Kojima Hisajiro and Asai Kenichi

Case Summary

Kojima Hisajiro was an under-officer in 101 Naval Base Administrative Unit, which was carrying out pioneer at Nancowry and Kamutra Islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Asai Kenichi was a seaman attached to the unit and under command of Kojima Hisajiro. Waris and Abdul Karim were Indonesian civilian labourers brought from Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Sometime in May or June 1945, Waris and Abdul Karim stole biscuits from a Japanese store on Kamutra Island. The next morning, Kojima Hisajiro interrogated them and they confessed. Under Kojima Hisajiro's orders and in his presence, Asai Kenichi tied them to a post by their wrists and beat them continually for 3 days without food and water. This resulted in their arms being dislocated, their wrists cut to the bone and bodies bruised. Their friends carried them to Nancowry Island, where they died 2 days later. Both Kojima Hisajiro and Asai Kenichi were tried for both their deaths and found guilty. Kojima Hisajiro was senteced to life imprisonment and Asai Kenichi was sentenced to death by hanging.

For more information see:

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/49ca0d/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/6654cf/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/467287/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/93810e/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/ac2e1c/

The petition against the sentence appealed to Christian teachings.

There was much media interest over this case:
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19460417-1.2.23.aspx