Why does the Japanese Army (IJA) commit atrocities during WW2?

Shinto

They Japanese did not think they were atrocities. They were simply making war the only way they knew how.

The Japanese thought themselves to be superior to the white race – they felt that caucasians (and for that matter, black Americans) were beneath them, an unworthy race, and therefore now worth giving honor and respect.

From their point of view, torturing Americans (what we would call atrocities) didn’t matter, because whites were subhumans. It was just part of war. Nothing special to torture a non-Japanese soldier. It is how their war was fought.

They did it BECAUSE THEY COULD. The junior officer excuse is AWAYS the fallback for those able to readily obliterate such behavior through a simple command.

To keep us out of WWII. They were allied with Hitler.

Much of it had to do with belief in racial superiority. That is why the Japanese carried out the Rape of Nanking in January of 1938, and committed war crimes in Korea and other parts of Southeast Asia. It was also a way to subjugate peoples through use of terror.

Because war brings out the worst in people.

During war the psychopaths can run free.

There are also otherwise good people who find themselves doing things that they wouldn’t under different circumstances.

Generally, during war the enemy is thought of as less civilized and less human and of course as a threat. The Japanese thought this way, very similar to the Germans, and so they could carry out these atrocities. Although, I must admit, even the idea of treating animals in the way that Japan and also Germany treated human being would be unforgivable.

America, and countries we are typically allied with, have done some atrocious things also over time during war, but some countries certainly seem to be more on board as a group in committing such heinous sins.

The Japanese even went on suicide missions, Kamikaze flights, they were so committed to the war effort. It’s not rare for soldiers to risk life and limb, but an actual suicide mission makes me think that not only did they look at the “other” as subhuman, but the value of life was less than how most Americans value life. I don’t know if all these Kamikaze pilots went willingly, or if they had basically no choice, but it just shows the leadership was willing to use people as pawns for their goals.

I think some of it is like religion. They just believe they are doing right somehow.

^^^ @JLeslie In the State Shinto religion in Japan up until the end of the war in 1945, the Emperor was believed to be a living god. Part of the surrender was a renunciation of divinity by the Emperor.

(There are current attempts to deny that renunciation and insist the Emperor is still a living god.)

And the Japanese and the Germans would have gone on and on committing atrocities if the USA had not stopped them.

@zenvelo I wasn’t aware of that. When I mentioned religion, I wasn’t only talking about the Japanese.

Even in America we condition people to be willing to give up their life for the cause, for country, for their loved ones, etc. They get heralded as making the ultimate sacrifice. Their families are told to feel proud of their loved ones lost during the service to their country. It’s really not much different than religion. I think we naturally, I’d say innately will give our lives for our children, and even other relatives who we love beyond ourselves, or can’t imagine being without them. I think religion and militaries use this innate feeling we have to protect and sacrifice and exploit it sometimes, or use it as a tool for a form of brainwashing.

Many Americans will say the terrorists who will blow themselves up are horrible people who don’t value life, but their commitment isn’t much different than most soldiers. The religiosity has of the extreme Muslim jihadist isn’t much different than the Kamikaze pilot, or even a Christian who believes in heaven.

I would argue though that in today’s military in the US we try to say that the risks of dying are lower with modern weaponry. At time of recruitment they certainly aren’t talking about sacrifice, but rather traveling the world, GI perks and benefits, etc.

@JLeslie if there weren’t brave young soldiers, sailers and airmen in the USA military during WWII then we’d all be speaking Japanese or be a German lamp shade.

For those of you interested in the Japanese psyche up to and during WW2 I recommend the current series in Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, Supernova in the East.. He hasn’t completed it yet, but he will at some point. The current episode ends just before the Battle of Midway.
https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

@gondwanalon I’m incredibly grateful for our military men and women who fought and served in WWII, and all of our military before and after that time. I’ll remind you that we had a draft, so not all of them were there willingly, but that does not diminish their courage and what they did for our country, and even more specifically I feel they helped “my people” in Europe. Thank God for US soldiers and our allies at that time.

In the last 20 years I feel the whole military thing has been ramped up. It’s hard to get volunteers, and I think the US government and military purposely keeps supporting our servicemen right in front of us in the media to try to keep up the numbers. Recruiting costs us a tremendous amount of tax payer money. it’s a significant part of the military budget.