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Thanks for your kind information, Andy.
Our several data sources say total Japanese casualty in the entire New Guinea is estimated 130,000 at most.
About 50,000 seem stayed behind there.
 
Philippines President is now in Tokyo for 3 days.
I remember Korean leaders behaved similarly in the late 19th century among Japan, China and Russia.
Old books say in common "If Korea remained neutral as an independent country, there would not be Japan's annexation of the peninsula".

 
"Very fair" ..... compared to what, Shin? There was a certain tit-for-tat casual brutality on both sides but, let us be very clear, Japan had never signed the Geneva Convention ... the Allies had ... and that document, while not stopping such brutality, made known to participants that they were bound to an International Legal Code and could be prosecuted.

Bringing the POWs home | After the War | The Thai-Burma Railway and Hellfire Pass

In balance, 100,000s of Japanese POWs taken on the Asian mainland in 1945 were retained as allied law-and-order enforcers and as coolie labor ... for example in Singapore .... for years after.
Lots of them died or "didn't come home"
 
Thanks for your good information, MM.

I said "Very fair" in the western standards I know like "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth".

On the other hand, however, Chiang Kai-shek declared to his people in his ancient Chinese philosopher's style "We shall condemn the offense, but not the offender" in 1946 when he released all Japanese POWs he held. Japanese were so grateful that they did not hesitate to cooperate with him later.
 
Thanks MM.
I've found English translation of Chiang Kai-shek's speech dated August 15, 1945.

(Excerpts)
"I am deeply moved when I think of the teachings of Jesus Christ that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us and love our enemies. My fellow countrymen know that "Remember not evil against others" and "Do good to all men" have been the highest virtues taught by our own sages. We have always said that the violent militarism of Japan is our enemy, not the people of Japan. Although the armed forces of the enemy have been defeated and must be made to observe strictly all the terms of surrender, yet we should not for a moment think of revenge or heap abuses upon the innocent people of Japan. We can only pity them because they have been so sadly deceived and misled, and hope that they will break away from the wrong-doing and crimes of their nation. Let all our fellow citizens, soldiers and civilians remember this."

Full text
http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1945/1945-08-15c.html

Victor: Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
 
Few Japanese people were able to tell who were Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, French, Dutch or even Germans. It is still difficult for us today. All looked Americans as enemy in the battle fields. If they had repeated saying like "I am Canadian. Canada ! Not America !", treatment in the labor camp might have been different.

Addition.

The POW Research Network Japan can tell details, if interested.
 
Last edited:
".... Few Japanese people were able to tell who were Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, French, Dutch or even Germans. It is still difficult for us today. All looked Americans as enemy in the battle fields. If they had repeated saying like "I am Canadian. Canada ! Not America !", treatment in the labor camp might have been different ..."

Shin I appreciate the "all look alike to my eyes" bromide . .. after all occidentals have used the exact same line to describe orientals .... and it may very well be the expression of something very ancient in our animal souls .... but ...... each of the allied nationalities were fighting Japan in distinct uniforms. I believe that instilling racism is a necessary prerequisite to getting a country to hate enough to sacrifice and kill a declared 'enemy' long term. [WW1, arguably, may be the exception to that belief].

Nonetheless, racism there certainly was in spades, on all sides in the Pacific and Japanese Empire conflicts.

I have posted a link to the Defense of Hong Kong, the action that cut closest to Canadians - then and now - if you read beginning to end - you get a description of a vigorously defended battle - a worthy defense by Japanese or Canadian standards, worthy of honorable surrender .... but each action Japanese troops prevailed and then executed. ".. "I am Canadian. Canada ! Not America !", treatment in the labor camp might have been different" wouldn't have worked IMO


There is no purple prose or guilt-trip intended in this Shin. Just understanding what was what. And if you read history across the ages there was nothing uniquely savage or brutal about any of this compared against the human legacy.

Battle of Hong Kong - Wikipedia
 
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