What did America do with the Japanese prisoners of war?

Prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused and forced to work in mines and war-related factories in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. Of the 27,000 Americans taken prisoner by the Japanese, a shocking 40 percent died in captivity, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

Did the US take prisoners of war in ww2?

From 1942 through 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps in rural areas across the country. Some 500 POW facilities were built, mainly in the South and Southwest but also in the Great Plains and Midwest.

Did the US hold prisoners of war?

It is an experience neither asked for nor desired. Most Americans who have been prisoners of war are ordinary people who have been placed in extraordinary circumstances by no planning of their own. Americans have been held captive as prisoners of war during many wars and in many places.

Why did the Japanese keep prisoners of war?

Many thousands of prisoners of war were taken after Japan surrendered in September 1945 after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese POW’s were made to repair damage done by their armies wherever they were camped. Japanese soldiers who had fought in Burma were sent to Rangoon to help re-build the city.

What happened to the Japanese prisoners of war?

Unlike the prisoners held by China or the western Allies, these men were treated harshly by their captors, and over 60,000 died. Japanese POWs were forced to undertake hard labour and were held in primitive conditions with inadequate food and medical treatments.

What happened to Japanese prisoners of war?

How did the Allies treat prisoners of war?

The armies of the Western Allies were under strict orders to treat Axis prisoners in line with the convention, something which generally occurred. Some abuses, however, such as the shooting of German POWS by US troops, did take place.

Where did the US keep Japanese POWs?

Repatriation of some Japanese POWs was delayed by Allied authorities. Until late 1946, the United States retained almost 70,000 POWs to dismantle military facilities in the Philippines, Okinawa, central Pacific, and Hawaii.