World War II
During 1941, Nishimura commanded the 21st Independent Mixed Brigade, and then the Imperial Guard Division during the Malayan campaign. During the Battle of Muar, the Imperial Guards killed 155 Australian and Indian prisoners of war, in an event known as the Parit Sulong Massacre.
Following the surrender of Allied forces in Singapore, Nishimura was in charge of the eastern half of Singapore Island, during the period in which the Sook Ching massacre took place. Nishimura himself was often at odds with the commander of the 25th Army, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, at times engaging in conduct that seemed deliberately insulting. As a result, his division was denied the Emperor's Victory Citation, and he was recalled to Japan and forced to retire in April 1942.
From June 1943-February 1944, Nishimura was appointed governor of the Shan States in northern Burma. From February 1944, Nishimura was appointed Japanese military Governor of Sumatra, a post he held until the end of the war.
Read more about this topic: Takuma Nishimura
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