These events highlight some of the most brutal episodes of the war in the Pacific, and the U.S. military held war crimes tribunals after the conflict to prosecute those responsible. several historical events during World War II involved Japanese forces killing American prisoners of war (POWs) who were in the water or had been captured, and the Japanese soldiers responsible were subsequently convicted and executed for war crimes. Key incidents include: Palawan Massacre (1944): During this massacre in the Philippines, Japanese guards set fire to air raid shelters holding American POWs. As men tried to escape, some were shot or bayoneted, while those who attempted to swim away in the bay were shot in the water. Wake Island Massacre (1943): After American air raids, the Japanese commander of the garrison on Wake Island ordered the execution of 98 American civilian contractors who remained as forced labor. They were blindfolded, machine-gunned in a mass grave, and one who escaped was personally beheaded by the admiral in charge. The commanding officer, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, was later tried, convicted of war crimes, and executed by hanging. Chichi-jima Incident (1944): Nine American aviators were shot down over the island of Chichi-jima. Eight were captured. These airmen were beaten, tortured, executed, and some were cannibalized by Japanese officers in a horrific war crime. The only airman to evade capture was future President George H.W. Bush. The Japanese officers responsible, including Lieutenant General Yoshio Tachibana, were convicted and executed after the war. Bataan Death March (1942): During the brutal Bataan Death March, Japanese guards arbitrarily shot or bayoneted American and Filipino soldiers who fell from exhaustion or tried to get water from puddles. The Japanese commander, General Masaharu Homma, was tried and executed for failing to prevent these atrocities. Ishigaki Airmen (1945): In the final days of the war, three U.S. Navy airmen who parachuted from their downed plane and swam to a coral reef were captured. They were tortured, executed, and buried at sea. The soldiers involved were later punished for their war crimes. Beloud