Pacific War Japanese Civilian Tragedy

During the second world war, the Imperial Japanese military inflicted horror, grief, and mass destruction against its adversaries across the Pacific theatre. However, what is less well known are the atrocities it committed against its own people and other innocent civilians. With the military situation growing increasingly dire in 1944, Japanese propagandists intensified their efforts to dehumanize their enemies. British, Australian, and American troops were often portrayed as rapists and sadists, and were even accused of, “running over male captives with Jeeps and raping female captives before brutally torturing them to death.” There were more rumors of harsh treatment for Japanese prisoners of war, including live mutilation and cannibalism. Propaganda combined with rumor caused many civilians caught between Japanese and American forces to either hide with Japanese soldiers or take their own lives - along with those of their loved ones. This was to avoid the shame and disgrace of being captured or avoid the assumed brutality and torture at the hands of Allied forces. Original blog post: