Shunroku Hata was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, in Tokyo.
The Tribunal convicted Hata on the following counts:
- n° 1 (responsibility for launching a war of aggression and a war in violation of international law),
- n° 27 (waging unprovoked war against China)
- n°29 (waging unprovoked war against the USA)
- n° 31 (waging unprovoked war against the British Commonwealth)
- n° 32 (waging unprovoked war against the Netherlands) and
- n° 55 (failure to take all adequate steps in order to ensure respect and to prevent violations of the conventions and laws and customs of war as regards prisoners of war and civilian internees).
As regards the last count, the Tribunal held that Hata either knew of the crimes committed by his troops and took no action to prevent their repetition, or took no interest in them and failed to take any measures in order to find out whether the orders pertaining to the humane treatment of prisoners of war and civilian internees were being followed. In both cases, his attitude was to be qualified as criminal.
Hata was however acquitted on three other counts relative to wars of aggression and other war crimes.
The Tribunal sentenced Shunroku Hata to life imprisonment on 12 November 1948.
He was paroled in 1955 and died in 1962.
Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
