Why were the Japanese so brutal in World War II

The Japanese killed billions of Chinese, brutally, tortured and killed POWs (Prisoners Of War) brutally, and repeatedly bombed commonwealth countries. (Australia, USA, UK) why

 The explanation has been given that this involved Japanese attitude toward authority - the necessity of absolute obedience. After Japan invaded China, ostensibly to liberate them from colonialism, the Chinese did not comply and therefore any means were justified in crushing the rebellion.

There are numerous stories of Japanese mistreating prisoners - soldiers and civilians, including women and children. The explanation for mistreatment of POWs has been given that surrender was regarded as dishonorable, therefore POWs were regarded as criminals, although different survivors tell different stories. POWs were underfed. One survivor remarked that the Japanese themselves did not have a lot to eat.

Like the Nazis, the Japanese Empire was fueled by racism. The Japanese do not regard themselves as members of the race that inhabits the mainland of Asia. In WW2, there was a doctrine of racial supremacy, that they were the best to rule Asia and the Pacific. Like the ancient Egyptians, they literally worshiped their monarch as a god.


Billions is far off the mark. China has a population today of about 1.3 billion.
The Japanese, for all their emphasis on courtesy, were a very aggressive people. In the old days the Samurai were the warriors. After the Meiji restoration, ordinary soldiers cold become samurai, at least in their own eyes. Hence their fanatic bravery and brutality.


It was a racist perversion of the code of Bushido. Although the Japanese signed the Geneva Convention, it was not ratified by Tojo, the Prime Minister and essentially military dictator. Such depredations were NOT committed on POWs taken in either the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) or Germans captured in the Caroline Islands during World War One.

Japanese society was a very hierarchical society and in the 1930-1945 era in the military, officers would assault and beat men under their command, who would pass the beating on to lower ranks, all the way down. In POW camps, this meant prisoners received the worst beatings of all, partly in the belief that such punishments were merely the proper technique to deal with disobedience

They were brutal because of their culture. For them death was only another step in their goal.

We, americans, were brutal too. I've heard of beheading japanese pows and mounting them on tanks and torturing them for pleasure

I'm not saying the american soldiers were evil, war is just horrible


Japan wanted to make their country full of greatness, and get rid of western influence. The attack on China was to show the West, that Japan won't be imperialzed as China. Also Japan was upset from the Treaty of Versailles that allies didn't recognize Japan's territorial claims in China. I think that Japan felt that west were slapping them in the face not taking Japan too seriously. That's what fueled their aggression to China and in WW2

The explanation has been given that this involved Japanese attitude toward authority - the necessity of absolute obedience. After Japan invaded China, ostensibly to liberate them from colonialism, the Chinese did not comply and therefore any means were justified in crushing the rebellion.

There are numerous stories of Japanese mistreating prisoners - soldiers and civilians, including women and children. The explanation for mistreatment of POWs has been given that surrender was regarded as dishonorable, therefore POWs were regarded as criminals, although different survivors tell different stories. POWs were underfed. One survivor remarked that the Japanese themselves did not have a lot to eat.

Like the Nazis, the Japanese Empire was fueled by racism. The Japanese do not regard themselves as members of the race that inhabits the mainland of Asia. In WW2, there was a doctrine of racial supremacy, that they were the best to rule Asia and the Pacific. Like the ancient Egyptians, they literally worshiped their monarch as a god.


One of the biggest contributors was the use of ALCOHOL and DRUGS (Sake and Opium) and combined with the above listed reasons that made for one lean mean fighting machine ! Alcohol and drug use was/is commonly used by soldiers in almost any combat zone.

America destroyed two cities in one go hundreds of thousands dead they were the good guys nice hey it's a new way of being vile and it doesn't stop killing it lasts for years and years the poison you see