Editing Burma Railway (section)

=== War crimes trials ===
At the end of World War II, 111 Japanese military officials were tried for [[war crimes]] for their brutality during the construction of the railway. Thirty-two of them were sentenced to death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hellfire-pass.commemoration.gov.au/after-the-war/war-crimes-trials.php|title=After the War: War crimes trials|website=The Thai-Burma Railway & Hellfire Pass|access-date=6 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420225836/http://hellfire-pass.commemoration.gov.au/after-the-war/war-crimes-trials.php|archive-date=20 April 2013}}</ref> The most important trial was against the general staff. Lieutenant General Eiguma Ishida, overall commander of the Burma Railway, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. His subordinates Colonel Shigeo Nakamura, Colonel Tamie Ishii and Lieutenant-Colonel Shoichi Yanagita were sentenced to death. Major Sotomatsu Chida was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.singaporewarcrimestrials.com/case-summaries/detail/084 |title=Ishida Eiguma and others |website=Singapore War Crimes Trials|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> [[Hiroshi Abe (war criminal)|Hiroshi Abe]], a first lieutenant who supervised construction of the railway at [[Sonkrai]] where 600 British prisoners out of 1,600 died of cholera and other diseases,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fepow.family/Articles/Death_Railway/html/songkurai.htm |title=Songkurai|website=Far East POW Family|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> was sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison, as a B/C class war criminal. He served 11 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.singaporewarcrimestrials.com/case-summaries/detail/081 |title=Banno Hirateru and others |website=Singapore War Crimes Trials|access-date=1 February 2022|quote=Trial was for F-force which lost 3,000 out of 7,000 men. Sonkrai was a part of F-force}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199697/cmhansrd/vo961204/debtext/61204-05.htm |title=Bound Volume Hansard – Debate |author=[[Tony Lloyd]] |website=House of Parliament – Commons Debate|date=4 December 1996|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref>