Excerpts from “Over 3,000 Okinawans Died in U.S. Camps at End of War” (Kyodo/Japan Times, 9/7/15):

At least 3,000 civilians died in 1945 and 1946 in camps set up by the U.S. military in Okinawa, according to a survey shedding light on their little-known plight in the facilities.

The survey — in which questionnaires were sent to all 41 municipal offices in the prefecture — found that the main causes of death were starvation and malaria, as the camps were in unsanitary surroundings and little food was provided. The survey results were released Saturday.

During the war, once U.S. troops occupied some areas of Okinawa, they set up camps in which they detained local people. Such camps were created in 16 occupied areas, and the number of people in them reached as high as 300,000, exceeding the capacity for the U.S. military to handle them.