1945 Japanese massacre of civilians
TheOcean Island massacre occurred on 20 August 1945 when between 150 and 200 civilians were killed in amass execution by members of a Japanese naval garrison unit. The civilians, all originally inhabitants from other parts of theGilbert Islands , had been brought toOcean Island asslave labour .[ 1] [ 2] official Japanese announcement of surrender at the end of the Second World War, the nature of the massacre was only revealed four months later due to the emergence of a sole survivor, Kabunare Koura ofNikunau , who had remained in hiding until December 1945.[ 3] [ 4] Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) personnel were convicted, of whom eight, including Naoomi, were executed, for their roles in the massacre.[ 5] [ 6]
IJN personnel convicted of war crimes on Ocean Island and sentenced to death Name Name (Kanji ) Rank Sentence at trial Confirmed sentence Ref. Miyasaka Denji宮坂傳治 Lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 13 August 1946 [ 7] Nara Yoshio奈良賀男 Lieutenant Death by hanging 20 years imprisonment‡ [ 8] Ōtomo Torizō大友酉蔵 Sub-lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 10 August 1946 [ 9] Sakamoto Chūjirō坂本忠次郎 Sub-lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 10 August 1946 [ 10] Sakata Jirō坂田二郎 Lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 15 August 1946 [ 11] Sakuma Wataru佐久間彌 Lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 10 August 1946 [ 11] Suzuki Naoomi鈴木直臣 Lieutenant-commander Death by hanging Executed on 7 July 1947* [ 12] Yajima Eiichi矢嶋榮一 Lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 10 August 1946 [ 13] Yamaguchi Nobuaki山口？(健)章 Lieutenant Death by hanging Executed on 12 October 1946 [ 14]
‡ On the recommendation of the Judge Advocate General, death sentence was commuted to a prison term of 20 years.[ 6]
* Lieutenant-commander Suzuki's execution was delayed due to appearing as a witness in the trial of Major General Akira Hirota.[ 15]
IJN personnel convicted of war crimes on Ocean Island and sentenced to imprisonment Name Name (Kanji ) Rank Sentence at trial Confirmed sentence Ref. Arai Kakuzō荒井角蔵 Chief petty officer 7 years imprisonment 7 years imprisonment [ 16] Hanawa Eiji塙栄次 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 17] Hiraki Sakae平木榮 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 18] Iijima Tadashi飯島重 Ensign 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 19] Ishii Sadazō石井定臓 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 20] Kiyohara Naoyoshi清原直美 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 21] Konno Hiroshi今野浩 Warrant officer 7 years imprisonment 7 years imprisonment [ 22] Shinozawa Yoshiharu篠澤美春 Ensign 15 years imprisonment 15 years imprisonment [ 23] Sugino Tsuchinosuke杉野土之助 Ensign 15 years imprisonment 15 years imprisonment [ 24] Tsuchiike Masatarō土池政太郎 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 25] Yasuda Harumi安田春美 Ensign 15 years imprisonment 15 years imprisonment [ 26] Yoshida Itsuo吉田逸雄 Sub-lieutenant 20 years imprisonment 20 years imprisonment [ 27]
IJN personnel acquitted of war crimes on Ocean Island Name Name (Kanji ) Rank Ref. Ono Kaneichi小野兼一 Chief petty officer [ 9] Yachi Sumio谷地澄雄 Ensign [ 13]
