Source: NARA Record Group 331, Box 942; Mansell NARA 7 images

27 January 1946

SUBJECT: Investigation of Nagoya Prisoner of War Branch Camp No. 8

By the direction of the Chief, Investigation Division, 1st Lt. Joseph G. Breaune and 1st Lt. Richard H. Wills, Jr., accompanied by T/4 Hiroshi L. Okada, as interpreter, proceeded to Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi and made an investigation of Nagoya Prisoner of War Branch Camp No. 8, between 11 January 1946 and 25 January 1946.

Information contained herein was obtained by personal inspections of the camp and places of labor and through interrogation of the following persons:

TAKENAKA, Noriyasu - Toyama-shi, Taroaru 102, personnel manager for Tateyama Heavy Industries Co. from September 1944 to October 1945

YAMADA, Hisakatsu - a civilian doctor employed by the Tateyama Heavy Industrial Co.

YAMAZAKI, Seisaku - Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi, Erakucho, 9; a former Corporal in the Japanee Army who was stationed at Camp No. 8 the entire time it operated.

HARA, Isamu - Gifu-ken, Enogun, Fukuoaka-mura, SHimono 410-1; a civilian employed by the Army at Camp No. 8 from 5 May 1945 to 23 September 1945.

1. LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION:
The camp was located within the factory grounds of the Taeyama Jokojo Kabushiki Kaisha Tateyama Heavy Industrial Company) at Toyama-ken, Toyoma-shi, Shimo-okui-cho. This factory was engaged in the production of steam boilers and engines in which work it employed the prisoners from 10 May 1945 until 15 August 1945. (See exhibit A for a report submitted by the factory) [missing]

The camp was established 10 May 1945 in buildings constructed some 10 years ago by the factory to house its civilian employees, and used for that purpose until shortly before the prisoners arrived. The buildings were of frame and stucco structure, with tile roofs and cement floors in the corridors, latrines, bath, and kitchen. Floors in the prisoners sleeping rooms were of hard clay. Five Japanese-style toilets on either end of the three buildings were used by the prisoners. A board wall ten feet high surrounded the camp. (See Exhibit B for a detailed plan of the camp) [ scanned image available - Manselll NARA 7]

The city of Toyama was almost completely destroyed by an air raid on 1 August 1945 and although the Tateyama factory was not damaged, the fire destroyed buildings within three hundred yards of it.

2. CAMP PERSONNEL:
Guards were either Army personnel or civilians employed by the Army; men discharged from service for minor disabilities made up the bulk of the guard. Prisoners were accompanied to their work details by guards from the camp; the factory hired foremen and supervisors in this plant but no camp personnel was employed by them. (See Exhibit C for the complete list of the Camp Personnel). [scans available- ask]

3. Prisoner Personnel:
Three hundred prisoners were received 10 May 1945 from Nagoya Branch Camp No. 2. They consisted of English, Canadian, Dutch, and Portuguese who were captured at Hong Kong and all were in poor physical condition upon arrival. Only one officer, A British Flight Lt. Walter K. Riley, was among the prisoners; he acted as Camp Commander and Medical Officer during the entire operation of the camp. (See Exhibit D for a list of prisoner personnel.) [scans available- rosters posted to web site]

4. Quarters:
Six rooms 24' x 24' in each of the two buildings provided quarters for 24 men in each room. Wooden platforms two-high were placed on either side of each room; each platform provided sleeping space for six men. Three smaller rooms, 9' x 24'. provided sleeping space for the balance of the men; bunks in these rooms were not double-deck. Each prisoner has a straw sleeping mat and three blankets, which considered sufficient for the summer months.

Ventilation was provided by a large window in each room in addition to the fact that none of the rooms had ceilings, thus allowing the free flow of air throughout. Each room was lighted by an electric drop; lights were turned off at 2100 each night. Only three shower heads were installed to serve all the prisoners, though they did have hot water from the factory.

5. RATIONS:
The factory had its own water supply from wells on the premises, which served the factory dormitories as well as the camp and it was not considered necessary to purify it itn any way.
Wheat, rice, and soybeans formed the basis of most meals, which were prepared by prisoner personnel and served three times daily. The factory furnished some supplementary food (See Exhibit A) [ not found] since the Army failed to supply adequate food to keep the men in good working condition. No fresh fruit was supplied until after the war ended though some fresh vegetables such as potatoes and onions were received prior to 14 August 1945. Men on work details within the factory returned to camp for a hot lunch each day; each man being furnished a china plate and a metal bowl for eating.
Prisoners were not allowed to purchase food on the civilian market nor were any Red Cross supplies received while the camp was in operation.

