention.
Reader's Guide
The significance of Japanese war crimes lies in their scale and the systemic nature of the atrocities, which were often condoned or justified by Japan's political and military leadership. The Tokyo Charter defined these acts as violations of the laws or customs of war, and post-war trials convicted military personnel as Class A, B, and C war criminals. However, the legacy remains controversial: some Japanese officials have denied or minimized the crimes, such as the government's involvement in abducting 'comfort women,' while others have issued apologies criticized as insincere. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acknowledged causing 'tremendous damage and suffering,' but the issue persists due to visits by former prime ministers to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted war criminals, and the limited coverage in some Japanese history textbooks. The crimes also violated Japanese military law, making perpetrators subject to court-martial, and broke international agreements including the Forced Labour Convention and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children.
Did You Know?
- Deaths from Japanese war crimes are estimated at between 19 million and 30 million.
- Japan did not sign the 1929 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.
- Some Japanese history textbooks provide only brief references to the war crimes.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What were Japanese war crimes?
Japanese war crimes refer to the broad range of international-law violations carried out by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. They span massacres, forced labor, sexual slavery, and human experimentation committed across multiple Asian-Pacific nations.
How many people died as a result of Japanese war crimes?
Historians estimate the total death toll at between 19 and 30 million victims spread across several countries in Asia and the Pacific. That figure makes it one of the deadliest episodes of state-directed violence in the twentieth century.
What specific atrocities fall under Japanese war crimes?
Documented acts include mass killings of civilians and POWs, the coerced 'comfort women' system, Unit 731's biological and chemical testing on prisoners, forced labor in mines and infrastructure projects, and deliberate starvation of occupied populations.
Which branches of the Japanese military were responsible?
Both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy carried out or oversaw these atrocities. The crimes were generally executed with the knowledge and tacit approval of the broader Japanese government and high command.
Why do some people call Japanese war crimes 'the Asian Holocaust'?
The label is used by certain historians and survivors to stress the systematic, state-directed scale of suffering inflicted on Asian and Pacific communities. It highlights that an estimated 19 to 30 million people perished under campaigns of violence spanning the early Hirohito era through the end of World War II.
More in World War Ii Campaigns And Atrocities 1-21
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