Figure 1.--This injured American soldier is getting an abandoned Japanese boy to safety duung the battle of Saipan. The Signal Corps caption read, "Strange Interlude on Saipan: This American fighting man suffered a facial wound in the Battle for Saipan, but he has no hard fellings for the innocent kin of the enemy. He is carrying a little Japanese child to a compound during the round up of Japanese families of the garrison of this strategic base. Only a small corner of Saipan remains to be mopped up today." The photogph was dated July 4, 1944.

After obtaining the Marianas in the aftermath of World War I, the Japanese brought in civilans to repalce the native Chamoro population, mostly as agricultural workers. Thus Saipan wold be the first place that the Americans would encounter any number of Japanese civilians. It would prove to be a huge shock. The American marines and soldiets had come to expect virtually anything from the Japnese soldiers that refused to surrender. On Saipoan they would be shicvked to find tyhat many civilans would also refuse to surrender. Unbelievely, it was not the Japanese soldiers or even the Emperor, who wanted to protect and save the Japanese civilians on Saipan. It would fall to the frontline American marine and soldier. The Americans landed in the south. And as the Americans moved north up the islandss, the civiliand not carrired fled north and hid in the countless caves in the rugged north. And soon the Americans would reach them. The Japanese military has instilled in their men and civilians that thae Americans were barbarians, who would take great delight in capaturing and toturing not only soldiets, but civilians as well, including women and children. Thus the soldiers as well as the civilians were expected to commit suiside rather than allowing themselvdes to be captured by the Americans. Amost all the Japanese soldiers fought to the death. Civilans began committing suiside, many jumping off the cliffs along the northern coast. Not all the Japanese civilians, however, were all that enamored with the idea of killing themselves and their children. We have seen various estimates on the number of the Japanese civians who committed suiside. We have seen various numbers. There seems to have been some 25,000 civilians on Saipan mostly Japanese. The U.S. set up a civilian encampment with electricity and water (June 23). The civilians had to be escorted to the facility. Although a small island there was no way to be sure that they would find the camp. And some civilians were so afraid of the americans, they did not know what to expect and might run away and hide if not escorted. Others needed help to get to the camp, especially the childten. The Americans decided to leave the lights at the camp on overnight hoping that it would attract civilians with availability of clean water and warm meals. [Bergamini, pp. 1012-14.] We have seen estimtes that some 22,000 civilian perished. That would be a death toll of nearly 90 percent. Several sources say that they mostly committed suiside, but this is difficult to verify. Other causes was the massive American fire power brought to bear on the island and Japanese soldiers actully killing civilins too afraid to kill themselves. Other sources report that that over 13,000 Japanese civilians would up in the internment camp. That would mean that about half survived. Once in the internment camp, their chances of living were virtually assured.

Japanese Civilians

The Marianas was a Soanish colony ceeded to Germany (1898). After World War I, the League of Nations made the northern Marianas and other German Pacific colonies Mandates. Several were entrusted to Japan. After obtaining the League Mandate Marianas in the aftermath of World War I, the Japanese brought in civilans to repalce the native Chamoro population, mostly as agricultural workers. the Japanese government encourage settlement primarily to expand sugar producrion. The Japanese civilian population exceeded 25,000 settlers. [Bergamini, pp. 1012–14.] Civilian housing was located all over the island. There was very little difference from military quarters bunkers noticeable to attacking Marines and Army soldiers.

Shock

Thus Saipan would be the first place that the Americans would encounter any number of Japanese civilians. It would prove to be a huge shock. The American marines and soldiers beginning at Guadalcanal had come to expect virtually anything from the Japnese soldiers who refused to surrender. The Americans returned brutality fpr brutality, but did not torture captives in the way that the Japanese routinely did. The Americans were no longer shocked at the behavior of Japanese soldiers. On Saipan they would be shocked to find that many civilans would also refuse to surrender.

Threat

The Japanese civilians were severely threatened by the American invasion. Part ofthe threat was the massive fire power un leashed on the Japanese forces. The civilian were not targeted, but the pre-invasion air strikes and shelling were devestaing. As was the artillery once the Americans had landed. But the greatest threat was the Japanese military. Unbelievely, it was not the Japanese soldiers or even the Emperor, who wanted to protect and save the Japanese civilians on Saipan. It would fall to the frontline American marine and soldier. After the defeat of the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippines Sea, it was soon clear that the Americans were going to take the island and as the Japanese soldiers refused to surrender that they were going to be killed. And they expected the civilians to die with them. Many that refused to commit suiside were killed by their own military.

