Biological testing, gang rape, indescribable torture- these are only a glimpse of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during World War II; six million civilians were killed in this forgotten holocaust.  There are no words to describe the horrors millions of soldiers as well as civilians had to endure under the control of the Japanese.  Beheadings, cannibalism, firing squads-it is quite possible the trauma of the horrific memories that survivors relive daily, surpasses the fact many men and women were “lucky” enough to die at the hands of the Japanese.

Unarguably, the Japanese committed brutal crimes during World War II; but how have these crimes remained a secret when the entire world is knowledgeable of the atrocities committed by the Germans throughout that same time period?  Thousands of books are available, detailing the events of the Holocaust and the death march that followed.  At the same time, there are very few books that describe some of those same actions, and many other incidences that were debatably more atrocious, that were carried out by the Japanese.

Japanese culture is very different than that of any other country.  Can this difference explain why the Japanese find many of their actions during World War II to be justifiable?  The Japanese government has never officially apologized to the millions of people who suffered at their hands.  Is the lack of apology due to the fact that the Japanese government finds no wrong in their actions?  The atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II remain hidden to this day and continue to be justified by their cultural tendencies.

World War II was more than a war between countries; it was a total war.  Not a person was left unaffected by the events that unfolded throughout the country.  The Holocaust will always be remembered for the horrors that occurred and the millions of people that died as a result.  The crimes committed by the Japanese have been referred to as the ‘forgotten holocaust’ due to the fact that many people are unaware of the atrocities that occurred.  The war crimes committed by the Japanese should be recognized, as were the crimes committed by the Germans in World War II. Every year the United States saves a day to remember those who survived and those who perished in the Holocaust, one could not say the same for the brutal crimes committed by the Japanese.