The Heimei Maru Incident 1921: Japan’s Diplomatic Intervention in Prisoner of War Repatriation

Abstract

This article discusses Japan’s attempts at the repatriation of Turkish prisoners of war from Siberia at the end of the First World War. Due to the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), the chartered ship, the Heimei Maru was interned by the Greek government as it entered the Dardanelles. Japan, wishing to fulfil a promise to the Turkish government, save its own sense of honour, and also demonstrate its humanitarian intentions, worked with the League of Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to have the ship and its cargo of prisoners released. This paper, based on previously unused archival material, will document Japan’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of these prisoners. Although a relatively small incident in the comparison to the chaos across Europe the incident highlights the functioning of the new post war diplomacy and the hopes for international cooperation in the wake of the First World War.