Critics

The main criticisms levelled against the Tribunal over and above that of the perception of victor’s justice, were related to the absence of any proceedings against Emperor Hirohito, the number one Japanese war criminal; to the freeing of other Class A war criminals; to there being no trial of the doctors of Unit 731 which carried out medical experiments notably on Chinese, Russian and American prisoners and who were responsible for causing the death of at least 9000 persons. Furthermore, the control which the United States held over the administration of the Tribunal tended to depict it as a mechanism to dispense victor’s justice far more so than was the case with the Nuremberg Tribunal.

Although the workings of the IMTFE came to a close in November 1948, other judgements were handed down against war criminals from the Second World War notably through American Military Commissions in the Pacific region and through proceedings conducted by other Allied countries in their respective sectors.