International Military Tribunal for the Far East records, bulk 1920-1948

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Summary

Creators:
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
Abstract:
Court exhibits, transcripts, summaries of proceedings, summations of counsel, judgments, photographs, and indices relating to the trial of Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes during the Second World War.
Extent:
115 manuscript boxes, 1 envelope, 242 volumes. (81.5 Linear Feet)
Language:
In English, Japanese, and Chinese
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], International Military Tribunal for the Far East records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Exhibits, evidence, transcripts, indices of the record, and other documents relating to the trial of Japanese officials and military leaders accused of war crimes during the Second World War. Documents reflect significant contributions to international law within the contexts of crimes against humanity, wars of aggression, and other relevant subjects.

Biographical / historical:

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal or the Tokyo Trials, lasted from April 29, 1946 to November 12, 1948. Established by special proclamation of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, the IMTFE sought to try Japanese government officials and military leaders for the incitement and perpetration of World War II and war crimes throughout the conflict.

For more than two years, eleven judges representing the Allied signatories of the Instrument of Surrender, as well as India and the Philippines, heard cases against twenty-eight defendants, including General Hideki Tojo. From November 4 to 12, 1948, the tribunal rendered judgments against twenty-five defendants (two defendants died during the trial and one was deemed incompetent to stand trial). Seven defendants were sentenced to death, sixteen to life imprisonment, one to twenty years' imprisonment, and one to seven years' imprisonment.

Similar to its German counterpart in Nuremberg, the trial's charges, evidence, defense, and rulings mark the IMTFE as an important moment in the reshaping of modern international law in the post-World War II period.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1949.
Arrangement:

The collection, consisting of both loose documents and bound volumes, is arranged alphabetically by subject. To request bound volumes, please note the title of the volume and the volume number, if applicable.

Exhibits, Rejected Defense Documents, and Rejected Prosecution Documents contain corresponding indices that can be used to identify the documents found in these series. A link to a PDF version of each corresponding index can be found in a scope and content note at the beginning of these series.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], International Military Tribunal for the Far East records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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