| Item title: | Documents regarding war crimes and status of Indian workers |
| Title (romaji): | Sensô hanzai ni kansuru tsûshin |
| Title (kanji) | |
| Location: | Australian War Memorial (AWM 82 2/246) View information about obtaining a copy of this document |
AJRP details | |
| AJRP module: | Australian War Memorial official records |
| AJRP series: | AWM 82 captured Japanese documents |
| AJRP sub-series: | Post-surrender Rabaul material received from HQ 8 Military District |
| AJRP folder: | |
Location details | |
| Institution: | Australian War Memorial |
| Call number: | AWM 82 2/246 |
| Inst. series: | AWM 82 |
| Inst. sub-series: | 2/- Post-surrender material received from HQ 8 Military District (Rabaul) |
| Item: | 2/246 |
Item qualities | |
| Quantity / desc: | 25 pages, typed, carbon copy, and handwritten in ink and pencil |
| Access: | Open |
| Item type: | Unpublished, Official |
| Category: | Administrative document |
Item content | |
| Creation date (d/m/y): | ?/?/c1946 |
| Conflict code: | Post-war (related to WW2) |
| Keywords: | WAR CRIMES |
| Australian unit names: | 11th Division |
| Allied unit names: | |
| Japanese unit names: | South East Area Army |
| Names: | IMAMURA Hitoshi, Gen; MacArthur, Gen; Eather, Maj Gen Kenneth W; Thornborough, Maj |
| Sender: | IMAMURA Hitoshi, Gen |
| Recipient: | Eather, Maj Gen KW |
| Languages: | English, Japanese |
| Area: | Rabaul Area [Melanesia (PNG, Irian Jaya & Solomon Islands), Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain] |
| Content: | This item consists of two carbon copies of General IMAMURA's submission regarding the status of Indian collaborators and the acknowledgement of its receipt from Major Thornborough. The copies are accompanied by the original draft of the submission in Japanese and a Japanese translation of Major Thornborough's acknowledgement. In the cover letter to Major General Eather, IMAMURA requests the submission to be conveyed to General MacArthur. With reference to the military order issued on 22 April 1943, IMAMURA claims that Indian substitute soldiers are not prisoners of war but collaborators who pledged their loyalty to the Japanese forces with a view to achieving India's independence under Chandra Bose. For this reason, he argues that inappropriate treatment of the Indian substitute soldiers, if any, should not be a subject of war crimes trials but a matter to be decided under the Japanese military regulations. Similar problems regarding Indonesian and Chinese substitute soldiers are also discussed. IMAMURA explains that he, the supreme commander of the Japanese forces in the Rabaul Area, is solely responsible for his subordinates' conduct, and suggests that he should be put on trial if any of the acts of his subordinates towards foreign collaborators is regarded as a war crime. |
AWM 82 captured Japanese document details | |
| Title: | Documents regarding war crimes and status of Indian workers |
| ATIS number: | |
| Item status: | Original document |
| Item type: | Unpublished, Official |
| Names: | IMAMURA Hitoshi, Gen; MacArthur, Gen; Eather, Maj Gen Kenneth W; Thornborough, Maj |
| Names (kanji ): | |
| Sender: | IMAMURA Hitoshi, Gen |
| Sender (kanji): | |
| Recipient: | Eather, Maj Gen KW |
| Recipient (kanji): | |
| Japanese unit names: | South East Area Army |
| Japanese unit names (romaji): | Nantô Hômengun |
| Japanese unit names (kanji) | |
| Place of acquisition: | Rabaul Area |
| Date of acquisition: | |
Other information | |
| Notes: | |
| Last modified: | 03/05/2009 10:07:05 AM |
| Source: | AJRP staff |
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