Judgment Day Summary and Analysis

Even before the end of the war, Chang notes, the Allied forces were beginning to organize war tribunals to bring the Japanese to justice. In March of 1944, the United Nations created the Investigations of War Crimes Committee. By August of 1946, the trials of class B and C war criminals began in Nanking. The trials lasted until February of 1947, and more than one thousand people testified in more than 460 counts of rape, murder, arson, and looting. During the trials, evidence such as photos that had been painstakingly hidden for years by the Chinese at their own risk surfaced, as did articles describing the horrors. Noda Takeshi and Mukai Toshiaki, both of whom participated in the killing contests, were found guilty and executed. Tani Hisao, the General under which the 6th Division of the Japanese army committed many of their horrifying...