Japanese World War II camps in Asia List of concentration and internment camps

for information in dutch on japanese concentration camps see jappenkamp (in dutch)

japan conquered south-east asia in series of victorious campaigns on few months december 1941. march 1942 many civilians, particularly westerners in region s european colonies, found behind enemy lines , subsequently interned japanese.

the nature of civilian internment varied region region. civilians interned after invasion; in other areas process occurred on many months. in total, approximately 130,000 allied civilians interned japanese during period of occupation. exact number of internees never known records lost, destroyed, or not kept.

the backgrounds of internees diverse. there large proportion of dutch dutch east indies, included americans, british, , australians. included missionaries , families, colonial administrators, , business people. many had been living in colonies decades. single women had been nuns, missionaries, doctors, teachers , nurses.

civilians interned japanese treated marginally better prisoners of war, death rates same. although had work run own camps, few made labour on construction projects. japanese devised no consistent policies or guidelines regulate treatment of civilians. camp conditions , treatment of internees varied camp camp. general experience, however, 1 of malnutrition, disease, , varying degrees of harsh discipline , brutality japanese guards. dutch women forced sexual slavery.

the camps varied in size 4 people held @ pangkalpinang in sumatra 14,000 held in tjihapit in java. segregated according gender or race, there many camps of mixed gender. internees held @ same camp duration of war, , others moved about. buildings used house internees whatever available, including schools, warehouses, universities, hospitals, , prisons.

jean-marie faggiano receives doll private first class theo tanner of u.s. first cavalry. tanner had removed doll dead japanese soldier, killed during liberation of santo tomas internment camp in manila, philippines in february 1945

organisation of internment camps varied location. japanese administered camps directly; others administered local authorities under japanese control. korean pows of japanese used camp guards. of camps left internees self-govern. in mixed , male camps, management fell men experienced in administration before internment. in women s camps leaders tended women had held profession prior internment. boys on age of ten considered men japanese , separated mothers live , work in male camps.

one of famous concentration camps operated japanese during world war ii @ university of santo tomas in manila, philippines, santo tomas internment camp. dominican university expropriated japanese @ beginning of occupation, , used house american civilians, british subjects, duration of war. there, men, women , children suffered malnutrition , poor sanitation. camp liberated in 1945.

the liberation of camps not uniform process. many camps liberated forces recapturing territory. other internees, freedom occurred many months after surrender of japanese, , in dutch east indies, liberated internees faced uncertainty of indonesian war of independence.

civilian internees disregarded in official histories, , few received formal recognition. ironically, however, civilian internees have become subject of several influential books , films. agnes newton keith s account of internment on berhala island in sandakan harbour , batu lintang camp, kuching, 3 came home (1947), 1 of first of memoirs. more recent publications include jeanne tuttle , jolanthe zelling s mammie s journal of childhood (2005); (shirley fenton-huie s forgotten ones (1992) , jan ruff o herne s fifty years of silence (1997). nevil shute s novel town alice filmed in 1956, , j. g. ballard s empire of sun in 1987. other films , television dramas have included tenko , paradise road.