Intelligence and the Japanese Civilian
Encyclopedia
Intelligence and the Japanese Civilian was a 1945 film produced by the US Marine Corps, to instruct Marines on how they should handle the civilian population of Japan
during the post-war occupation.
The film begins by describing the difficulties the civilian population posed during the Battle of Saipan
including the famous mass suicide
of Japanese who believed the US would torture them. As the Mariana campaign progressed, though, the Marines learn to use the Intelligence Division (ID) to handle the Japanese civilians, and by the time the Marines reached Okinawa, the ID had become a routine part of the operation. The Marianas and Okinawa, pre-war Japanese possessions, had large Japanese civilian populations at the time of their occupation, whereas other islands, like Tarawa
, Guam
or Iwo Jima
were either uninhabited by civilians, or only by indigenous civilians.
The ID uses a variety of techniques to handle the Japanese civilians: they first make loudspeaker announcements in Japanese to coax them into surrender
ing; once a group has surrendered they find a community leader or someone in a position of authority to make more loudspeaker broadcasts to encourage further surrenders. Camps are set up, and made self-sufficient as much as possible. Later, other roles of the civilians are explored, especially the use of captured documents and the need to find out who had been a collaborator with the militarist regime.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the post-war occupation.
The film begins by describing the difficulties the civilian population posed during the Battle of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
including the famous mass suicide
Mass suicide
- Examples :Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious or cultic settings. Defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Suicide pacts are a form of mass suicide unconnected to cults or war that are sometimes planned or carried out by small groups of frustrated people...
of Japanese who believed the US would torture them. As the Mariana campaign progressed, though, the Marines learn to use the Intelligence Division (ID) to handle the Japanese civilians, and by the time the Marines reached Okinawa, the ID had become a routine part of the operation. The Marianas and Okinawa, pre-war Japanese possessions, had large Japanese civilian populations at the time of their occupation, whereas other islands, like Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
or Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
were either uninhabited by civilians, or only by indigenous civilians.
The ID uses a variety of techniques to handle the Japanese civilians: they first make loudspeaker announcements in Japanese to coax them into surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
ing; once a group has surrendered they find a community leader or someone in a position of authority to make more loudspeaker broadcasts to encourage further surrenders. Camps are set up, and made self-sufficient as much as possible. Later, other roles of the civilians are explored, especially the use of captured documents and the need to find out who had been a collaborator with the militarist regime.