 | |  | | Shigetaro Shimada | | | context : | Japan  | | judgement place : | Tokyo IMT | | status : | Sentenced | | particulars : | Tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) for war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment | | position : | Navy Minister in the Tojo Cabinet and Chief of the Navy General Staff |
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| | | | Shigetaro Shimada was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) for war crimes.
According to the statement of the IMTFE, some most disgraceful massacres and murders of prisoners were committed by members of the Japanese Navy in the islands of the Pacific Ocean and on the survivors of torpedoed ships. Those immediately responsible ranged in rank from Admirals downwards.
Nonetheless, the IMTFE found that the evidence was insufficient to justify a finding that Shigetaro Shimada was responsible for these matters, that he ordered, authorized or permitted the commission of war crimes, or that he knew they were being committed and failed to take adequate steps to prevent their commission in the future. Therefore, Shigetaro Shimada was found not guilty on counts 54 (breaches of the laws and customs of war) and 55 (having recklessly disregarded his legal duty by virtue of his office to take adequate steps to secure the observance and prevent the breaches of the laws and customs of war).
The Tribunal found Shigetaro Shimada guilty under Count 1 (conspiracy to wage wars of aggression against any country or countries, between 1 January 1928 and 2 September 1945) and under counts 27, 29, 31 and 32 (waging aggressive wars).
On November 12, 1948, the IMTFE sentenced him to imprisonment for life. However, he was paroled in 1955. Shimada died in 1976. | |    | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Japan | | | date of birth : | | | 24.09.1883 | | | period of charges : | | | 01.01.1928 - 02.09.1945 | | | judgement period : | | | 06.05.1946 - 12.11.1948 | | | charges : | | | War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 21.07.2006 |
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