Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Yokohama War Cemetery, Japan

Japan entered the Second World War in December 1941. They swiftly achieved a series of victories which resulted in their occupation of most of South East Asia and large areas of the Pacific by March 1942. During their advance and occupation the Japanese captured large numbers of Allied service personnel and local civilians who were put to work for the Japanese war effort. Conditions were harsh and one-third of Japanese Prisoners of War did not survive their imprisonment. After the surrender of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese began transferring Prisoners of War to Japan. The prisoners arrived at an interrogation camp in Ofuna near Yokohama and were sent to work in mines, factories and dockyards. During 1945, as Japans position weakened, many prisoners of war in Japan lost their lives in Allied naval bombardments and air raids on military targets. The survivors were finally released when Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945. Following the end of the war, Japan was occupied by Allied forces until 1952.

Yokohama War Cemetery was begun by the 38th Australian War Graves Unit in 1945, and the graves of POW casualties from throughout Japan were concentrated into this, the only Commonwealth War Cemetery in the country. It is located six miles south of Yokohama, in Yuenchi Park, Hodogaya. Unusually for a Commonwealth war cemetery, it has four main sections; United Kingdom, Australian, Indian and a combined New Zealand and Canadian. In total there are 1,555 Second World War burials, including one Dutch war grave, and the British plot also contains one First World War grave. There is also a plot containing 171 servicemen who died during the Allied occupation. The Yokohama Cremation Memorial houses an urn which contains the ashes of 335 Commonwealth, American and Dutch casualties who died as Prisoners of War in Japan and whose remains were cremated. Of these, the names of 284 are known and are inscribed on the walls of the Memorial. Also in the cemetery stands the Yokohama Memorial which bears the names of 20 Indian casualties who died in Japan and whose place of burial is unknown.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of those members of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars, for building and maintaining memorials to the dead whose graves are unknown and for providing records and registers of these 1.7 million burials and commemorations which are found in most countries throughout the world. Enquiries about the location of individual burials and commemorations may be directed to the office below or the Debt of Honour Register- a search by surname database on the Commission's website at www.cwgc.org

For further information contact:

Commonwealth War Graves Commission 2 Marlow Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 7DX Tel: +44 (0) 1628 507200 Fax: +44 (0) 1628 771208 Email: casualty.enq@cwgc.org