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The Harsh Treatment Of Japanese Soldiers During World War II

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Japanese soldiers' harsh treatment of prisoners of war during World War II was shaped by cultural norms, military doctrine, and international law. These three factors greatly influenced how poorly the POWs were regarded and treated by their captors, and the public justification and acceptance of such cruelty. The Japanese warrior code known as Bushido, which emerged from feudal Japan and was associated with the Samurai, played a significant role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of Japanese soldiers towards prisoners of war during World War II. Bushido held virtues such as loyalty, honor, and self-sacrifice at a high regard, and it considered surrender a disgrace. The values instilled by the Bushido code permeated the Imperial Japanese …show more content…

Allied soldiers who found themselves in Japanese captivity faced extreme conditions, starvation, forced labor, and physical punishment. Furthermore, officers who adhered firmly to the Bushido philosophy sometimes directly encouraged or participated in the maltreatment of POWs, believing that they were meeting out a form of justice to those unworthy of respect. Historical instances of Bushido, such as the seppuku, a form of self-inflicted disembowelment practiced by disgraced samurai, only amplified the crisis for POWs under the control of Japanese soldiers who perceived death as a preferable outcome to capitulation. Moreover, indoctrination and military training reinforced these beliefs, ingraining the values of the Samurai within the modern Japanese soldier. Death before surrender was not merely a slogan, but a guiding principle that justified even the most extreme and harsh treatment of captives. In addition to the cultural tradition of Bushido, the Japanese’s harsh treatment of prisoners of war during World War II can also be attributed to the military doctrines and structures that were prevalent in Japan at the

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