The Tokyo Trial

Directed by Tim Toidze (2016)

Film Review

The Great Asian War (1931-45) began when Japan invaded Manchuria. When Japan surrendered in 1945, seven million Japanese soldiers laid down their arms, 1,000 committed suicide and the rest carried out a national directive to burn as much incriminating evidence as possibly. It would be two weeks before US forces arrived in Japan and US General Douglas MacArthur became the country’s supreme ruler. It was his role to demilitarize Japan (demobilizing troops and demolishing military planes, munitions and military factories) and forcibly “democratize” Japanese society.

As part of “democratization,” (anti-fascist) political prisoners were released and labor unions and the communist party were allowed to organize.

Although the Nuremberg proceedings executed 24 Nazi officials, MacArthur only wanted to hang Japanese officials responsible for Pearl Harbor. Among those standing trial in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) (1946-1948) were the fifteen men who served as prime minister between 1931 and 1945. Former warlord, general and prime minister (1941-44) Hideki Tojo, shot himself before he could stand trial. 

Although 70% of Americans wanted Japanese emperor Hirohito tried, MacArthur refused, seeing an opportunity to use the emperor as a submissive puppet. Instead the emperor merely ceased to be a god and and began to appear in public with his family (for the first time).

Initially 11 justices from different countries (including only one Asian) presided over the Tokyo war crimes trial. At the last minute, the court added a judge from India (a British colony) and the Philippines (a US colony). Both missed the first two weeks of the trial. MacArthur vetoed the chief judge’s request summon the emperor to testify.

In all 28 military officers stood trial. The most serious war crimes considered were the massacre of 200,000-300,000 civilians and the rape and mutilation of 20,000 women during the Japanese invasion of Nanking.The judges required just over 2 1/2 years to reach a verdict (in contrast to one month in Nuremberg). It took five days to read the verdict.

Seven of the 28 were sentenced to death, 16 were sentenced to life imprisonment and two received lesser sentences. Immediately after the hanging, those with lesser sentences received amnesty. One eventually became prime minister.

Following the amnesty, MacArthur essentially suspended freedom of speech in Japan and order a crackdown on labor unions and communism.

With the start of the Korean war in 1950, the Japanese government was allowed to rearm.