Japanese Forces

Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara in Wake Island

Asahi Graph Magazine 1942

IJN Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara adressing the Wake Island Guarrison, 1942. After the Battle of Wake Island on December 23, 1941, Sakaibara was appointed the garrison commander of the Japanese occupation force. Fearing an imminent attempt by American forces to retake the island, Sakaibara put the captured American prisoners of war to work building a series of bunkers and fortifications in preparation for a suspected amphibious invasion. On October 5, 1943, aircraft from USS Yorktown bombed Wake Island. Two days later, fearing an imminent invasion, Sakaibara ordered the execution of the 98 civilian prisoners remaining on Wake Island. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and machine-gunned. One prisoner (whose name has never been discovered) escaped, but was recaptured and personally beheaded by Sakaibara.