^ Macdonald 2001 , p. 148.^ Pappas 1998 , pp. 163–167.^ Macdonald 2001 , p. 149.^ Field 2005 , p. 72.^ Morris 2019 .^a b Sissons 2020 , p. 107.^ Morris 2019 , p. 321.^ Morris 2019 , p. 330.^a b Morris 2019 , p. 337.^ Morris 2019 , p. 340.^a b Morris 2019 , p. 341.^ Morris 2019 , p. 350.^a b Morris 2019 , p. 364.^ Morris 2019 , p. 365.^ Carrel 2005 , p. 195.^ Morris 2019 , p. 279.^ Morris 2019 , p. 285.^ Morris 2019 , p. 290.^ Morris 2019 , p. 295.^ Morris 2019 , p. 299.^ Morris 2019 , p. 311.^ Morris 2019 , p. 313.^ Morris 2019 , p. 347.^ Morris 2019 , p. 349.^ Morris 2019 , p. 360.^ Morris 2019 , p. 368.^ Morris 2019 , p. 369.Carrel, Michael (2005).Australia's Prosecution of Japanese War Criminals: Stimuli and Constraints (PDF) (PhD).University of Melbourne .OCLC 224899522 . Cushman, Gregory T. (2013).Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World: A Global Ecological History Cambridge University Press .ISBN 978-1-107-31072-8 OCLC 1128417651 . Dunne, Bridget; Durham, Helen (2016). "The Prosecution of Crimes against Civilians". In Fitzpatrick, Georgina; McCormack, Timothy L.H.; Morris, Narrelle (eds.).Australia's War Crimes Trials 1945-51 . Leiden, The Netherlands:Brill Nijhoff . pp. 196– 235.doi :10.1163/9789004292055_008 .ISBN 9789004292055 OCLC 958044885 . Ellis, Albert Fuller (1946).Mid-Pacific Outposts OCLC 508320723 . Field, Michael (2005). "Kabunare's story". In Shennan, Jennifer; Tekenimatang, Makin Corrie (eds.).One and a Half Pacific Islands: Stories the Banaban People Tell of Themselves Victoria University Press . pp. 71– 74.ISBN 978-0-86473-523-2 "Japs Massacre Ocean Islanders After Surrender – Two Officers on Trial in Rabaul for Vile Crime" .Pacific Islands Monthly .XVI (10). Sydney: Pacific Publications: 13. 16 May 1946.ISSN 0030-8722 . nla.obj-330804362 – via Trove.Macdonald, Barrie (2001).Cinderellas of the Empire: Towards a History of Kiribati and Tuvalu ISBN 982020335X OCLC 494270319 . Morris, Narrelle (2013). "Justice for 'Asian' Victims: The Australian War Crimes Trials of the Japanese, 1945–51". In Heller, Kevin; Simpson, Gerry (eds.).The Hidden Histories of War Crimes Trials Oxford University Press . pp. 348– 366.doi :10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199671144.001.0001 .ISBN 9780199671144 Morris, Narrelle (2019).Japanese war crimes in the Pacific: Australia's investigations and prosecutions (PDF) . Kingston, ACT: National Archives of Australia.ISBN 978-1-922209-22-1 Pappas, Caroline (1998).Law and Politics: Australia's War Crimes Trials in the Pacific, 1943- 1961 University of New South Wales .OCLC 222558875 . Rottman, Gordon L. (2002).World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-military Study Greenwood Publishing Group .ISBN 978-0-313-31395-0 OCLC 475274605 . Shennan, Jennifer; Tekenimatang, Makin Corrie (2005).One and a Half Pacific Islands: Stories the Banaban People Tell of Themselves Victoria University Press .ISBN 978-0-86473-523-2 Sissons, David (2020). Tamura, Keiko; Stockwin, Arthur (eds.).Bridging Australia and Japan: Volume 2 the writings of David Sissons, historian and political scientist ANU Press .doi :10.22459/BAJ.2020 ISBN 9781760463762 OCLC 962408104 .S2CID 225347954 . Tanaka, Yuki (November 2010)."Japanese Atrocities on Nauru during the Pacific War: The murder of Australians, the massacre of lepers and the ethnocide of Nauruans" .The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus .8 (45).ISSN 1557-4660 . Teaiwa, Katerina Martina (2015).Consuming Ocean Island: Stories of People and Phosphate from Banaba Indiana University Press .ISBN 978-0-253-01460-3 
