Pacific World War 2?

Question

For you who study it!

Was Tojo rightly executed?

If so, what crime had he committed?

Answer 1

Tojo was indeed rightly executed under the "crimes against humanity" statute of the Hague Convention.
His specific crime was to instigate, by direct order or through staff direction, the bloody sacking of the city of Nan-king, China and the death of thousands of civilians and service personnel in prison of war camps through out Japanese held areas during the war.
His trial involved not only graphic testimony of the surviving mayor of Nan-king but also similar testimony from several servicemen who survived the Bataan "death March" and from those incarcerated at the Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines.
The eyewitness testimony was overwhelming and Tojo's sole defense was that he be allowed to die as a samurai warrior by committing Harri Kiri, which, of course, the American Army prevented. Hope this helps

Answer 2

In the aftermath of WW2, many of the 'losing sides' were tried by military tribunals and executed out of hand. Although such notable figures as the Englishman "Bomber Harris" and "Joseph Stalin" were never even sequestered, many felt that the 'True Villains had been brought to trial'.

Tojo's accused crimes were essentially 'aggression against Pacific Ocean holdings' (but also included China).

These were the same crimes that all defendants faced except one..... The Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Prince Asaka were not prosecuted for any alleged involvement in any of the three categories of crimes. Kishi Nobusuke, who was held as a suspected Class A criminal but never tried, later became Prime Minister.

It has been argued that, just like the Nuremberg trials, this was just just a 'Witch Hunt' orchestrated by in some cases the Americans. Unlike the Nuremberg trials this one was presided over by an international set of Judges and Ministers.

See below for what might have been tried as 'war crimes' had we lost that war and the same criteria had been applied to the USA, Great Britain, France, Russia, and Australia.

Specifically read up on "Operation Gomorrah"; this one is really interesting as it created 1700 degree temperatures where civilians actually MELTED while hiding in their bomb shelters. The few survivors of this devastating attack reported ground wind speeds in excess of 150 mph and saw people being 'sucked into the fire tornado". Several American bombers were lost on the 2nd day of this attack as they were 'sucked down into the maelstrom' as well.

Answer 3

A Moratorium on Yasukuni Visits
June 2006

By Kazuhiko Togo

While Junichiro Koizumi’s tenure as prime minister has seen many achievements, including the adoption of responsible defense and security policy and the strengthening of Japan’s alliance with the U.S., ties between Japan and China have deteriorated sharply. The rift is especially obvious against the backdrop of expanding economic linkages between the two countries.

At a time when Japan-China relations are facing enormous difficulty from both mounting geopolitical rivalry and disputes over World War II history, Mr. Koizumi’s yearly visits to the Yasukuni Shrine from 2001-05 have added to the acrimony. Yasukuni is a Shinto shrine that honors almost 2.5 million war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals convicted after World War II by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

Answer 4

As prime minister, he authorized the attack on Pearl Harbor...which was a sneak attack BEFORE an official declaration of war.
He also was the one who authorized the murder of thousands of civilians in China, Korea, and the Phillipines...along with the execution of hundreds of American POW's. He also sanctioned the medical experiments on prisoners.

I've heard it claimed that he did so on orders of Emperor Hirohito (who was granted immunity in the war crimes trials). Not sure I believe that or not...

In my opinion he probably DID deserve execution...I think he was more responsible than the Emperor for most of the war crimes. (For one thing, the Japanese did not take a lot of administrative stuff TO the emperor...he was basically a figurehead, and considered a god...therefore ABOVE such earhtly concerns.)

Answer 5

It would have been a reasonable sentence just for his role in the Army's take-over of the government before the war, let alone his role in the war itself.

Answer 6

Toto he was the Dorothy's dog right?
Didn't he bite the wicked witch?
yes he was guilty. All in good fun Merry Christmas
Go to www.history.com
and look up Japanese WWII
or military operations of Japan WWII

Answer 7

He was executed for war crimes and atrocities.

More info:
http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/warcrimes.htm