Where to find Japanese prisoner of war lists online
Researcher
Mon Nov 17 2025
•
< 5 minutes read
Behind every name on a prisoner of war (PoW) list lies a story of endurance and unimaginable hardship. These are the records you need to trace moving PoW stories from within your own family and beyond.
Japanese prisoner of war camps during the Second World War
After the fall of Singapore in 1942, tens of thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers were captured by Japanese forces. Many were transported to camps across Southeast Asia - from Burma and Thailand to Japan and the Dutch East Indies - where they endured gruelling labour on projects such as the infamous Burma–Thailand Railway.
Conditions were harsh: disease, malnutrition, and brutality were common. Yet even amid deprivation, camaraderie and quiet acts of defiance helped many survive.
For genealogists, these stories often lie hidden within official records, diaries, and lists compiled by governments and the Red Cross. Many of these have been digitised and are available to search online.
Key prisoner of war record collections to search online
On Findmypast, a number of collections can help you uncover Japanese PoW ancestors, including:
- British Army Prisoners of War 1939–1945: Contains detailed lists of soldiers captured during the Second World War, including those held by Japanese forces. Entries may record a prisoner's name, service number, regiment, and camp location.
- Prisoners of War, Far East: Indexes 1942–1946: Drawn from official military and Red Cross sources, this collection documents those captured in the Pacific theatre, including men who served in the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British Army.
- Japanese Index Cards of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees (available via The National Archives and international databases): These cards were created by the Japanese military to record details of each prisoner's capture, transfers, and sometimes their death. They often include names written in Japanese characters alongside English transliterations.
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) database: For those who did not return home, the CWGC records can reveal burial sites or memorial inscriptions for PoWs who died in captivity.
How to search for a relative within prisoner of war lists
Start by gathering what you already know - your ancestor's full name, service number, and regiment, if possible. Many PoWs came from British and Commonwealth forces captured at Singapore, Hong Kong, and Java, so identifying where your ancestor was stationed can help narrow your search.
If a name search yields no results, try alternate spellings or initials. PoW records were often transcribed from handwritten lists under difficult conditions, so minor inconsistencies are common.
To delve deeper, pair these findings with military service records or local newspaper archives. Many hometown papers printed lists of missing or captured soldiers, sometimes alongside personal letters or reports sent from the camps after liberation.
Understand their story with genealogy research
Tracing a relative through Japanese prisoner of war lists is an act of remembrance - one that transforms history from abstract dates into human experience. These records illuminate courage in the face of despair, helping descendants understand not only where their ancestors were but also what they endured and overcame.