Prisoners of war from China , the United States , Australia , Britain , Canada , India , the Netherlands , New Zealand , and the Philippines held by the Japanese armed forces were subject to murder , beatings , summary punishment , brutal treatment , forced labour , medical experimentation , starvation rations , poor medical treatment and cannibalism . The most notorious use of forced labour was in the construction of the Burma – Thailand Death Railway . After 20 March 1943 , the Imperial Navy was under orders to execute all prisoners taken at sea
medical experimentation
Unit 731
Prisoner of war