Ueda Sueyoshi and others

Case Summary

Sergeant Major Ueda Sueyoshi, Warrant Officer Hashimoto Hiyoshi, Sergeant Ishibashi Kinji, and civilian interpreter Takahashi Yauchi were all former Kempeitai personnel based in Kanburi and Tamuan, Siam. They were charged with the ill-treatment of British, American, and Dutch POWs interned at Kanburi Kempei-Tai HQ.

The POWs were suspected of being in possession of and circulating war news and also of smuggling money into the camp. It was alleged that several of the POWs were interrogated by Ueda, Hashimoto, Ishibashi and Takahashi and because they would not give the answers which the Japanese wanted, they were beaten, given water and finger torture, jujitsued, and generally ill-treated. 

For more information, see: 

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/083da1/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/139d97/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/139d97/

One of the victims in this trial, Lieutenant Colonel H.H. Lily, was the inspiration behind Sir Alec Guinness's character in the classic film, The Bridge On The River Kwai.

It would also appear that Takahashi was a man who was very uncooperative and difficult to work with. The Defence counsel had in fact, at one point, threatened to drop Takahashi's case. Takahashi also claimed British nationality in addition to Japanese nationality, stating that having gone to live in Canada in 1911, he was nationalised there in 1920 until he returned to Japan in 1936 and was made to serve in the army in 1944. The Brigadier of the South East Asia Land Forces opined that having returned to his country of birth (Japan), Takahashi reverted to his native domicile and natural character, and was no longer entitled to claim privilege as a British subject.