Throughout history, there are various examples of the treatment of prisoners. When studying the history of prisoners of war, it is important to understand the changing status of prisoners of armed conflict, moving from slaves to state property and subsequently to persons protected by international humanitarian law.

The historical process of humanization of the law of war demonstrates the protection of the human dignity of victims of military conflicts. The phenomenon of internment was initially regulated by the laws of war. The application of the laws of armed conflict has deep political and historical roots. War has an anarchic foundation, but adherence to international law is important for a number of categories of victims of military conflict: prisoners of war and interned military personnel.

The purpose of this article is to examine the status of Japanese internees during World War II using an interdisciplinary approach. The objectives of the study are to interpret historical and international legal research on internment issues and to demonstrate the system of treatment of Japanese internees by a state that ratified the Geneva Convention only in 1954. This issue is key to the study of the historical and legal aspects of the regional history of internees during World War II in the Kazakh SSR. The research materials include: scholarly research by foreign authors; conventions; and archival materials published in collections.