Komaba Kanekechi

Case Summary

The accused beat, tortured and maltreated three civilians of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in two separate incidents.  At the time of the alleged offences, the accused was in charge of overseeing local land farmers working for the Japanese at Port Blair. The victim of the first offence was a farmer, beaten by the accused because he was too sick to work that day. The beating, described as savage and ferocious, coupled with the accused’s pouring of hot water over the victim, resulted in fatal injuries and the victim's eventual death. The victims of the second offence were an aged farmer couple, beaten because they had protested the accused’s taking of their rice stock.

For more information see:

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/c2b542/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/5fb78e/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/6916e1/

Unusual for cases before this war crimes court, the JAG advised a great reduction in the accused's sentence. This was so because the JAG was of the opinion that the court had erred in its findings.