JAPANESE WAR CRIMINALS – STILL HONOURED IN JAPAN
28 Japanese Class A war criminals were put to trial by the Far East International Military Tribunal in Tokyo.
Twenty-five (25) were all convicted of their crimes, two others died, and another suffered mental health problems.
Fourteen of the Class A war criminals were enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine:
Hideki Tō jō : Sentenced to death
Tōjō was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan. He was the ringleader of the Japanese fascist ruling clique and the prime instigator to wage war against Russia and China.
Kenji Doihara: Sentenced to death
Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. From 1913, he was stationed in China for more than 30 years and was the mastermind for the invasion of China.
Iwane Matsui: Sentenced to death
Matsui was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was responsible for the Nanjing Massacre, killing more than 300,000 innocent civilians.
Heitarō K imu ra : Sentenced to death
Kimura was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. In 1939, he led Japanese troops into the Lunan Region of China and mercilessly slaughtered thousands of unarmed civilians.
Kō ki H irota : Sentenced to death
Hirota was Japan’s Foreign Minister in 1932 and the 32nd Prime Minister in 1936. He was one of the masterminds who launched the all-out war of aggression against China. He was the only civilian Class A war criminal condemned to death.
Seishiro Itagaki: Sentenced to death
Itagaki was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and a War Minister. He was a mastermind of the Mukden (Manchurian) Incident in 1931 that led to the Japanese seizure of Manchuria.
Akira M utō : Sentenced to death
Mutō was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He commanded troops in Nanjing during the massacre and committed atrocities against the Filipino civilians and prisoners of war.
Yō su ke M atsu o ka : Died during trial
Matsuoka was Foreign Minister of Japan. He was a major advocate of Japan’s alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Osami Nagano: Died during trial
Nagano was a fleet admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He ordered the bombing attack on Pearl Harbour.
Toshio Shiratori: Sentenced to life imprisonment
Shiratori was Japan’s Ambassador in Italy. He advocated military expansionism and was instrumental in forging the alliance between Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan to facilitate world domination. He died in prison in 1949.
H iran u ma K iich irō : Sentenced to life imprisonment
Kiichirō was the 35th Prime Minster of Japan in 1939. He was instrumental in the development of Japanese militarism. He was paroled in early 1952 and died in August of the same year.
Kuniaki Koiso: Sentenced to life imprisonment
Koiso was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor General and the 41st Prime Minister of Japan. He was responsible for the brutal crackdowns against the Korean civilians. He died in prison in 1950.
Yo sh ijirō Umezu : Sentenced to life imprisonment
Umezu was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He instituted brutal occupation rules in northeastern China and slaughtered thousands of defenseless civilians. He died in prison in 1949.
Shigenori Tō gō : Sentenced to 20 years imprisonment
Tōgō was Foreign Minister of Japan and served in other cabinet posts. He was responsible for planning the Pacific War. He died in prison in 1950.