The klieg-lighted Tokyo Trial began on May 3, 1946, and ended on
November 4, 1948, a majority of the eleven judges from the victorious
Allies finding the twenty-five surviving defendants, Japanese military
and state leaders, guilty of most, if not all, of the charges. As at
Nuremberg, the charges included for the first time "crimes against
peace" and "crimes against humanity," as well as conventional war
crimes. In a polemical account, Richard Minear reviews the background,
proceedings, and judgment of the Tokyo Trial from its Charter and
simultaneous Nuremberg "precedent" to its effects today.
Mr. Minear looks at the Trial from the aspects of international law, of
legal process, and of history. With compelling force, he discusses the
motives of the Nuremberg and Tokyo proponents, the Trial's prejudged
course--its choice of judges, procedures, decisions, and
omissions--General MacArthur's review of the verdict, the criticisms of
the three dissenting judges, and the dangers inherent in such an
international, political trial. His systematic, partisan treatment pulls
together evidence American lawyers and liberals have long suspected,
feared, and dismissed from their minds.
Contents: Preface. I. Introduction. II. The Tokyo Trial. III. Problems
of International Law. IV. Problems of Legal Process. V. Problems of
History. VI. After the Trial. Appendices.
Originally published in 1971.
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