Invasion (June 15)

The invasion of Saipan began with a massive naval bombardment (June 13). For 2 days some 37 navy warships, including 15 battleships, fired more than 180,000 shells of various calibers at the island. This included 16-inch shells. Naval aircraft from the assembled carriers added to the assault. This pre-invasion firepower was centered along the southwest coast where the Americans were planning to land. The airstrip in the south was another major factor. Japanese defensive preparations minimized military casualties. Civilians began moving north away from the caranage. Many Japanese positions were left untouched. American inteligence estimated that some 15,000 Japanese army and navy personnel were on the island. This included Admiral Nagumo who launched the Pearl Harbor attack. The garrison was much larger, nearly twice of the intelligence assessment. The initinal assault force was nearly as large as the D-Day landings which took place only a week earlier. Only the United States had the resources to conduct two such massive amphibious operations at viurtually the same time, something the Japanese had totally miscalculated when they launched the Pacifiic War. The Mrines landed along the southwest coast. The 2nd abd 4th Marine Division landings began at 7:00 am on (June 15). Some 300 LVTs and 8,000 Marines landed on Saipan’s west coast. Eleven naval warships provided fire support. After a fierce fight, the marines established their beachhead. The U.S. Army 27th Infantry Division landed and pushed towards the airfield at As Lito (June 16). The Japanese counterattacked at night. The Imoerrial Navy attacked (June 15). The Battke of the Philippines Sea was a dussater for the Japanese, leaving the Saipan garrison isolated and outgunned. As the Americans relentlessly moved north up the islandss, the civilians not captured or killed fled north and hid in the countless caves in the rugged north. And soon the Americans would reach them. It took nearly a month to finally secure the island.

Japanese Propaganda

The Japanese military has instilled in their men and civilians that thae Americans were barbarians, who would take great delight in capaturing and toturing not only soldiets, but civilians as well, including women and children. Thus the soldiers as well as the civilians were expected to commit suiside rather than allowing themselves to be captured by the Americans. Amost all the Japanese soldiers fought to the death.

Civilian Plight

The Japanese military exerted a great effort to build defensive military emplacements and bunkers to defend the island. No effort was made to provide shelters for the civilans. When the pre-invasion shelling began, civilians began moving inland.. Some began moving morth as the battle developed. This was problematic as movement in the open became fangerous as the battle deveopment. Civilians began seeking out caves, the only real safe place to be. Many civilians owe their life to Saipan's craggy, precipitous terrain. The terraine also oresented American forces with a tactical nightmare. The ravines, caves, cliffs and hills acquired nicknames such as Hell's Pocket, Death Valley and Purple Heart Ridge. The caves offered safety for civilians, but as the Japanese soldiers also set up emplacements in the trough terraine, the Americans were often confused as to who was who in the caves. And as the battle lasted nearly a month, those who found caves soon began running out of food and water. The problen for many families was that even if they wanted to surrender to the Americans, it was not easy. Trying to surrender at night was a virtual death sentence as both Japanese and American soldiers fired at anything that moved at night. And during the day the civilians g=faced a crossfire. American fire power made movement difficult. The Americans often could not distinguish between soldiers and civilians when approaching caves or in jungke areas. Adding ton the problem, Japanese troops often used civilians as decoys to ambush American soldiers. Only if they were identified as civilians were they safe. And the Japanese soldiers routinrly killed anyionr trying to surrender, both the Chomoros and the Japnese civiklans. Escolastica Tudela Cabrera remembers when Japanese soldiers arrived 'at our cave with their big swords and said if anybody went to the Americans, they would cut our throats.' [Cabrera in Petty, pp. 19-20.]

Suicide

Japanese soldiers encouraged group suicides, often providing grenades. They warned of the dreadful fate that would be suffered by anyone captured by the barbarous Americans. Given that the Japanese troops themselves killed civilians who refused to commit suiside, it is unclear just who the civilans saw as barbarous. The Japanese commander on Saipan, Gen. Yoshitsugu Saito, even decreed 'There is no longer any distinction between civilians and troops. It would be better for them to join in the attack with bamboo spears than be captured.' [Kingston] Most suisides were conducted in secluded hiding places. The most obvious occurred afterr the Marines reached Marpi Point, the morthern tip of the island (July 8). Japanese civilans and surviving soldiers began committing suiside. Many jumping off the steep cliffs. Not all the Japanese civilians, however, were all that enamored with the idea of killing themselves and their children. Hundreds of families jumped off cliffs into the sea rather than surrender. More than 1,000 Japanese civilians who had moved north committed suicide in the final days of the battle. Some jumping from places along the steeps cliffs along the noirthern coasdt. The Marines named the sites 'Suicide Cliff' and 'Banzai Cliff' at Marpi Point. These would be included on the National Historic Landmark District along with the Landing Beaches and Aslito/Isley Field. The sites are now a war memorial and Japanese people visit to console the victims' souls.

