The International Military Tribunal for the Far East
Also known as the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, the International Military Tribunal (IMTFE) was a military trial held in Tokyo between April 29, 1946 and November 12, 1948. Convened by and with judges from eleven countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States), the tribunal charged 28 Japanese with a conspiracy to start and wage war against the convening nations. The convening nations served as both prosecutors and judges during the tribunal; defense counselors consisted of Japanese and American lawyers.
Legal justification for the IMTFE was based on the Cairo Declaration of November 27, 1943, the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender of September 2, 1945, and the Communique of the Moscow Conference, December 27, 1945. In his role as Supreme Commander Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur issued a proclamation ordering the establishment of the IMTFE on January 19, 1946, and approved a Charter of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East at the same time.
The trial was held in the former War Ministry building, Building H, in Ichigaya, Tokyo which, in a bit of irony, was one of the few major structures that escaped serious damage from the Allied firebomb raids on the city. Over 928 days, the tribunal heard from 419 witnesses providing live testimony, 779 others testifying through affidavits and depositions, and admitted 4,336 exhibits. The trial transcript came to almost 50,000 pages, not including the judgment.
International Military Tribunal for the Far East — Defendants
Justifying Unconditional Victory: The International Military Tribunal for the Far East
Watching and Waiting: British Foreign Policy and the Manchurian Incident, September-October 1931