Complete List of Japanese WWII Prisoner of War Camps

During the Second World War, the Japanese Empire operated an extensive network of prisoner of war (POW) camps across Asia and the Pacific. These camps held tens of thousands of Allied military personnel and civilians captured during the rapid Japanese offensives of 1941–1942. Prisoners came primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and other Allied nations.

The camps were located throughout territories controlled by Japan, including the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan (Formosa), China, Korea, and Japan itself. Many prisoners were eventually transported between these camps aboard the infamous Hellships, often to forced labor sites supporting the Japanese war effort.

Conditions in the camps varied widely but were frequently harsh. Prisoners commonly endured severe food shortages, disease, overcrowding, forced labor, and physical abuse. Many camps were attached to large military construction projects such as the Burma–Thailand Railway, coal mines in Japan, industrial factories, or agricultural work details.

The purpose of this page is to provide a centralized reference to the major Japanese prisoner of war camps used during the war. The list below includes camps that held Allied prisoners at various times between 1941 and 1945. Because prisoners were often transferred multiple times during captivity, many men passed through several different camps before the war ended.

For researchers and families tracing the experiences of former prisoners, the camps listed here are closely linked with the broader story of captivity in the Pacific War. Many prisoners followed a path that began with capture in the Philippines or Southeast Asia, continued through transit camps such as Bilibid Prison, and then extended across long sea voyages on Hellships to camps in Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria, or Japan.

Major Japanese POW Camps by Region

Philippines

Cabanatuan Camp (Nueva Ecija)
Bilibid Prison (Manila)
Davao Penal Colony
Las Piñas Camp
Camp O’Donnell (initial POW camp after Bataan)

Singapore

Changi Prison Camp
Selarang Barracks

Hong Kong

Sham Shui Po Camp
Stanley Internment Camp
Argyle Street Camp

Thailand and Burma

Kanchanaburi Camps (Burma–Thailand Railway)
Tamarkan Camp
Hintok Camp
Chungkai Camp
Thanbyuzayat Camp

Indonesia (Dutch East Indies)

Tjimahi Camps (Java)
Batavia Camps
Ambon Camp
Makassar Camp

Taiwan (Formosa)

Kinkaseki Camp (Jinguashi)
Heito Camp
Shirakawa Camp
Taihoku Camps

China

Peking Camp
Mukden Camp (Shenyang)
Weihsien Camp

Korea

Fusan Camp
Keijo Camp

Japan

Fukuoka Camp System
Osaka Camp System
Yokohama Camp System
Sendai Camp System
Tokyo Camp System
Niigata Camp System
Hakodate Camp System

These camp systems often consisted of multiple numbered subcamps attached to mines, shipyards, factories, and industrial facilities where prisoners were forced to work.

Connection to the Hellships

Many prisoners held in Southeast Asian camps were later transported north to Japan aboard Hellships. These voyages were often deadly due to extreme overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and the constant threat of attack by Allied submarines and aircraft.

Common transport routes included:

Philippines → Taiwan → Japan
Singapore → Japan
Java → Sumatra → Thailand
Hong Kong → Japan

Ships such as Oryoku Maru, Enoura Maru, Brazil Maru, Rakuyo Maru, Lisbon Maru, and Arisan Maru carried thousands of prisoners between these camps.

Research and Documentation

The locations and histories of Japanese POW camps have been documented through several major sources, including:

U.S. National Archives
Allied POW survivor testimonies
International Red Cross records
War crimes trial documentation
Military unit histories

Today, historians continue to research these sites, many of which remain important places of remembrance for former prisoners and their families.

What Were the Hellships
Complete List of Hellships
Hellship Voyages Database
Bataan Death March
Cabanatuan POW Camp
Bilibid Prison