International Laws of War and Civilian Internees of the Japanese in British Asia

Abstract

This article examines the Japanese response to international legal codes in their treatment of interned enemy civilians in British Asia during the Second World War. It argues that the Japanese were initially restrained by a limited sense of international obligation and even indicated a conditional willingness to honour certain elements of international law in their treatment of captive civilians. This resulted in some comparatively favourable early internment conditions across British Asia, especially in contrast to those experienced by rank-and-file prisoners of war. However, grave breaches of international legal principles became increasingly commonplace by mid-1943, as the Japanese attempted to deter the spread of potentially subversive activities within their occupied territories.