Images from a Japanese Army Prison Camp

As a university professor, I teach courses in modern Japanese History. I also give lectures on it to a wider audience outside the university. People from around the world, both students and adults, come to my lectures. My greatest priority is corroboration: to always base my work on original historical materials, many of which are stored at the National Archives of Japan. Using online databases with my students on a daily basis, I find JACAR to be an extraordinary source of historical materials. JACAR is extremely helpful and useful, because it is easily accessible from anywhere on the earth, around the clock, in multiple languages, and viewing or obtaining materials is free of charge. To be able to use such a great digital archive benefits all.

Among the Allied powers, the United Kingdom had the highest number of POWs: more than 50,000 military personnel were placed in camps under control of the Japanese Army. Of the 50,000 POWs from the UK, two-thirds were sent to build a 415 kilometer railway between Thailand and Burma (now Myanmar). Many of the POWs died before the railway was completed in October 1943, having been forced to work with locally recruited Southeast Asians in severe, intolerable conditions on the steep mountains in scorching heat, battling with tropical disease. While the train line was closed in 1947, a section of it in Thailand was reopened and is still in service today. The line is now something of a tourist attraction, as a place for youth to learn about modern history and for the families and friends of fallen POWs to make pilgrimages.

"Through the interest of my own family, as a young boy I was introduced to something of the exquisite and beautiful artistry of Japan, my father having a great interest in Japanese landscape and gardens and my sister in Japan's most lovely traditional dress and textiles. This formed an integral part of my early family interest and my delight and admiration for Japanese achievement in the arts has continued and developed throughout my life. War in no way intruded upon it and in many ways has accentuated it.
Being plunged into war and finding myself eventually a prisoner of the Japanese it became a terrifying contradiction having to witness and to be subjected to bestiality and watching my friends and fellow soldiers be maimed or killed. Even more disturbing to me as a young man was having to watch, powerless to prevent, extreme brutality to the civilian population whom we were unable to assist. This for many of us was heart-breaking and horrific and seemed to be lie the exceptional exquisite beauty, culture and great achievements of Japan."

"But during the three and a half years of captivity and despite our desperate conditions there were Japanese as well as Korean guards who are remembered with warmth and gratitude... As soldiers as well as in other human observations, we found the seemingly lower role for the Korean soldier somewhat puzzling and unjust and, whilst we understood a probable resentment on their part, we were unprepared for their tendency to vent some of this upon prisoners. But there were exceptions and on occasions we had sincere concern for them."

"...I mention these human exchanges, small as they may seem, for their importance in hopes and for survival. Despite inevitable hate or resentment at that time, such men kept us in mind of our shared, insane existence. ... I returned from the war, like so many thousands from both our countries, with immense relief that our involvement with bestiality and destruction was at an end and, though physically damaged and awaiting further medical help, it was for me the beginning of a new life."

Bibliography

小菅信子『ポピーと桜』、岩波書店、2008年。

ジャック・チョーカー「経験・記憶・和解」小菅信子編著『原典でよむ　２０世紀の平和思想』、岩波書店、2015年。

小菅信子「英軍俘虜・抑留者」東郷和彦、波多野澄雄編著『歴史問題ハンドブック』、岩波書店、2015年。

小菅信子「泰緬鉄道の捕虜収容における捕虜軍医の医療活動」『軍事史学』第49巻第4号、2014年3月。

小菅信子「泰緬鉄道の日本軍捕虜収容所における腐敗、即興、再生」、小菅隼人編著『腐敗と再生』、慶應義塾出版会、2004年。

黒沢文貴、イアン・ニッシュ編著『歴史と和解』、東京大学出版会、2011年。

小菅信子、ヒューゴ・ドブソン編著『戦争と和解の日英関係史』、法政大学出版会、2011年。

木畑洋一、小菅信子、フィリップ・トウル編著『戦争の記憶と捕虜問題』、東京大学出版会、2003年。

Dobson, Hugo and Nobuko Kosuge (co-eds), Japan and Britain at War and Peace, Routledge, London and New York, 2009.

Towle, Philip and Yoichi Kibata and Margaret Kosuge (co-eds), Japanese Prisoners of War, Hambledon and London, London and New York, 2000.

A special web exhibition "Japanese Post-World War Two Demobilization and Repatriation"

In response to inquiries concerning what keywords to use for searching the JACAR database, we have released the JACAR Glossary. It allows for systematic searching of documents with maps and chronological tables that cover the topics of Japanese Post-World War Two Demobilization and Repatriation.