6. CLOTHING:
Many of the prisoners wore their own clothing, especially shoes, and the balance was furnished by the Army, with the exception of the tabis or getas and some gloves which the factory supplied. Leather for shoe repair was supplied by the Army and the men repaired their own shoes and clothing to the best of their ability. Clothing in general was very poor and in a bad state of disrepair.

7. HYGIENE AND SANITATION:
Concrete drainage ditches carried excess water out of the camp area and also from the bath and kitchen. Toilets were set over concrete pits and cleaned weekly; lime being used as a disinfectant to prevent flies from breeding. None of the windows or doors were screened, nor were mosquito nets provided for the men.
Powdered soap was furnished by the factory for the kitchen and laundry use; the kitchen being provided with steam for cooking as well as sterilizing cooking utensils. Garbage was taken out of the camp area and buried or used as fertilizer by the Japanese.

8. MEDICAL CARE AND INSPECTIONS:
Dr. YAMADA, the factory doctor, made one general physical examination of all prisoners, shortly after their arrival in May, for the purpose of determining how many of them were physically able to work. He found approximately 30 men were suffering from beri-beri; 25 to 30 had dysentery; and 12 or 13 men had scabies. His report to the factory showed 75 to 80 men unable to work and recommended that vitamins, as well as other medicines, were supplied by the factory and were administered by Flight Lt. RILEY, the prisoner medical officer.

In addition to Lt. RILEY, the hospital was staffed by two enlisted medical technicians and one visit each week was made by a Japanese Army doctor, probationary officer AKASU.
There was an average of seven bed patients in the hospital daily and a daily average of 20 others too sick or too weak for work in the factory. All men injured while at work were brought to the camp hospital for first aid treatment; no serious industrial accidents occurred. Only one death occurred while the camp was in operation and that was on 30 August 1945, the cause declared to be a heart attack.

9. SPECIAL SERVICES:
No canteen was established for the prisoners, however a few toilet articles such as tooth brushes, combs, and razors were furnished by the Army as well as a daily ration of three cigarettes. No Red Cross supplies of any nature were received. The factory supplied a ping pong set for the use of the prisoners and they were allowed to use the space between the back fence and the kitchen as a playground.

10. WORK:
An average of 260 prisoners worked in the factory each day, actual working time being 8 hours and 40 minutes. All prisoners were off each Wednesday and none of them worked on night shifts. [directly contradicts Dr. Riley's statement- he states hours were 8 to 5 and one day off every other week] Prisoners' labor consisted of shoveling ore into smelters, operating lathes and drill presses, assembling parts and preparing sand molds for cast iron parts. Leather gloves and aprons were furnished those whose work demanded. (See Exhibit A for company report on work details) [not scanned]

11. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
One air raid shelter large enough to accommodate 150 men was constructed inside the camp, the balance of the men were taken to shelters outside the camp during the air raid and alerts. In addition to running water in each building, wooden casks of water were placed in corridors for fire control. Fire and air raid drills were held weekly.

12. PUNITIVE MEASURES:
A guardhouse was built in the administration building but according to information received it was never used. Agents were unable to uncover instances of either individual or collective punishment or mistreatment and no statements from former prisoners were on file indicating such, though one informant stated that he heard rumors to the effect that prisoners were sometimes beaten for infractions of camp rules.

13. MISCELLANEOUS:
Numerous complaints were made concerning food and medical supplies which resulted in slight improvements shortly before the end of the war. No mail was sent out of the camp and only three letters [total] were received during the time of its operation.

14. SUMMARY:
No leads concerning mistreatment were available to these agents prior to their investigation of the cam; therefore this report is based upon statements of persons connected with the camp and personal inspections. Physical facilities of the camp itself compared very favorably with those of other camps inspected, the most unfavorable point being its location within an area likely to be subjected to air raids.
Letters from prisoners to employees of the factory indicated that conditions within this camp were much better than those formerly occupied by the prisoners. This is partly borne out by the fact that in spite of the large number of sick men who were sent to the camp, only one death occurred.

/S/
JOSEPH G. BREAUNE, 1st Lt., CMP.
Investigating Officer
Legal Section, GHQ, SCAP

/S/
RICHARD H. WILLS, Jr., 1st Lt., CMP
Investigating Officer
Legal Section, GHQ, SCAP