OUVRAGE : V.E. Dittrich, K. von Lingen, P. Osten, J. Makraiová (eds.), The Tokyo Tribunal: Perspectives on Law, History and Memory

Viviane E. DITTRICH, Kerstin von LINGEN, Philipp OSTEN, Jolana MAKRAIOVÁ

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), held in Tokyo from May 1946 to November 1948, was a landmark event in the development of modern international criminal law. The trial in Tokyo was a complex undertaking and international effort to hold individuals accountable for core international crimes and delivering justice. The Tribunal consisted of 11 judges and respective national prosecution teams from 11 countries and a mixed Japanese-American team of defence lawyers. The IMTFE indicted 28 Japanese defendants, amongst them former prime ministers, cabinet ministers, military leaders and diplomats, based on a 55-count indictment pertaining to crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The judgment was not unanimous, with one majority judgment, two concurring opinions and three dissenting opinions. The trial and the outcome were the subject of significant controversy and the Tribunal's files were subsequently shelved in the archives. While its counterpart in Europe, the "International Military Tribunal" (IMT) at Nuremberg, has been at the centre of public and scholarly interest, the Tokyo Tribunal has only recently gained international scholarly attention.