For example I saw a TV program the other week, which I think was ‘War of the World’ on Channel Four with Prof. Niall Fergusson, which was questioning why the Jappanese had a reputation for never surrendering. The program had some film of American Troops apparently executing Japs who had just given themselves up. True or not it certainly made one think.

Steve.

The Japanese had a habit of bobby traping themselves…or firing on allied troops as some of theirs were surrendering. So some of the time, prisioners were not taken.
Sort of like the Royal Navy leaving survivors of the Bismark to die when they got word of a U-boat in the area.