|
Strategic Purpose * Transfer of Oppression * General Privations * Japanese Soldiers' Perspectives on POWs *POWs' Interpretations * Treatment of Native Workers The Japanese army did not just devise this railroad as a diabolical punishment for the lowly POWs. The railway served a real military purpose, and it was vital to the Japanese army in Burma. It eliminated the lengthy and dangerous sea voyage that was previously required to travel between Burma and Siam. The Japanese commanders wanted the railroad finished as quickly as possible, so it is not likely that they made the work any more difficult than was necessary given the circumstances. But even if this loss of life could not have been prevented in constructing the railway, was it morally right to force prisoners to risk their lives in order to build this railway? POWs
as Victims of the Transfer of Oppression Prisoners on the Death Railway also suffered because they were at the bottom of the chain of oppression in the Japanese military hierarchy. Every superior officer could transfer his frustrations and responsibilities to the men under his command, creating a buildup of tension and stress in the lower ranking members of the army. Prisoners of war were the perfect outlet for the aggression and hostility of the low-ranking soldiers. General
Privations The POWs were not the only ones who suffered during the building of the railway: The Japanese Guards also had lean rations: "Frogs, snakes, and lizards were our normal provisions" - Japanese engineer on Death Railway (Cook). The Japanese military and even the Japanese people were suffering privation after a decade of war, first with China and then against many more nations. Japan struggled to feed its own people and troops at this time. POWs were simply the last in line to receive food. Their presence was an added burden on an already strained food and medical supply. "I had to build that bridge. I felt genuinely sorry for the captives, but ... we had to have human labor because we didn't have machines" - Japanese engineer on Death Railway (Cook) The Japanese army made use of the POWs to build the Burma-Siam railway because they were less expensive and more readily available than machines. Japan was isolated from its few allies and low on resources after more than ten years of steadily escalating warfare. Japanese
Soldiers' Perspectives on POWs
It is obvious from statements like these that the Japanese military viewed
POWs very differently than most Western nations. Japan was one of the
largest major combatants in World War II that had not signed the Geneva
Convention, which stipulated among other things that captured soldiers
would be treated humanely. For Japanese soldiers during the war, becoming
a prisoner of war brought disgrace upon the prisoner and his family. The
concepts of never surrendering and fighting to the last man were glorified
by the army, and those who died were portrayed as heroes. POWs'
Interpretations Given the sometimes extreme suffering foisted on the POWs, it is not hard to see how they could fail to appreciate the nuanced Japanese point of view. It was much easier for the POWs to view their Japanese captors as animals or demons and to attribute their deplorable condition to a lack of humanity than for the POWs to attempt to understand the more complex reasons behind their hardships. This one-dimensional view through the eyes of the suffering POWs is emblematic of the Western perspective on Japanese treatment of captured soldiers. Sympathy for the POWs sufferings causes people to accept their part of the story as the whole story. While it is important that the sufferings of the POWs are not minimized, it is also important that the Japanese side of the story not be omitted from the record. In this project, I hope to present a fair and complex view on the construction of this railroad. Treatment
of Native Workers Although POWs were treated badly, workers recruited by the Japanese Army from Burma and Thailand were treated even worse. Lured by the promise of high wages and excellent living conditions, these people instead were forced to toil for worthless Japanese Army credits and were not allowed to leave the worksites. Many workers brought their families. Approximately four times as many native workers were used in constructing the Burma-Siam railway as POWs. This in turn translated into many more deaths among the native workers than among the POWs, although the death rate was probably about the same between the two groups. The absence of precise figures makes it impossible to know for certain. |
|
|
This exhibit was researched and designed by Hill Davis. This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002. The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History. |
|