Hino-Maru Flag
Signed by all 25 of the "Class A" Trial Defendants
International Military Tribunal for the Far East 1946 -1948

Outside Frame Dimensions: 26 1/2" x 36 1/4"

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East was convened on April 29, 1946, to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of war crimes. "Class A" crimes were reserved for those who participated in a joint conspiracy to start and wage war, and were brought against those in the highest decision-making bodies; "Class B" crimes were reserved for those who committed "conventional" atrocities or crimes against humanity; "Class C" crimes were reserved for those in "the planning, ordering, authorization, or failure to prevent such transgressions at higher levels in the command structure". The tribunal was adjourned on November 12, 1948.

This is a Hino-maru flag that was signed by the 25 "Class A" Japanese men that stood trail in 1946 at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. These men were all the highest ranking government and military officials of Japan at the end of WWII. This was acquired from a Sugamo Prison staff member. The man was in charge of the "Class A" prisoners personal property and was also a staff photographer. There were originally 28 "Class A" men to be on trail. Two of them died of natural causes during the trail and one man was found to be mentally unfit. This flag is singed in kanji by all 25 men and again in Roman letters above each kanji signature. Six defendants were sentenced to death by hanging and sixteen defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment. Please see below for lists of then men and the details of their sentencing.



The defednants that were charged, mostly military officers and government officials:

Civilian officials:
Koki Hirota, Prime Minister (1936–1937), Foreign Minister (1933–1936, 1937–1938)
Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma, Prime Minister (1939), President of the Privy Council
Naoki Hoshino, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Marquis Koichi Kido, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Toshio Shiratori, Ambassador to Italy
Shigenori Togo, Foreign Minister (1941–1942, 1945)
Mamoru Shigemitsu, Foreign Minister(1943–1945)
Okinori Kaya, Foreign Minister (1941–1944)
Yosuke Matsuoka, Foreign Minister(1940–1941)
Military officers:
General Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister (1941–1944), War Minister (1940–1944),Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office (1944)
General Seishiro Itagaki, War Minister (1938-1939)
General Sadao Araki, War Minister (1931–1934)
Field Marshal Shunroku Hata, War Minister (1939–1940)
Admiral Shigetaro Shimada, Nanvy Minister (1941–1944), Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff (1944)
Lieutenant General Kenryo Sato, chief of the Military Affairs Bureau
General Kuniaki Koiso, Prime Minister (1944–1945), Governor-General of Korea (1942–1944)
Vice Admiral Takazumi Oka, Chief of the Bureau of Naval Affairs
Lieutenant General Hiroshi Oshima, Ambassador to Germany
Fleet Admiral Nagano Osami, Navy Minister (1936–1937), Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff (1941–1944)
General Jiro Minami, Governor-General of Korea (1936–1942)
General Kenji Doihara, Chief of the Intelligence Service in Manchukuo
General Heitaro Kimura, Commander of the Burma Area Army
General Iwane Matsui, Commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force and Central China Area Army
Lieutenant General Akira Muto, Chief of Staff of the 14th Area Army
Colonel Kingoro Hashimoto, Founder of Sakurakai
General Yoshijiro Umezu, Commander of the Kwantung Army, Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office (1944–1945)
Lieutenant General Teiichi Suzuki, Chief of the Cabinet Planning Board
Other:
Shumei Okawa, a political philosopher

Sentencing

Seven defendants were sentenced to death by hanging
General Kenji Doihara
Koki Hirota
General Seishiro Itagaki
General Heitaro Kimura
Lieutenant General Akira Muto
General Hideki Tojo
General Iwane Matsui

They were executed at Sugamo Prison in Ikebukuro on December 23, 1948.

Sixteen defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment
General Sadao Araki
Colonel Kingoro Hashimoto
Field Marshal Shunroku Hata
Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma
Naoki Hoshino
Okinori Kaya
Marquis Koichi Kido
General Kuniaki Koiso
General Jiro Minami
Admiral Takazumi Oka
Lieutenant General Hiroshi Oshima
General Kenryo Sato
Admiral Shigetaro Shimada
Toshio Shiratori
Lieutenant General Teiichi Suzuki
General Yoshijiro Umezu

Shigenori Togo was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and died in prison in 1949. Mamoru Shigemitsu was sentenced to 7 years.

Matsuoka Yosuke and Nagano Osami died of natural cuases durring the trial. Suemei Okawa was found to be mentally unfit during the trial and charges against him were dropped.