Hiroshi Abe (war criminal)

Hiroshi Abe was a former Japanese soldier and a repented war criminal. As a first lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army's Fifth Rail Regiment during World War II, he supervised construction of the Burma Railway at Songkrai. Over twelve thousand Allied prisoners of war died under his supervision.[1]

Hiroshi Abe
Bornc. 1922
Allegiance Empire of Japan
 Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Army
 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Years of service1941-1952
RankFirst Lieutenant
UnitFifth Rail Regiment
Battles/warsWorld War II

Abe was sentenced to death by hanging as a B/C class war criminal and imprisoned in Changi Prison. In 1947, his sentence was commuted to 15 years. He was released in 1957.

"The construction of the railway was in itself a war crime. For my part in it, I am a war criminal."[2][3]

In 1995, Abe testified against the Japanese government in a lawsuit seeking compensation for Koreans in Japan during World War II. "This was probably the first time for a former Japanese officer to testify in court in the trial of war compensation issues."[4]

References
  1. Profile, mansell.com; accessed 23 December 2015.
  2. Statement by Hiroshi Abe, as quoted by Tony Lloyd in the British House of Commons. Transcript, publications.parliament.uk; accessed 23 December 2015.
  3. Cook, Haruko Taya., and Theodore Failor. Cook. Japan at War: an Oral History. Phoenix, 2000.
  4. Proceedings at the prefectural court and the lower-court judgement (1991-1996), ne.jp; accessed 23 December 2015.(in Japanese)


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