Was there a Japanese equivalent of the Gestapo during WW2

Overview. The Kempeitai, translated as Military Police Corps, served as the military police of the Japanese Army from 1881 –1945. It draws parallels with Nazi Germany’s Gestapo, in that it was a secret police force rather than overt operation.

What was the WWII Japanese secret police?

This article presents the history and characteristics of the Kempeitai — Japan’s secret police and counter- espionage service — before, during, and immediately after World War II. The Kempeitai used cruelly repressive tactics to control the militarily occupied territories of Japan’s World War II empire.

What is tokkeitai in Japan?

The Tokkeitai (特警隊, short for 特別警察隊, Tokubetsu Keisatsutai, “Special Police Corps”, or Naval Secret Police) was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s military police, equivalent to the Imperial Japanese Army’s Kempeitai. It was also the smallest military police service.

Who were the Kempeitai and the Gestapo?

The Kempeitai functioned much like Hitler’s Gestapo did in Nazi-occupied territory, but had broader authority because they policed the army as well as people under military authority.

What did the Kempeitai do?

As a semi-autonomous unit attached to the army and accountable to the war minister, the Kempeitai was responsible for ensuring military discipline; gathering intelligence and carrying out subversion work; maintaining law and order; and policing thoughts in the civilian populations of Japanese-occupied territories.

Did Japan ever Apologise for war crimes?

In October 2006, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s apology was followed on the same day by a group of 80 Japanese lawmakers’ visit to the Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines more than 1,000 convicted war criminals.

How badly did the Japanese treat prisoners of war?

Prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused and forced to work in mines and war-related factories in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. Of the 27,000 Americans taken prisoner by the Japanese, a shocking 40 percent died in captivity, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

What is Susuki in Japanese?

Suzuki literally means “bell tree” in Japanese. Suzu – “bell” Ki – “tree” A common Japanese surname and business name.

What is Nikkeijin in Japanese?

Nikkei is derived from the term Nikkeijin (日系人) in Japanese, used to refer to Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants.

What is lapad in Japanese?

a glass bottle resembling a hip flask. a measure of liquid equal to the volume of the contents of such bottle. the ten thousand yen bill.



What was the secret police force?

secret police, Police established by national governments to maintain political and social control. Generally clandestine, secret police have operated independently of the civil police. Particularly notorious examples were the Nazi Gestapo, the Russian KGB, and the East German Stasi.

What is the name of the Japanese secret service?

The Public Security Intelligence Agency (公安調査庁, kōanchōsa-chō) is the national intelligence agency of Japan.

What is Japan’s version of the FBI?

The Security Bureau (keibi kyoku) of the Japanese National Police Agency conducts a number of functions similar to those of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Public Security Intelligence Agency (Kouan Chousa-chou) under the Ministry of Justice is similar to the United Kingdom’s MI-5.

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