Wake Island War Crimes
Japanese Execute 98 Civilians
4 min readMay 29, 2021
On Wake Atoll in the South Pacific, there is a gravel path edged by white coral leading away from the road and toward the water. On the shore of the turquoise lagoon, the highest coral boulder bears a chiseled inscription. It reads: “98 US PW, 5–10–43.” This is a self-written epitaph of a mass murder committed near this spot during one of the bleakest periods of human…
