Realted Themes : 3. Prisoners of War (POW)

・An underlined word or phrase in bold-faced type is linked to the Glossary of the Russo-Japanese War.

　Military officers and privates captured by the enemy during a war are treated as Prisoners of War (POW). In the Russo-Japanese War, a large number of prisoners of war (POW) were sent to Japanese and Russian prisoner camps. In Japan, prisoner camps were constructed in various locations including Matsuyama of Ehime Prefecture.

In this connection, the Center for Asian Historical Records stores the following materials.

1. Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land
2. Establishing POW Information Bureau
3. Allowing to return home those medical corps personnel, prisoners of war of enemy countries and other personnel who are unfit for service after medical treatment
4. Questionnaire documents addressed to the army prisoners of war to be returned
5. Punishments to prisoners of war
6. Punishments to prisoners of war
7. Punishments to prisoners of war
8. Deciding acceptance of Imperial Ordinance No. 225 of 1904 (Punishments to prisoners of war)

Please click the following image to see materials relating to the Russo-Japanese War and　prisoners of war (POW).

Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)

Title: Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land

Reference code: A03020484400

　The Hague International Peace Conference was held in Hague of the Netherlands in 1899 (32nd year of Meiji). The "Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land" adopted in the peace conference stipulated that prisoners of war should be treated "humanely" and "on the same footing as the troops of the Government which has captured them". (Original text in Katakana) Japan ratified this treaty in 1900 (33rd year of Meiji).

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Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)	Title: Establishing POW Information Bureau Reference code: A01200935200
	As the Russo-Japanese War began, Japanese government established the "POW Information Bureau" for administering the information of the Russian soldiers captured as prisoners of war (POW). The measure was taken in compliance with the stipulations on prisoners of war (POW) of The Hague Convention or "the Convention respecting the Law and Customs on War on Land".

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Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)	Title: Allowing to return home those medical corps personnel, prisoners of war of enemy countries and other personnel who are unfit for service after medical treatment Reference code: A01200220500
	All Prisoners of war were not necessarily detained in the prisoner camp until the end of the war. In the Russo-Japanese War, for example, people engaged in medical work or wounded prisoners, who were unfit for military service, were permitted to repatriate to their own country even during the war.

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Source: National Institute for Defense Studies, Ministry of Defense	Title: Questionnaire documents addressed to the army prisoners of war to be returned Reference code: C03020440100
	This is the report edited by the interrogation commission which inquired a Japanese military man, who had been captured by Russian force, after he returned home. The commission stated that "we judge that this ex-prisoner’s honor still remains and he should not be court-martialed nor punished, because he became POW after he had wound his head and fallen unconscious by enemy".

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Source: National Institute for Defense Studies,
Ministry of Defense

Title: Punishments to prisoners of war

Reference code: C03027718400

　The article is about the exchange of opinions among Ministry of Army, Ministry of Navy and Ministry of Justice with regard to the proposed Imperial Edict on punishments to prisoners of war (POW) in the Russo-Japanese War. As observed in this material, an original draft of an Imperial edict for execution of national affairs by the Emperor was created by a government organization in charge of the affairs.

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Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)	Title: Punishments to prisoners of war Reference code: A03033984100
	The draft for the Imperial edict on punishments to prisoners of war as this above material was submitted by the Ministry of Army, and it was deliberated in the Privy Council(Sumitsuin) as advisory committee of the Emperor.

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Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)	Title: Punishment of prisoners of war Reference code: A01200220700
	This is the result of the deliberation of the "Punishments to prisoners of war" in the material above. The Privy Council(Sumitsuin) reported to the Emperor (submitted to the Throne) their conclusion after deliberation, and they adviced in detail on what the Emperor should do to national affairs.

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Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ)	Title: Deciding acceptance of Imperial Ordinance No. 225 of 1904 (Punishment of POWs) Reference code: A01200240900
	This is an official document when the House of Peers and the House of Representatives approved the proposed bill on prisoners of war that was subsequently Promulgated as Imperial Ordinance No. 225 of 1904 (37th year of Meiji). This document was signed by the Prime Minister Katsura Taro.

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