Why was the Bataan death considered war crime?

The Bataan Death March is considered a war crime due to the brutal treatment of approximately 75,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war by the Japanese military in 1942. During the forced march, survivors faced extreme physical abuse, starvation, and executions, violating the Geneva Conventions and principles of humane treatment of POWs. The sheer scale of suffering and the systematic nature of the abuses highlighted the disregard for human rights, leading to its classification as a war crime.