Night of a Thousand Suicedes
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In “THE NIGHT OF A THOUSAND SUICIDES”, Teruhiko Asada writes about the 1944 Cowra Prison break that resulted in over 234 “suicides”. Many cannot comprehend why the Japanese acted as they did. To understand the events that took place, the reader needs to know an objective point of view. While analyzing both sides of the spectrum, one may understand why the events in Australia happened through learning the background information, the manner of thinking involved in the Japanese military, and some of the factors that contribute to the unanimous decision to make an offensive attack against the Australians. When all of these factors are considered, the reader is in a better position to see why this tragedy took place.
The Cowra Prison was constructed in Australia during 1941-1942 to house allied POWs. Prisoners and detainees were used to build four compounds, two with permanent amenities, and two with temporary buildings. From 1942-1943, over 1000 Japanese POWs would arrive in the camp making it extremely overcrowded. With the camp filled to capacity, Australian authorities were still very lenient on the prisoners. According to the ***NSW heritage site, “The camp had its own stores, kitchen, mess huts, showers and latrines, a canteen, a theatre, recreation huts, barber and tailor shop, and medical and dental centers. There were large playing fields for football, baseball and other sportsД(___) Not only were the Australian guards generous to the POWs, but also showed great compassion during the Japanese rebellion. The 22nd Australian Garrison Battalion demonstrated their kindness by giving warning shots to hinder the destruction that would follow. Asada writes:
When the firing ceased they were relieved to find that they were free from pain or sign of injuryÐ… The absence of casualties up to this point was explained by the fact that the Australians were not aiming to hit the prisonersÐ…The threat of being regarded as timid was enough to get the men on the move once again. (p. 10)
Knowing the firing was merely warning shots, the Japanese soldiers still had a moral obligation to advance.
Long before the war even started, inhabitants of Japan were encoded with a strict feeling of nationalism and pride. With this in mind, almost one month to the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese laid out a well disciplined set of rules for its military to abide by. These rules were named The Japanese Field Service Code. Within this code the Imperial army laid-out seven rules of conduct to follow that were broken into the following topics: The Empire, The Imperial Army, Discipline, Unity, Cooperation, Aggressiveness, and The Conviction to Win. Within each one, the rules are explained of how a soldier should act in the field of battle. The first rule, The Empire, states the country is the empire; the Tenno (Emperor) has ruled the Empire through-out the ages with the help of its people. In short, the rule states that without the help of its countrymen there would not have been an Empire. Therefore, all should protect it like their ancestors. The Imperial Army, with the emperor as its leader, should assist in furthering the “Imperial fortunes by enhancing the glories of the Empire through the embodiment of the lofty spirit of valor.” The Japanese field service code goes on to say:
It is essential that each man, high and low, dutifully observing his place, should be determined always to sacrifice himself for the whole, in accordance with the intentions of the commander, by reposing every confidence in his comrades, and without giving even the slightest thought to personal interest and to life or death.
Asada reflects this view in his story when he writes, “Have you forgotten