Japanese-German relations and German Prisoners-of-War in Japan 1915-1919

This paper will look at Japanese-German relations pre- and post WW1 and the impact of the Great War on these relations. Particular focus will be on German Prisoners-of-War in Japanese POW camps during the First World War. Analyzing a range of original manuscript documents including private letters and camp investigation reports, this paper will illustrate camp life from 1915-1919 reconstructing the experiences of those individuals, who were captured and imprisoned in Japan for the duration of the war. The paper will pay special attention to the German impressions of and attitudes to Japan and Japanese society, including private observations as well as official governmental documents, in the context of German imperial policy and colonialism in Asia. For many German POW, this was the first time they experienced Japanese culture and society first hand, albeit not under the most ideal circumstances and often limited to the environs of the camp under wartime condition. Nevertheless, their impressions present a fascinating study of an early twentieth century East-West encounter. This paper is based on initial research carried out in 2009 and is part of an ongoing research project into the German Pacific colonies pre and post-WW1.