Figure 1.-- The remains of a fallen Japanese soldier were supposed to be returned to his family in a white-shrouded box (shiroki no hako) with his ashes -- the spirit of the war dead (eirei). In reality the dead were cremated en masse on the battlefield and ashes scooped at random into the boxes. This was justified as the soldier remaining united with his fallen comrades. The soldier’s identity tag or a final letter written by him may have been included in the boxes as relics of the fallen, but in the chaos of war this often did not occur. In China it may have been possible as the Japanese Army was on the offensive and the bodies of the dead could be recovered. This continued to be the case in the first months of the Pacific War, but the situation changed dramatically after decisive naval battle at Midway (June 1942).

Japanese casualties until the final year of the War were almost entirely military. Some authors contend that that World War II began with Japanese seizure of Chinese Manchuria (1931). There were casualties in China beginning with the seizure of Manchuria, but no very many. Chang and the Nationalists decided not to contest Manchuria militarily. The Japanese seized Manchuria, but there was only limited fighting and minimal casualties (1931). Chang and the Nationalists declined to contest the aggression. Really large casualties began with the invasion of China (1937). A major Japanese slogan during World War II was 'One hundred million hearts beating as one'. The War for the Japanese began with the invasion of China (July 1937). Japanese losses compared to those of the Chinese were low, but not inconsequential given the war unlike what was anticipated continued for nearly 5 years before Pearl Harbor. It was in China that the bulk of the Japanese Army would be deployed and really substantial casualties would begin to be sustained. This was because the fighting was conducted in China and the Pacific Islands far from the Home Islands. Civilians had to make sacrifices. Rationing was instituted as a result of the campaign in China (1938). But there were no significant civilian casualties until the Americans began bombing Japan's industrial cities. The Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor brought America into the War (December 1941). Unlike in China, in the Pacific Japanese casualties could be massive, much larger than Allied casualties. Only it was in China where the bulk of the Japanese Army was posted. The remains of a fallen Japanese soldier were supposed to be returned to his family in a white-shrouded box (shiroki no hako) with his ashes -- the spirit of the war dead (eirei). In reality the dead were cremated en masse on the battlefield and ashes scooped at random into the boxes. This was justified as the soldier remaining united with his fallen comrades. The soldier’s identity tag or a final letter written by him may have been included in the boxes as relics of the fallen, but in the chaos of war this often did not occur. In China it may have been possible as the Japanese Army was on the offensive and the bodies of the dead could be recovered. This continued to be the case in the first months of the Pacific War, but the situation changed dramatically after decisive naval battle at Midway (June 1942). In contrast to the fighting in China, Japanese casualties were very high. In some campaigns the ratio was 10 Japanese soldiers for every 1 American. The number of soldiers involved in the these campaigns were relatively small compared to the campaign in China. Only on the Philippines and Okinawa were major forces involved. There were also major casualties in Burma and the Indian border. In all these cases there was no way to return the white boxes with the ashes of the fallen. The greatest military casualties came at the end of the War with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Most of these men would die in Soviet prison camps. Few would ever return to Japan. The Japanese launched the Second Sino-Japanese War by invading China proper (1937). Here the nationalist fought and there were casualties on both sides. After heavy combat and the lost of the best Nationalist units, the nationalist began to withdraw into the interior. Fighting continued, but at a lower level. Casualties declined, but continued. More important for the Japanese was the strain on the economy. After 4 years of fighting the casualties mounted, although only a fraction of Nationalist casualties let alone the enormous civilian casualties in China. Japanese civilians were affected by the economic strain and family losses. But as the Chinese had no appreciable navy and air forces there were no loss of life on the Home Islands. The Japanese attack on the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor, as strange as it may sound. was intended to finally end the fighting in China (December 1941). Of course it did not. Casualties at first were limited as the Japanese swept over the Pacific and Southeast Asia, this began to change after Midway (June 1942). The loss of carriers at Midway and declining control of ocean area meant the the Imperial Navy could no longer provide Japanese soldiers the support they needed. And casualties began to mount, especially after high performance aircraft and new ships began to pour out of American factories and shipyards. The losses sustained only added to the steady stream of losses from China. Even so the level of losses should not be overestimated. Japanese garrisons might fight to the death on a Pacific island, but there were only so many men that could be crammed on to a Pacific island, even defeat in Burma did not involve massive losses. There were substantial losses in the Philippines and Okinawa, but not crippling losses.

Created: 5:04 PM 11/12/2023
Last updated: 5:04 PM 11/12/2023