Numbers

We have seen various estimates on the number of the Japanese civians who committed suiside. We have seen various numbers. There seems to have been some 25,000 civilians on Saipan mostly Japanese. We have seen estimtes that some 22,000 civilian perished. That would be a death toll of nearly 90 percent. Several sources say that they mostly committed suiside, but this is difficult to verify. We believe that this may be true because despite the intense fighting, onece in one of the caves in the north, they were rekatuively safe, although desoerately short of food and water. Other causes was the massive American fire power brought to bear on the island and Japanese soldiers actully killing civilins too afraid to kill themselves. Other sources report that that over 13,000 Japanese civilians would up in the internment camp. That would mean that about half survived. Once in the internment camp, their chances of living were virtually assured although many arrived in an extremely weakened condition.

Reaction in Japan

The Japanese picked up American new reports of the civilan suisides on Saipan. The suicides drew considerable press attention and praise in Japan. A Yomiuri correspondent praised the women who committed suicide with their children by jumping from the cliffa. He wrote that they they were, 'the pride of Japanese women'. He described it as 'The finest act of the Showa period.' Similarly, Tokyo University professor Hiraizumi Kiyoshi enthusiastically wrote in the Asahi Shimbun, '100 or 1,000 instants of bravery emit brilliant flashes of light, an act without equal in history.' It is this minset that led to the Ketsugo Program. Of course, the Japanese military controlled the press. It is less claear waht ordinary Japanese civilians thought. Of course they would have formed their opinions with the propaganda idea that the Americans were brutal barbarians anxious to rape and torture innocent civilans.

Civilian Encampment: Camp Susupe

The Naval Military Government had to take on the difficult task of feeding, sheltering, and attending to the other basic needs of thousands of Japanese civilians in the middle of a major battle. The Americans set up a civilian encampment with electricity and water--Camp Susuoe (June 23). It was near the dsouthwestern coast where the Americans ha=s initiallky landed. The civilians had to be escorted to the facility. Although a small island there was no way to be sure that they would find the camp. And the Japanese civilians were so afraid of the Americans, they did not know what to expect and might run away and hide if not escorted. Others needed help to get to the camp, especially the childten. The Americans decided to leave the lights at the camp on overnight hoping that it would attract civilians with availability of medical care, clean water, and warm meals. [Bergamini, pp. 1012-14.] Eventually some 18,000 civilians were cared for at the camp. They includeds some 13,500 Japanese, 1,350 Koreans, 2,230 Chamorros, and 800 Carolinians. The Japabnese, Koreans, and Chamorros/Carolinians were assigned separate camps located in the same general area. There was an external farm where internees grew vegetables on their own plots. Tey were used fir the camp meals. A school system was estanlished to educate the 8,000 children. Small-scale businesses emerged both inside the camp and on the "Ginza" just outside the Japanese area fence. They produced handicraft sold to U.S. military personnel as well as providing a range of services. [Meller,p. 2.] The Japanese civilans remazined in the encampment until they could be repaitraited after the War (early 1946). [Trefalt] The delay after the War was due to the huge number of Japanese soldiers that were located all over the POacific, Southeast Asia, China, and Korea that had to be repatriated.

Sources

Bergamini, David. Japan's Imperial Conspiracy (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1971).

Kingston, Jeff. "Battle of Saipan: A brutal invasion that claimed 55,000 lives." The Japan Times (July 5, 2014).

Meller, Norman."Saipan's Camp Susupe," Occasional Paper 42 (Center for Pacific Islands Studies: Honolulu, 1999).

Petty, Bruce M. Saipan: Oral Histories .

Trefalt, Beatrice. "Japanese civilians at Camp Susupe, 1944–1946," Japanese Studies Vol. 29, - Issue 3 (2009), pp, 337-52.

Created: 10:31 AM 3/3/2016
Last updated: 2:23 AM 9/3/2020