Mass Suicides on Saipan and Tinian, 1944: An Examination of the Civilian Deaths in Historical Context

by Alexander Astroth

Overview

When the Americans invaded the Japanese-controlled islands of Saipan and Tinian in 1944, civilians and combatants committed mass suicide to avoid being captured. Though these mass suicides have been mentioned in documentary films, they have received scant scholarly attention. This book draws on United States National Archives documents and photographs, as well as veteran and survivor testimonies, to provide readers with a better understanding of what happened on the two islands and why. The author details the experiences of the people of the islands from prehistoric times to the present, with an emphasis on the Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, Chamorro and Carolinian civilians during invasion and occupation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476674568
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	04/10/2019
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.46(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alexander Astroth lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Before 1944
 1. Prehistory and European Colonization
 2. Japanese Takeover of Saipan and Tinian
 3. Cultures and Societies of Saipan and Tinian
 4. The ­Asia-Pacific War and Islands’ Militarizations
Part 2: 1944
 5. Saipan and Tinian Invasions
 6. Mass Civilian Suicides
 7. Causes of the Mass Civilian Suicides
 8. ­Non-Suicide Deaths
 9. Civilian Internment Camps
10. Number of Civilian Deaths and Suicides
Aftermath
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index